Tag: LeBron James

No. 52: Keith Wilkes / Jamaal Wilkes

fartheroffthewall

This post is part of a media project called SoCal Sports History 101: The Prime Numbers from 00 to 99 that Uniformly, Uniquely and Unapologetically Reveal The Narrative of Our Region’s Athletic Heritage. Pick a number, and consider the list of athletes attached to it. Who wore it best? Or, what’s the most compelling story linked to it? Any person, place or thing is in play with Southern California connections. Star power, transformational achievement, longevity, notoriety and quirkiness all factor in. Whatever leads to a lively discussion and interpretation.

The most obvious choices for No. 52:

Keith Wilkes: UCLA basketball
Jamaal Wilkes: Los Angeles Lakers/Clippers
Marv Goux: USC football
Jack Del Rio: USC football
Khalil Mack: Los Angeles Chargers

The not-so-obvious choices for No. 52:

Happy Hairston: Los Angeles Lakers
Burr Baldwin: Los Angeles Dons
Eddie Piatkowski: Los Anglees Clippers

The most interesting story for No. 52:
Keith Wilkes: UCLA basketball forward (1971-72 to 1973-74)
Jamaal Wilkes: Los Angeles Lakers forward (1977-78 to 1984-85); Los Angeles Clippers forward (1985-86)
Southern California map pinpoints:
Santa Barbara; Westwood (UCLA); Inglewood (Forum)

Reference books on the subject:
“Jamaal Wilkes: Memoirs of the Original Smooth as Silk,” with Edward Reynolds Davis Jr., 2015

Jerry West, James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes, Elgin Baylor, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pose during the jersey retirement ceremony of Jamaal Wilkes at Staples Center on December 28, 2012 (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Before he was Jamaal, he was Keith. And before that, Jackie.

Before he was smooth as “Silk,” he was a little corny as  “Cornbread.”

Two weeks before Keith Wilkes’ UCLA No. 52 was retired at Pauley Pavilion in January 2013, Jamaal Wilkes’ Lakers’ No. 52 was put up on the wall at Crypto.com Arena in December of 2012. It’s understandable that the No. 52 he wore for the Clippers in the waning days before his retirement from the NBA wasn’t put in the rafters.

Eighteen years before he was inducted into Springfield’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, he was already assigned a spot in Westwood’s UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.

For the most part, it was his poetic ability to master a deadly side-winding shot that looked as if he was flyfishing, and resulted in Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn referring to it as another “20-foot layup.”

Continue reading “No. 52: Keith Wilkes / Jamaal Wilkes” →

No. 33: Lew Alcindor / Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

fartheroffthewall

This post is part of a media project called SoCal Sports History 101: The Prime Numbers from 00 to 99 that Uniformly, Uniquely and Unapologetically Reveal The Narrative of Our Region’s Athletic Heritage. Pick a number, and consider the list of athletes attached to it. Who wore it best? Or, what’s the most compelling story linked to it? Any person, place or thing is in play with Southern California connections. Star power, transformational achievement, longevity, notoriety and quirkiness all factor in. Whatever leads to a lively discussion and interpretation.

The most obvious choices for No. 33:

Lew Alcindor: UCLA basketball
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Los Angeles Lakers
Marcus Allen: USC football
Kermit Alexander: UCLA football
Willie Naulls: UCLA basketball
Marty McSorley: Los Angeles Kings

The not-so-obvious choices for No. 33:

Karim Abdul-Jabbar: UCLA football
Lisa Leslie: Morningside High and USC basketball
Charles White: Los Angeles Rams
Ollie Matson: Los Angeles Rams
Eddie Murray: Los Angeles Dodgers/California Angels
Hot Rod Hundley: Los Angeles Lakers

The most interesting story for No. 33:
Lew Alcindor: UCLA basketball center (1966-67 to 1968-69)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Los Angeles Lakers center (1975-76 to 1988-89)

Southern California map pinpoints:
Westwood (UCLA); Los Angeles (Sports Arena); Inglewood (Forum)

Reference books on the subject:
“Giant Steps: The Autobiography of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Peter Knobler, 1983
“On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance,” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 2007
“Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court,” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld, 2017
“Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court,” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 2017
“Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White,” by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld, 2016

Thirty-three years after his NBA retirement, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar unfolded himself from a court side seat at the Los Angeles Lakers’ Crypto.com Arena, adjusted the black Adidas jacket he was wearing with the words “Captain 33” stitched on the front, and walked over to an area where he was supposed to wait near center court until he was needed.

The 75-year-old had made it to Feb. 7, 2023 in an upright position — nothing guaranteed in a life that saw him battle leukemia as well as a recent diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. The all-time regular-season points total of 38,387 that Abdul-Jabbar amassed during 20 record-breaking seasons in the NBA, the last 14 of them as the Lakers’ center and captain, had just been eclipsed by LeBron James, a current Lakers’ employee.

After the rush of embracing teammates, friends and family on the other side of the court, James made his way over to Abdul-Jabbar, who patiently watched, and waited. He knew this drill.

Continue reading “No. 33: Lew Alcindor / Kareem Abdul-Jabbar” →