Click image to watch Kareem Abdul-Jabbar “ESPN First Take” interview.
Thursday morning, legendary Los Angeles Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was on ESPN’s first take to join the debate table. Things opened up with discussing Kobe Bryant’s return to the team (this year or early next year) and how the team would look this year in comparison to last season with Dwight Howard. Kareem didn’t hold back any words about Dwight’s game, subliminally calling him an overrated and underdeveloped player.
Looking at past history with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and modern Laker centers, none of them got along with him. Shaquille O’Neal, Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard all respected Kareem, but had a falling out with him after their departures. With the exception of Pau Gasol, Kareem hasn’t been that liked by Laker bigmen for whatever reasons; whether they’re too good to put in the work ethic, just simply don’t care or only focusing on checks. Dwight didn’t take too kindly of the words and responded back to Kareem’s claims of his low basketball IQ.
You can check after the jump to watch Jabbar on First Take, then peep Dwight’s response.
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Howard responded to the criticism a day before he will take the floor in a game for the first time with the Rockets: “I don’t pay any attention to that stuff. I did hear about it but everybody is entitled to their own opinion. When I joined the Lakers I was the greatest center. When I left, I was the worst. Mentally, I wasn’t capable of playing center. I understand a lot of things are said out of emotion. I will say if he has anything to say, I am here in Houston. We can talk man to man. That’s how I feel.
“We had one conversation (in Los Angeles) and that was before the season and I was respectfully asked to keep that conversation away from basketball.
“It’s emotion – the fact that I left the Lakers. It it what it is. I am in a great place right now. There is no need for me to go back and forth with him. One thing I would say is that he is old enough to where whatever I do shouldn’t even matter. He is Kareem Abdul Jabbar. If I’m Kareem, I’m like why? Four championships, five championships (actually, it’s six) whatever. I’ve been in Airplane and done movies with Bruce Lee. I am not worried about the young whippersnapper.
When asked about his basketball IQ, Howard defended himself: “You can’t win three Defensive Player of the Year trophies and be stupid. That can’t be done. And I don’t think any coach that has ever coached me has said I have a low IQ for basketball. Have I done some dumb stuff on the floor? Yes, every player has. Have I done some stupid things in life? Yes, it’s life. We make mistakes and learn from them. It is what it is. I think I am very intelligent when it comes to the game of basketball. I have been playing since I was three years old. Each year, I get a little smarter. People will have something to say. Is what it is. I’m in (Houston) now.This city has my back and we are going to ride together.”