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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Beth Harris | Associated Press

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar faces 3 months of recovery after surgery for broken hip

Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is facing three months of recovery after falling at a concert in Los Angeles and breaking his hip. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

LOS ANGELES — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is recovering from surgery for a broken hip after he fell at a concert in Los Angeles.

The basketball Hall of Famer had surgery Sunday “with no complications,” his business partner and spokeswoman, Deborah Morales, told The Associated Press on Monday.

“He will be in recovery for the next three months,” she wrote via text.

Abdul-Jabbar was attending a show Friday night when he was injured. Paramedics at the undisclosed venue responded and the 76-year-old was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

He was a key player on the Los Angeles Lakers’ teams during their “Showtime” era in the 1980s, leading them to five NBA championships.

“I’m wishing my Showtime teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a speedy recovery after falling and breaking his hip! Praying for the Captain!” Magic Johnson posted on social media over the weekend.

The 7-foot-2 center was the NBA’s career scoring leader until being passed by current Laker LeBron James in February. Abdul-Jabbar owned the mark for 39 years.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 17 rebounds in a win Sunday night to overtake Abdul-Jabbar as the Milwaukee Bucks’ career rebounding leader. Abdul-Jabbar won the first of his six NBA MVP awards during his years there before being traded to the Lakers in 1975.

He starred at UCLA, where he was known as Lew Alcindor and was a three-time national player of the year under coach John Wooden.

Abdul-Jabbar disclosed in 2020 that he had prostate cancer. In 2009, he said he had been diagnosed the previous year with chronic myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer.

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