BY JESSE WASHINGTON April 30, 2018
The skyhook: Starting with precise footwork, rising through a leg lift, torso twist and arm extension into the stratosphere, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s signature move remains basketball ballet — and the most unstoppable shot the game has ever seen.
Now we get to see Abdul-Jabbar translate his refined athleticism to the dance floor. On April 30, the six-time NBA champion and top scorer in league history begins competition on the live season premiere of Dancing with the Stars: Athletes. Partnered with Lindsay Arnold, last season’s winner, Abdul-Jabbar will compete against the likes of Notre Dame hoops heroine Arike Ogunbowale and the NFL’s Josh Norman to see who can fox trot, cha-cha and quickstep their way to a different kind of title.
Abdul-Jabbar is one of the more intriguing contestants on a show where athletes have won 10 of 25 seasons. At 7 feet, 2 inches, he’s almost 2 feet taller than the 5-foot-4 Arnold. He’s also 71 years old, the author of 14 books and an activist for racial justice with a well-earned reputation as a serious thinker. In a contest that rewards glam and flash, what attracted a straight-laced scholar? Abdul-Jabbar, who spoke with The Undefeated by phone, says he signed up simply to have fun. The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity.
Complete article at TheUndefeated.com
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