“Are you Lew Alcindor?” I asked.
He gave a sheepish nod.
In hindsight, the question felt silly—who else could he possibly be? Towering and unmistakable, I’d seen him dominate on television countless times, leading UCLA to NCAA glory. But seeing him in person was something else entirely. Back then, he was still known as Lew Alcindor, before adopting the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He had just returned to Los Angeles from New York to complete his final year at UCLA.
As we spoke, he mentioned his martial arts background—how he’d been studying Aikido under Yoshimitsu Yamada in New York and wanted to continue training.
“Do you have any books on tai chi?” he asked, scanning the shelves.
“Sorry, we don’t,” I replied. “But if you’re interested in Chinese martial arts, I know someone who could help.”
“Who?” he asked, curious.
“Ever heard of Bruce Lee?”
“You mean the guy who played Kato on The Green Hornet?”
“Exactly.”
“I’ve never actually watched those shows,” he admitted.
I told him that if he wanted to meet Bruce, he should give me a call. The invitation was open—and the rest, as they say, would become martial arts history.
