Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Shares Update on Broken Hip: 'Age Is the Great Equalizer'

The NBA legend, who had an accidental fall at a concert on Friday, joked that he's now a 'world-class patient' as he recuperates from surgery

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is sharing an update on his broken hip — and his overall wellbeing — as he heals from surgery.

The former basketball player, 76, had an accidental fall in Los Angeles on Friday evening, PEOPLE confirmed his fall the following day with his longtime rep, Deborah Morales, who said he was having surgery on Saturday.

"You may have heard that Humpty Kareem had a great fall. It's true," Abdul-Jabbar shared Monday on his Substack page. "I was at The Manhattan Transfer's final public concert at Disney Hall, ready to read a letter from Kamala Harris and provide some praise of my own for a group I love and admire. But I fell and was carted off to UCLA Hospital with a broken hip."

The six-time MVP player, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975-1989 for 14 years and the Milwaukee Bucks for six years prior, said he'd "like to say I fell while trying to save a child from plunging over a balcony, but I just tripped."

"Hard for me to accept that a once world-class athlete just stumbled," he added. "But age is the great equalizer and humbles us all."

Related: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 76, Hospitalized in L.A. After Breaking His Hip During 'Accidental Fall'

Joking that he's now a "world-class patient" recovering from surgery, the avid writer said he will be taking a break to "recuperate."

"I will be taking a week or so off over the holidays to fully recuperate and spend time with my family. When I return, it will be with a shiny new hip and a lot of shiny thoughts to share."

He went on to thank the Los Angeles Fire Department and the "amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital," along with his "Substack community, for joining me twice a week and for sharing your wonderful comments."

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Since his night was cut short, he took some time to share what The Manhattan Transfer means to him, explaining that the first iteration of the a cappella group "first took the stage in 1969, the same year I first took the NBA court."

He apologized for not being able to read the letter from the vice president to the "trailblazing artists" honoring their "long-lasting legacy" that he was proudly tasked with reading that night and shared it in full on his Substack, "complete with a cool seal and indecipherable signature."

"On the plus side, my fall hit all the newspapers so I made your final show even more memorable," Abdul-Jabbar teased. "Merry Christmas!"

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