NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Hospitalized After Breaking Hip

Marc Griffin
·2 min read
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NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was hospitalized after falling and breaking his hip. According to the LA Times, Abdul-Jabbar fell hard during a concert in Los Angeles. 

The civil rights figure was transported to a local hospital Friday night and was set to undergo hip surgery. Kareem’s spokesperson and business partner, Deborah Morales, released a statement on Saturday (Dec. 16).

“Last night while attending a concert, Kareem had an accidental fall and broke his hip,” she typed on X/Twitter. “He will have surgery today. We are all deeply appreciative of all the support for Kareem, especially from the Los Angeles Fire Department who assisted Kareem on site and the amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of Kareem now.”

His former team and ex-Lakers star Pau Gasol also took to social media to show the Hall of Famer some love. “Warmest wishes for a fast and full recovery, Kareem,” Gasol typed. “Get well soon, Cap,” the Lakers social media team followed up.

Abdul-Jabbar previously opened up about having atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a type of erratic heartbeat that can lead to strokes, heart failure, and blood clots.

During a February 2023 conversation with People, Abdul-Jabbar opened up about having the heart condition, sharing that Black people are more likely to suffer from heart issues. “I was having an irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath and had no energy or stamina,” Abdul-Jabbar recalled. “I couldn’t walk more than 30 yards without having to sit down and rest to catch my breath.”

“The shortness of breath and irregular heartbeat are things that come and go, but in the long-term, this is considered life-threatening, and people need to know about it,” Abdul-Jabbar explained. “It’s absolutely necessary for people to get checked by a doctor, and I hope that my coming out and talking about this will help people understand what they need to do to protect their health.”

In 2009, the former basketball player revealed that he had been diagnosed with a blood cancer called chronic myeloid leukemia the previous year. In 2020, Abdul-Jabbar disclosed that he had prostate cancer.

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