Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Joins Writing Staff For 'Veronica Mars' Reboot
This gig is no slam dunk.
NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has joined the writing staff for the Hulu reboot of “Veronica Mars,” show creator Rob Thomas announced on Twitter this week.
The #VeronicaMars writing staff!@DavidWalpert, @RickFoxTheActor, @rugz19, @kaj33 & Raymond Obstfeld.
And yes, if you’re brilliant and give yourself a #PartyDown Twitter handle, I'll hire you. Or, you could be the NBA’s all time leading scorer, but you must still be brilliant. pic.twitter.com/4Qk2uqcKey— Rob Thomas (@RobThomas) September 25, 2018
And, no, Thomas wasn’t kidding.
Is Kareem for serious
Don't tease— Arran (@ArranNZ) September 25, 2018
.yes
— Rob Thomas (@RobThomas) September 25, 2018
At well over 7 feet, Abdul-Jabbar, 71, will undoubtedly be the tallest person in the room ― and also one of the greenest when it comes to television writing.
But he’s a noted author who has even written spinoff novels about Sherlock Holmes’ older brother, Mycroft. The former Laker also has some acting experience, often playing himself.
Deborah Morales, Abdul-Jabbar’s manager, told HuffPost on Wednesday that the hiring came about after the basketball hall of famer praised Thomas’s book Slave Day in an article. Thomas asked him to write the foreword for a reprint of the book and offered Abdul-Jabbar the part of a Seattle city councilman in his “iZombie” series for the 2019 season. Thomas then worked as a showrunner for an undisclosed program that Abdul-Jabbar was developing and was so impressed with the hoop legend’s skills that he hired him and writing partner Raymond Obstfeld to write for “Veronica Mars.”
Kristen Bell is returning in the titular role of the private eye in the mystery series, which ended its original run in 2007. A feature film released in 2014 was launched by a Kickstarter campaign.
This story has been updated with a comment from Abdul-Jabbar’s manager, Deborah Morales.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.