or a decade and a half, Abdul-Jabbar was so effortlessly talented and tall that nothing he did on a basketball court could really impress us. Then age made him seem human and every skyhook became a fresh wonder. He had defied the mechanism of buildup and teardown through which America feeds it celebrities. Warm ovations greeted him; like a plant too long deprived of light, Abdul-Jabbar relished this late-autumn sunshine. Photograph by Richard Mackson Text by Gary Smith By 1985, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had made more field goals, scored more points, blocked more shots and earned more MVP trophies than any player in NBA history. He retired in 1989 holding records for seasons, minutes and games played and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. Now 49, Abdul-Jabbar has just published his third book, "Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement," which he wrote with Alan Steinberg.
	Sportsmen of the Year: 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996