In a talk that touched on topics that ranged from poor police-community relations in the United States to international politics, author and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar cited poverty as the biggest barrier that threatens to block the shots that low-income students have at higher education.
“I think the biggest barrier is poverty because poverty makes it impossible for people to have the money and time to become first-rate students,” Abdul-Jabbar said Monday in response to a question posed by Diverse at the National Press Club, where he was visiting to promote his new book, “Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White.”
“Usually, they are struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head, so they miss out on the opportunities that are extended to them to get into the middle class,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
Rather than preach about what other professional athletes should do to help alleviate the situation, Abdul-Jabbar chose instead to speak to his own endeavors.
Among other things, Abdul-Jabbar helps 22,000 students attend “Camp Skyhook,” a Los Angeles-based camp that provides a weeklong outdoor learning experience in STEM.
Abdul-Jabbar — who also announced plans Monday to form a new regional holding company in Dubai, called Global Skyhook Connections Ltd after his famous “skyhook” shot — credited his own college education with enabling him to find success in other endeavors once his long and storied NBA career as the all-time leading scorer came to an end.
“The key to success was I wanted to go to college and I got my degree,” said Abdul-Jabbar, who graduated from UCLA in 1969.
