European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Jabbar the Public Doest know what in about7 by Tony Kornheiser new York times Only a table lamp is and Kareem Abduljabba is eating As if by studies in the Motel room As Well As the Man sprawled on the floor is his purple los Angeles lakers but arranged neatly against a Wall Are three pairs of shoes conservative Black oxfords and outrageous snakeskin size very he is 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 236 yet his voice is As soft As Mink if he were any More he would be during an hour Long Abduljabba talks about his fights in the National basketball his life As a professional his his evaluation of Aba his Public image and his reluctance to become an outspoken Leader of his but almost never during this hour does he make Eye Contact with his it is As if he is hiding under a to keep out the he grew it people that Are very develop a Shell because their Mere physical presence brings a in most definitely in that in War of and i Learned it a Long time ago when people started approaching me just because i was people hassle they sign this or Over meet my meet my meet my Uncle they demand the demands on Abduljabba reflect his his yearly salary of is unsurpassed among Basket Ball he has been Al pro in each of his eight pre Vious seasons in the and his Peers consider him the Best in their yet he May be the Leas known super Star in although he believes in communication be tween people he says hed like to be a an investigative when he retires from basketball he rarely gives for the most part the Public Doest know what in Ive changed from being your regular negro with a Christian name i he was bom Lew Alcinder 30 years ago in new York City and attended Power a Cath Olic High school in Manhattan to being an afr american who has accepted islam they dont understand a lot of them see it As a although 1 must say As time goes that the Public expects him to perform herculean tasks every time he walks onto the but away from the lakers Home the forum in Abduljabba is consistently everyone wants to see Goliath be making Small circles with his hands As if to draw the Complete i for that Bill Walton int booed As much As i and Hes said a by 1978 los Angeles Laker Star Abduljabba one thing you have to this is a few More things that could really seem to be definitely threatening to this country his associations with people who Arent wrapped too but Walton is Goliath was a foreigner he want one of he was one of As far As most people Are concerned in this in one of racism is one of the few issues on which Abdul jabber has spoken he Speaks out Only when he becomes too angry to hold and a few years ago in separate incidents he called Jerry Robert and Bob Aba referees he admits to a certain amount of racism himself he says that he was reared in a racist society and that his racism is part of his defense for survival within i hat yet he does not think that the fights in inc Aba Are racially motivated certainly not his which have been mostly against White such As Kent Dennis Awtrey and Tom Burlison its hard for me to say Why most of my fights Are Wilh White Abduljabba he makes Eye Contact with his questioner for a split then continues i could go Case by Case it just got to the Point where i had to do something about physical the Only time it was with a Black player was with Happy the lines of communication Between Blacks arc More if you can buy it has to do with body anyone from a Black Community can obviously look at someone and in not going to fool around with this because Hes ready to a White player is slow to pick up on the most famous fight this season even More famous than Abdul Jabbary fight with Benson was the on punch knockout of Rudy Tomjanovich by Kermit then a teammate of Abdul Jabbary As a Washington was fined and suspended by the com Larry and subsequently traded by the lakers to it is Abdul Jabbary belief that his was made a Scapegoat yet Abduljabba has not spoken one thing you have to this is a business the lakers made a business transactions know what its All and Ive known it since i started its hard to feel outraged at a thing you knew was its of its and personally i find it but its a Busi in Many ways he is a mercenary there Are those who watch him play and note that he seems almost bored during Many games who wonder whether basketball is any fun for him at its a great Way to earn a living is his first response he then shrugs his it was a lot More fun when i played on saturdays and weekdays after you relate to the game differently As you Prog it could still be a lot of fun if unit was the level of my pickup game like i its my so thai puts it on a different of he says must arc he Doest blame them he says the game is impossible to and he is amazed at the few who officiate with any com but when you Tell them that they Are income they dont want to hear it because they know its and then they gel vindictive and Start making Calls against when he is asked what the Public expects of its ath he says they expect they expect you to be Good on and off the in and out of the Job of that not but that the Way it Abduljabba thinks there Arent Many heroes be cause everybody but he remembers having had one the late Adam Clayton congressman from he was in the Halls of executing real Power for the Benefit of Black old people and women a Long time before those causes became Abdul Jabbar Adam Clayton Powell never got any credit for whereas Martin Luther King didst manage to achieve anything that want in the Bill of but Hes pointed up As the Martin Luther King had better Public relations he was More acceptable to the american Adam Clayton Powell liked his women and his but he got the Job it is suggested to Abduljabba that he May Well be a hero in some people and he is asked whether he is comfortable with this yes and he that kind of in just like them the stars and stripes Poge 15