Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recovering after quadruple bypass surgery
The NBA's all-time scoring leader is recovering in hospital after a quadruple bypass surgery.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar underwent the major heart surgery Thursday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on his 68th birthday after being admitted to the hospital earlier in the week due to cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Richard Shemin, who performed the surgery, said in a statement that Abdul-Jabbar is expected to make a full recovery after a successful procedure.
In a statement from UCLA Health on behalf of Abdul-Jabbar, he asked fans to keep him in their thoughts, and, most importantly, cherish and live each day to its fullest.
Abdul-Jabbar's 38,387 career points are 1,459 more than anyone else in NBA history (Karl Malone is 2nd) and 5,905 ahead of the top active scorer, Kobe Bryant.
The Hall of Fame center spent 20 seasons in the Association, posting career averages of 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 blocks. He won his first championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 and won five more with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s.
Abdul-Jabbar, a UCLA product, retired in 1989 as a 19-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA selection, six-time MVP and two-time Finals MVP.
He announced in 2009 that he was suffering from a form of chronic myeloid leukemia before declaring himself cancer-free in 2011.