Kareem Abdul-Jabbar walked away from basketball as the NBA's all-time leading scorer. He retired on 23 April 1989, at age 42, closing a 20-year career. The record he left behind would stand for 34 years.
A last home game, at 42, in his 20th season
His final regular-season appearance came at the Great Western Forum against the Seattle SuperSonics. Abdul-Jabbar played 26 minutes, scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. The Lakers were now Magic Johnson's team, but the old center still took the floor.
Before tip-off, the Forum went dark for a 45-minute farewell. A crowd of 17,505 gave two standing ovations that ran near seven minutes. His teammates gave him a white Rolls Royce, and his young son sang the national anthem.
38,387 points, a record that outlasted the man
Abdul-Jabbar retired with 38,387 career points, the most in league history. He also left as the leader in games played, minutes and field goals made. The scoring mark held until LeBron James passed it in 2023, with Abdul-Jabbar there to shake his hand.
The count sat atop a career already full of firsts. He won six MVP awards, the most ever, and six championships, from Milwaukee in 1971 to Los Angeles in 1988. The skyhook, his signature shot, was judged near impossible to block.
Presenting the car that day, Magic Johnson spoke plainly. "Since you've been carrying us on your back for so long, here's something to carry you around," he said. Abdul-Jabbar told the crowd, "I just want to say I love you all," then jogged into the locker room.
The retirement was not quite the end of the season. Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers pushed on to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Detroit Pistons. It was a quiet close to the longest scoring reign the league had known.