His Son’s Arrest Isn’t the First Time Violence Has Touched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The 28-year-old son of basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was arrested in California after he allegedly stabbed a neighbor, TMZ Sports reported. A police spokesman said the victim of the attack was able to drive to a hospital on his own and that the injuries were not life-threatening.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s son Adam reportedly arrested

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Adam Abdul-Jabbar, 28, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon following an incident in San Clemente, California, according to police reports.

Officers in Orange County responded to a report of a stabbing around 10 p.m. on Tuesday. The victim received multiple stab wounds.

TMZ reported the accused is a son of retired college and professional basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The website reported that booking information listed Adam Abdul-Jabbar as 6-foot-7. Police said he was taken into custody without incident and was later released.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s conversion to Islam preceded a terrible tragedy

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar starred at UCLA and began his Hall of Fame NBA career under his given name of Lew Alcindor. He converted to Islam in 1971 at the age of 24, taking his new name that translates to “noble one, servant of the almighty.” Abdul-Jabbar made a pilgrimage to Mecca and studied Arabic at Harvard during the offseason.

One of Abdul-Jabbar’s mentors during the conversion process was Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, the leader of the Hanafi Movement group that subscribes to Sunni Islam beliefs. Shortly after his conversion while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar purchased a Washington, D.C., house for Khaalis to use as a residence and the local Hanafi resource center.

Khaalis was a polarizing figure within the religious community with connections in the 1950s to Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad. He split with the Nation of Islam and founded the Hanafi Movement.

In 1972, Khaalis wrote letters to ministers of more than 50 mosques affiliated with the Nation of Islam, accusing Muhammad of deception and theft. He implored the ministers to disassociate themselves from the sect.

Children among the dead in a 1973 massacre

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On Jan. 12, 1973, more than half a dozen armed men drove from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., and conducted a raid on the Hanafi center that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had purchased on behalf of Sunni Islam follower Hamaas Abdul Khaalis.

Khaalis’ son, Daud, and wife, Bibi, were shot to death. Five children, including a 9-day-old infant, were also killed in the massacre. Khaalis’ daughter, Amina, was shot five times but survived the attack.

Seven men associated with the Black Muslims were arrested and faced charges in two trials conducted under heightened security. Five were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of a minimum of 140 years for the city’s largest mass murder.

Sports Illustrated reported that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar traveled to the scene of the massacre to help wash and bury the bodies of the victims. For some time afterward, the player and his wife and baby traveled under police protection out of authorities’ fear that they might also be targeted.