Return to Milwaukee: Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talks about more than his time on the court

MILWAUKEE -- He's one of the greatest athletes ever to have played in the City of Milwaukee -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spoke to hundreds Thursday night, March 2nd at the Milwaukee Theatre. He spoke not just about basketball, instead the focus was his faith.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

He is still the NBA scoring leader, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but on Thursday night, March 2nd, former Milwaukee Buck Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did not stick to hoops.

"I hope Muslims throughout the country realize that and engage. When people say bad things about Islam, they need to engage," said Abdul-Jabbar.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Invited by the UW-Milwaukee Muslim Student Association, the NBA great talked faith and politics.

"Islam is under attack by people who don't understand what it is. Sometimes ignorance can be bliss so you have to disrupt that with facts," said Abdul-Jabbar. "Mr. Trump has said he's going to make America beautiful, excuse me, make America great again. It was dog whistle talk to make America a place of white supremacy again."

Hundreds sat in the Milwaukee Theatre, while some asked questions were all about the hoops. It was a night to get a different perspective on likely the greatest athlete to ever perform at UWM.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

"Knowledge is power. All the educational efforts that you can support and get going will bear fruit," Abdul-Jabbar said.

The event lasted about two hours. Abdul-Jabbar has not been afraid to speak his mind post career. He says he's happy more and more athletes are not afraid to do so.