Abdul-Jabbar reveals past prostate cancer diagnosis in essay

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s career scoring leader, provided no other details about that illness in the piece he wrote for WebMD that first appeared on Wednesday.

In this February 12, 2018, file photo, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar poses in his office in Newport Beach.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed he had prostate cancer in a magazine article he wrote on health risks faced by Blacks.

Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s career scoring leader, provided no other details about that illness in the piece he wrote for WebMD that first appeared on Wednesday. A publicist for Abdul-Jabbar said this is the first time he has spoken about it.

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Abdul-Jabbar, now 73, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2008.

In his article, titled “Black Lives Matter”, Abdul-Jabbar writes that Blacks are at higher risk for heart problems and cancer, and said he also had heart-bypass surgery.

He said he’s been able to get better care than many Blacks, in part because of his celebrity status and also because two of his sons work in the healthcare profession.