Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Speaks After Hip Replacement Surgery, ‘Humpty Kareem Had A Great Fall’

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is remaining positive after his nasty fall that resulted in hip replacement surgery.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is remaining positive after a nasty fall that resulted in hip replacement surgery.

The Basketball Hall of Famer released a column on Monday, Dec. 18, after falling and breaking his hip last week. The reveal detailed the events leading up to Abdul-Jabbar falling while attending a concert in Los Angeles on Friday.

At the time, a statement from his business partner revealed the NBA legend took a nasty spill that required hip replacement surgery on Saturday.

Medical Statement from Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s longtime Business Partner, Deborah Morales

“Last night while attending a concert , Kareem had an accidental fall and broke his hip. He will have surgery today. We are all deeply appreciative of all the support for Kareem,…
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) December 16, 2023

Now, in the wake of his treatment at UCLA Hospital, Abdul-Jabbar, 76, has returned to his Substack column to share photos from the concert, his accident, and his hospital stay, along with a full health update.

“You may have heard that Humpty Kareem had a great fall. It’s true,” he jokingly wrote before explaining the details of his accident.

“I was at The Manhattan Transfer’s final public concert at Disney Hall, ready to read a letter from (Vice President) Kamala Harris and provide some praise of my own for a group I love and admire. But I fell and was carted off to UCLA Hospital with a broken hip.”

The NBA alum, who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, acknowledged his old age’s role in his recent accident.

“I’d like to say I fell while trying to save a child from plunging over a balcony, but I just tripped,” he continued. “Hard for me to accept that a once world-class athlete just stumbled. But age is the great equalizer and humbles us all. Now, I’m a world-class patient in a bed convalescing from a hip replacement like 450,000 other Americans every year.”

Abdul-Jabbar shared his reasoning for writing the column from his hospital bed as he prepares for an extended holiday with family.

“I’m writing to you because…well because that’s what I do,” he wrote. “However, after this week, I will be taking a week or so off over the holidays to fully recuperate and spend time with my family. When I return, it will be with a shiny new hip and a lot of shiny thoughts to share.”

Abdul-Jabbar is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. During his NBA career, he led the Lakers to five NBA championships and became the NBA’s only six-time MVP. He had the most career points in NBA history until LeBron James broke his record earlier this year.