The Trade That Changed the NBA: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Lakers

[00:00:00] Imagine having Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on your team. You've won a championship, he is the MVP of the league, arguably the best player of all time, and he's in his prime. The only problem is, he's in a city where he can't worship and he can't enjoy his life. And it leads to him asking for a trade so he can feel comfortable. How do you say no to that?

[00:00:25] And that's exactly what the Milwaukee Bucks did when they traded him to the LA Lakers, a city he loves and knows. And we're going to dive into this historical trade that changed the NBA and these two franchises forever. Today on Daily Sports History, let's go!

[00:00:49] Welcome to Daily Sports History, I'm Ethan Reese, your guide, because my idea of a perfect date is debating who should have won the 1992 MVP over a cup of coffee. So, let's go back to how Kareem ended up in Milwaukee. Well he started at UCLA dominating, literally changing the game. The NCAA said no more dunking because he is too good.

[00:01:16] He was the obvious number one pick when they drafted him in 1969 and he jumped in right away. In his rookie year, he averaged over 28 points and 14 rebounds. Those are MVP caliber numbers as a rookie. And the following year, the Milwaukee Bucks traded for Oscar Robinson, one of the greatest guards to ever play the game. And it gave them a dynamic backcourt and veteran leadership to go along with Kareem's dominance down low.

[00:01:45] And with head coach Larry Costello guiding the team, they were able to transform and become a championship team. In the 1970-71 season, they posted the best record ever by a team with 66 wins. And Kareem averaged over 31 points. And that year in the playoffs, they would go on to sweep the Baltimore Bullets in the finals, winning every game by at least 10 points.

[00:02:13] And Kareem would be finals MVP. The Milwaukee Bucks were a championship team. And the future looked bright because Kareem was in his prime. But after 1971, Kareem changed his name. He was Lew Alcindor at this time. But he changed it to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to embrace his faith and identity in the Muslim tradition. And this is where things started to change for him. He was a star in Milwaukee.

[00:02:39] Everyone knew who he was, partly because he was one of the few black men who was Muslim and was over 7 feet tall. I'm willing to bet there wasn't many of those around anywhere. But especially in Milwaukee. And he dominated every single year. In the 1972 season, he would be the scoring champ of the league, averaging over 34 points a game, and be named the MVP. And he would follow that up the next year and win the MVP again and lead them again to the finals. Although they would lose this finals.

[00:03:09] But it was shortly after this, when the 1974-75 season was about to begin, Kareem met for dinner with the Milwaukee Bucks management. There was Sam Gilbert, who was his representative, and the Bucks president, Bill Alverson, and the general manager, Wayne Emery. All there to talk about how he was feeling. And he said his lifestyle and the lifestyle in Milwaukee was not compatible.

[00:03:36] Then about 1% of the population today in Milwaukee is Muslim. There's not very many mosques there. And so he wanted to be traded because he couldn't practice his religion in Milwaukee. Also, he was a huge jazz lover. He loved the jazz music scene. But there wasn't that in Milwaukee. So he couldn't enjoy jazz lounges. He couldn't enjoy the music he loved. So he requested to be traded to either New York or LA. Two cities that he was comfortable in.

[00:04:05] He grew up in New York. He played college ball in LA. But this was a private conversation. This trade demand was not made public until months later. And that was mainly because, frankly, the Bucks didn't know what to do. He told them he would finish out his contract with them. He would play for them. But he would not re-sign with them. He would like to be traded. But he would honor his contract. So do you get another year out of him to play his contract? Because he's under your contract?

[00:04:33] Or do you trade him and get some value back? Something that we see in the NBA all the time to this day. Trade demands now? Very common. Back then? Very uncommon. You sign with somebody, you played there. That's exactly how it normally went. But this was a unique situation. It's a reasonable thing. If you don't fit in, we do. And that's what he was trying to do. And, of course, when it did get leaked out to the media, everyone in Milwaukee was upset.

[00:05:01] Because it sounded like he didn't want to be there. But they didn't really know or understand. And the New York Knicks were aggressive. They were trying to figure out a way to acquire him. Problem was, they just didn't have the right package. And the Lakers didn't have the right original package either. They tried to center their package around veteran guard Gale Goodridge. Who was a Hall of Famer and a great player himself. But didn't move the needle for them. They wanted young talent they could grow around. He was a veteran. Also, the year before, Oscar Robinson retired.

[00:05:31] So he didn't really have a good team around him. He was the only quality player. And he only won 38 games. Finishing seventh in the conference and did not make the playoffs. With no other player on the team. That really was a no. So they played out that season. He played good. Averaging 30 points a game and 14 rebounds. What more could you ask from your star player? But they finally struck. A deal they felt gave them good enough return. They at least had upside.

[00:05:57] The deal was they were going to send cream along with backup center Walt Wesley to the LA Lakers for Elmner Smith. Who was the league shot blocker the previous year and showed promise as a player. And even to this day holds the record for the most blocked shots in a game. It was really centered around him as a possible replacement for cream. Then Brian Winters, Junior, Bridgman and Dave Myers. And also some cash thrown in.

[00:06:25] And this made headlines everywhere. Everyone was stopping. It was breaking news. Like we interrupt you to bring you breaking news on the TV. This was that news. That this was happening. It was huge. And Jack Cook, the owner of the LA Lakers, said this was the most successful thing he ever did as owner of the team. Hands down. And honestly, hands down it was. Cause Kareem would go on to win MVP in 1976, 77 and 80.

[00:06:55] And then he would win 5 championships with the Lakers. In 80, 82, 85, 87, 88. Being around the Showtime Lakers and Magic. Creating one of the best duos to ever hit the court. He also in 1984 broke the all time scoring record. Helped by Wilt Chamberlain. And he would hold that record till LeBron James would break his record. And this was all with the Lakers on top of his accomplishments with the Bucks. He changed the Lakers into a contender.

[00:07:25] In 1989, he would retire marking the end of the Showtime Laker era. The following year, his jersey would be retired. And in 2012, they would unveil a statue of his legendary skyhook in front of the Lakers arena. And he would become a Hall of Famer and one of those people that's just known by one name in Kareem. As he found where he could practice his beliefs and his loves while in the city. And unfortunately, the Bucks, they got the shaft. Let's be honest.

[00:07:54] Walt Elmner-Smith, who was the highlight player they got, only played two seasons with the Bucks. He would average nine points and seven rebounds. Two blocks a game. A quality player, but not the game changer that Wilt was. And then he, in 1977, would get traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he'd just play one more season before retiring due to injuries. Brian Winters would become the starting shooting guard and become a key contributor to the team for the next 18 seasons. Averaging 16 points, three rebounds, and four assists a game.

[00:08:23] And would become a two-time All-Star in 1976 and 78. And would be the best player that they would receive in this trade. Junior, Bridgman, played ten seasons for the Bucks and became a reliable six-man option. Would average over 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists a game. And was known for his versatility and would later become a businessman. And one of the most successful former NBA players outside of the NBA. If you go by total net worth.

[00:08:52] Dave Myers would go on to play four seasons with the Bucks. Average over ten points and five rebounds before retiring due to back issues. He showed some promise, but unfortunately was derailed due to injuries. Which seemed to be what would happen to a lot of these players in this trade, unfortunately. But they didn't just get nothing for Kareem. The problem was, they had nothing else to go on. They struggled for the next few years. It was even made worse by Kareem doing so good. And they can only imagine what would have happened if they kept him.

[00:09:22] As they struggled in the 1980s, they would begin to have more success. They would finish second in the conference in 1980. And lose in the Western Conference semifinals. Where Marquise Johnson and Sydney Kreef became their cornerstones of their team. And would lead them to have seven straight 51 seasons during the 1980s. And they would make the Eastern Conference finals three times during the 1980s. But unfortunately, never make it to the finals. And that continued through the 1990s as well.

[00:09:52] Where they would have Ray Allen and Michael Redd. And have some good teams around them. But unfortunately, still not be able to get over that hump. Until they drafted this skinny kid out of Greece that no one really knew about. Nianas Antetokounmpo. And he would change their trajectory forever. Becoming the greatest player in the NBA for a period of time. Just like they had in Kareem. And would lead them to the promised land again in 2021.

[00:10:19] The question is, was this the biggest trade in NBA history? I want to thank you for listening to today's Daily Sports History. It means a lot to me. I put a lot of work and effort into each and one of these episodes. So if you could like and subscribe wherever you're listening. It means the world to me. And we'll see you on the next episode.