Whatever Happened to Basketball Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? A Look Back at His Screen Career
What To Know
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, turning 79 in 2026, is not only a basketball legend but has also enjoyed a prolific career in TV, film, and as a mystery writer since the 1970s.
- He is known for memorable roles in Game of Death and Airplane!, frequent guest appearances on popular TV shows, and recent cameos reflecting his ongoing influence in pop culture and mystery writing.
- Beyond acting, Abdul-Jabbar remains active as an author, activist, and documentary producer, continuing to publish books and participate in media projects focused on history and social issues.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turns 79 on April 16, 2026, and while most people know the 7’2″ athlete as a basketball legend with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, he has also formed a pretty successful career on TV, in movies and even as a mystery writer. Since the 1970s, he has popped up all over the place.
With the upcoming documentary about Jerry West and the history of the NBA star that was the inspiration for the NBA logo premiering on April 16, 2026, featuring his involvement, it’s a good time to look back at his acting career and where he is now.
His first major film appearance came through his friendship with Bruce Lee in Game of Death. The two had trained together in Jeet Kune Do, and their fight scene became one of the film’s most memorable moments. In 1980, he took on what remains his most recognizable role in Airplane!, playing co-pilot Roger Murdock. The scene where a young passenger insists he is actually Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is still one of the most quoted moments in the film.
Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Abdul-Jabbar became a regular presence on television. He appeared on Diff’rent Strokes twice and continued with guest appearances on Full House, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin, and Everybody Loves Raymond. He also appeared in films including 1985’s Fletch, 1989’s Troop Beverly Hills, and 1995’s Forget Paris, most often playing himself.
Abdul-Jabbar continued working steadily in later decades. His television credits include voice work on The Simpsons, and appearances on Scrubs, The Big Bang Theory, and Fresh Off the Boat. He also appeared in the Linkin Park music video for “Good Goodbye” in 2017. In more recent years, he had a cameo as himself in the film 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (mostly due to his work as a mystery writer, but more on that below), and made television appearances on shows such as Dave, Billions, and Night Court. While these roles are typically brief, it shows that Abdul-Jabbar has never stopped being asked to be a part of the pop culture world.
During this time period, Abdul-Jabbar was also a writer on the Veronica Mars reboot and co-authored a mystery series about Sherlock Holmes’ older brother, Mycroft. Abdul-Jabbar penned Mycroft Holmes in 2015, Mycroft and Sherlock in 2018, and The Empty Birdcage in 2019 with Anna Waterhouse. That mystery-writing career helps explain why he was a fitting presence in the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery cameo scene, which gathered together figures closely associated with mysteries.
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Outside of acting, Abdul-Jabbar has focused much of his time on writing and public commentary. He has authored multiple books on history and social issues, and has worked on documentary projects, including producing and narrating historical content. Today, he continues to be an activist, participates in documentary projects, and writes. One of Abdul-Jabbar’s newest books, We All Want to Change the World, was released in 2025 along with a graphic novel titled Champion. He told CBS Mornings about the book, “Freedom, justice, and equality are for all of us – not just for some. So we can’t give up.” His recent work and appearances are more selective, but it just shows that he is not ready for retirement quite yet.
Remind 
1970s Fall TV
September 2023
Take a trip back to the ’70s by looking at the TV Guide Magazine Fall Preview primetime lineups.
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