The legend of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar requires no explanation. In fact, Jabbar is one of just three NBA players who have a credible claim to being the greatest basketball player of all-time. Fans often forget Kareem in the GOAT debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, but he's got just as many accomplishments to his name as either.
Furthermore, Adbul-Jabbar has the most complete basketball life of anyone. He won three high school state titles, three NCAA championships at UCLA, and then took home six NBA titles, six league MVPs, and two Finals MVPs. Kareem retired with the all-time points record for 39 years before it was shattered by LeBron James.
Although he's less popular, older, and has a different playstyle, Jabbar has more than earned fans' respect as a basketball legend. He's also one of the smarter former players, giving intriguing insight every time he's given a mic. Hearing him speak about the best players of his era and who his toughest matchups were can be revealing.
However, when asked who his two hardest opponents were, Jabbar gave a surprising answer. He snubbed two superstars of his era, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.
Abdul-Jabbar Snubbed Jordan and Bird for His 2 Toughest Matchups
Larry Bird
In giving his answer about who his toughest matchups were, Abdul-Jabbar made two snubs that are sure to anger certain fan bases. Although he played in the 1980s against both of them, the center omitted both Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, who were both in their primes and ended their careers as consensus top-ten all-time players.
Kareem matched up with Bird in the Finals three times, winning two of them. Although Jordan's Bulls defeated the Lakers in 1991, sending the Showtime era to a close, Abdul-Jabbar had already retired. So, it makes some sense that he would leave MJ off his list, as Jordan's dominance in the Finals was after his time.
However, it seems shocking that he left off Larry Bird after all of their battles, but perhaps Abdul-Jabbar was just giving deference to guys who were both centers and played during the 70s. Jabbar and Bird wouldn't have guarded each other during those NBA Finals matchups.
It seems that Jabbar would rather credit those guys who he actually went against one-on-one during his prime, rather than the top superstars on the teams he battled in the 1980s. Kareem was nearing the end of his playing days before Jordan ever sniffed an NBA Finals, so Abdul-Jabbar probably isn't the best person to vouch for MJ's toughness.
Still, it's very odd that Abdul-Jabbar wouldn't mention Bird after their equal participation in what's still the greatest rivalry in NBA history, Boston vs. Los Angeles in the 1980s. Their feud, while it was seen mostly as Magic Johnson vs. Bird, revived a dying NBA after its brutal 1970s decade.
Kareem witnessed first-hand what a competitive savage Larry Bird was in their three Finals battles. Bird's legend as an all-time SF was cemented in those series, so you'd imagine Jabbar would have the ultimate respect for him. Still, he may just be giving props to those that faced him head to head.
Nate Thurmond
Nate Thurmond
The first player Jabbar gave credit to was Warriors superstar, Nate Thurmond. Thurmond played for the San Francisco Warriors from 1964 to 1971, when they became the Golden State Warriors. He spent 14 years in the league and averaged 15.0 points and 15.0 (fifth all-time) rebounds for his career.
Thurmond was a rebounding monster, posting double-digit rebounds a game for the first 12 seasons of his career, even averaging above 20 a night for two campaigns. Aside from being one of the greatest rebounders to ever play, Thurmond also compiled seven All-Star appearances and five All-NBA honors.
In his time, Thurmond was one of the more bruising defenders in the league, standing as a six-foot-eleven, 225-pound center. He had the perfect body to go at it with Abdul-Jabbar, but as Kareem says, what made him special was that he knew how to play real defense.
Thurmond was agile, Jabbar says, and could frustrate an offensive player with positioning and smarts. Rather than simply banging on Jabbar to defend him, he would get in the right spot to hang with Kareem and prevent him from getting off a good shot. As seen with many other greats, such as Michael Jordan, their toughest matchups are often not the most obvious.
Jabbar faced Thurmond in three consecutive West playoff series from 1971 to 1973, with Thurmond beating Kareem once. Although Jabbar averaged 26.3 points and 14.1 rebounds in 37 games vs. Thurmond, Nate held him to just 47.3% from the field, nearly eight percent shy of his career mark. He clearly left an imprint on the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Bob Lanier
Bob Lanier
The other great who Abdul-Jabbar mentioned is Bob Lanier, who was a stalwart of the 1970s Pistons. Lanier is an underrated legend and Hall of Famer, compiling eight All-Star appearances in a fabulous 14-year career. He averaged 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists for his career.
Although Lanier never got the best of Jabbar team-wise, he certainly was a great matchup for the former all-time leading scorer. Standing at six-foot-eleven, 250 pounds, Lanier had the size and strength to bully Kareem in the paint as he searched for his patented hook shot.
Though Kareem makes light of the fact that Lanier was never able to beat his superior Milwaukee Bucks teams, he relents and gives Lanier the credit for being a tough matchup. Jabbar averaged 26.7 points and 12.7 rebounds in 52 games vs. Lanier, but shot just 53.9% from the field, two percent under his career mark.
Lanier was a much more physical head-to-head matchup than Bird or Jordan would have been for Kareem. The same goes for Thurmond.