Kareem Learns from Adversity

When the rules committee outlawed the dunk after the 1966–67 season, I supported it because I didn’t think that shot was good for the game. I still feel that way. However, Kareem disagreed. He thought the rule change was aimed directly at him.

In fact, though I don’t know if this was true, I felt the change was directed at the Houston players. They would frequently hang on the rim, actually bend it, during the warm-up. When we played them in ‘67, crews had to come out with ladders to straighten it out before our game got under way.

Whatever the source of the rules change, Kareem would no longer able to stuff the ball without being penalized, and he was unhappy.

I told him, “Lewis, this will make you a better player. You’ll have to work harder developing your hook shot, the little short shots off the boards, and the shots around the basket. There is no way this will do anything but make you a much better ballplayer.”

He nodded. And then I added, “Lewis, remember when you get to the pros, you won’t have forgotten how to dunk.”

When Kareem became a professional, one of his most feared shots was the skyhook, a shot he had developed and perfected after the rule change. He had faced a challenge and used it to strengthen himself. Adversity can do that, but it needs your assistance.