Lakers basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was scheduled to undergo hip surgery Saturday after falling down at a concert in Los Angeles, according to a spokesperson.
Abdul-Jabbar, 76, was treated Friday night by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics and transported to a local hospital, his business partner and spokesperson Deborah Morales said in a statement provided to The Times.
“Last night while attending a concert, Kareem had an accidental fall and broke his hip,” Morales said.
“We are all deeply appreciative of all the support for Kareem, especially from the Los Angeles Fire Department who assisted Kareem on site and the amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of Kareem now,” Morales added.
The Lakers superstar and six-time NBA most valuable player has added to his stellar basketball career as a writer, activist and humanitarian who has spoken on a number of social justice causes. He is the author of more than a dozen books and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 by former President Obama.
Abdul-Jabbar writes about sports, politics and culture on his Substack newsletter and has written a number of opinion pieces in other publications, including The Times.