Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Talks to David Remnick About Politics and Mortality
The Political Scene | The New Yorker
The New Yorker
4.3 • 3.9K Ratings
🗓️ 12 September 2016
⏱️ 16 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nearly thirty years after his retirement, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remains the N.B.A.’s all-time leading scorer. While Abdul-Jabbar has long been politically active (he sat out the 1968 Olympics to protest the discrimination against African-Americans in the United States) it wasn’t until this year that he agreed to speak at a Presidential nominating convention. According to Abdul-Jabbar, no Presidential election in his lifetime has mattered as much as this one. Abdul-Jabbar joins David Remnick in a discussion about the persistence of racism in the United States, the exploitation of college athletes, and whether football can survive the damning research on sports-related concussion.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choicesTranscript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi there, I'm Lale Arikoglu, and this podcast is brought to you by Wilderness, a conservation-driven |
| 0:06.4 | hospitality company that offers intimate world life encounters in extraordinary remote landscapes. |
| 0:12.5 | Last year, I embarked on two separate solo adventures with Wilderness, one to Botswana and the other |
| 0:18.2 | to Namibia, where the expert guides delivered a truly once-in-a-lifetime |
| 0:23.6 | experience. I promise you, whatever you watch and see before you go won't prepare you for the thrill |
| 0:29.4 | of a wilderness adventure. eBay, it's a place to fall in love with new pre-loved vintage and rare |
| 0:36.6 | fashion over and over again. |
| 0:39.0 | Your favorite designers, expertly authenticated. |
| 0:42.5 | Yeah, eBay. |
| 0:44.0 | Things people love. |
| 0:48.9 | I'm Dorothy Wickenden. |
| 0:50.7 | On today's Politics and More podcast, David Remneck talks with Karim Abdul-Jabbar. |
| 0:56.3 | Abdul-Jabar remains the NBA's all-time leading scorer and has become known for his outspoken |
| 1:01.7 | political views as well as his advocacy for student athletes. |
| 1:08.7 | Please welcome Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. |
| 1:12.3 | At the Democratic National Convention this summer, the towering vision of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| 1:17.6 | took to the stage and lent his support to the Democratic Party and its nominee. |
| 1:23.2 | I'm Michael Jordan, and I'm here with Hillary. |
| 1:29.8 | I said that because I know that Donald Trump couldn't tell the difference. |
| 1:35.0 | Michael Jordan aside and forget LeBron James and Steph Curry, |
| 1:38.8 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is still arguably the most dominant player |
| 1:43.0 | in the history of college and professional basketball. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The New Yorker, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The New Yorker and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.