Kareem Abudl-Jabbar. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar jokes that he needs to 'slap Steph Curry'

By Sean Keane | Last updated 3/30/23

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went to Oakland Wednesday and called out one of its favorite players.

Abdul-Jabbar came to the Bay Area to meet with two local high school basketball teams that won state championships, Oakland High and Oakland Tech. He gave the winning coaches autographed No. 33 jerseys and donated 500 signed copies of his book, "On The Shoulders Of Giants."

And while Abdul-Jabbar mainly talked about the importance of education, he couldn't avoid all basketball questions. Specifically one about his signature shot, the "sky hook."

Now this is gold Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says he needs to “slap Steph Curry” for changing the game when asked about his advice for youngsters on the skyhook. He says they don’t think about the skyhook, it’s all about the three ball now. #DubNation pic.twitter.com/SyH8YHLuk6
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) March 29, 2023

"They've forgotten about anything that does not say three points on it," said Abdul-Jabbar. "I gotta go across the Bay and slap Steph Curry for changing everybody's mind about how to play the game."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turns 74 today

The sky hook will forever be a signature move. pic.twitter.com/qgMsrkP4XZ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 16, 2021

Abdul-Jabbar had played 10 seasons and collected five MVP trophies before the NBA introduced the three-point shot in 1979. He was the NBA's scoring leader for nearly 39 years despite making only one three-pointer in his 20-year career.

Curry once attempted 22 three-pointers in a single game. Abdul-Jabbar attempted only 18 in his entire career.

Of course, Abdul-Jabbar wasn't serious about slapping Curry, who he called his "favorite player" back in 2016. The reason? Curry was "changing the game."

Besides, Kareem doesn't have time to slap players. He's too busy writing about sports movies. He's changing the blogging game!

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