Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jokes About Slapping Steph Curry

For a long time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the most iconic player in NBA history, and kids across the country wanted to be him. That changed over time, as other players earned the admiration of younger generations.

Now, almost 35 years after Abdul-Jabbar retired, no one is really trying to replicate the Hall of Famer’s style. Instead, young players want to be Stephen Curry and shoot threes from all over the court.

Abdul-Jabbar joked that Curry has permanently altered the way people view basketball.

“They’ve forgotten about anything that doesn’t say three-points on it,” he said. “I’ve got to go across the Bay and slap Steph Curry for him changing everyone’s mind about how to play the game.”

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s response on whether the youth asks him for tips on the skyhook.

“They’ve forgotten about anything that doesn’t say three-points on it. I’ve got to go across the Bay and slap Steph Curry for him changing everyone’s mind about how to play the game.” pic.twitter.com/5By4v4ymBo

— Charlie Walter (@CharlieWalterTV) March 29, 2023

Since Curry entered the NBA, three-pointers have become the most desired shot in the league, whereas when Abdul-Jabbar was playing, his skyhook was a signature shot. Now, the skyhook has pretty much died out while three-pointers continue to thrive.

Abdul-Jabbar has always been appreciative of the newer generation, as evidenced by his joking tone on this matter. But it surely must be annoying to him that the skyhook is not frequently used anymore.