Kareem Is Second NBA Player Named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who once thought his poor public relations would prevent him from winning any popularity contests, was named Sportsman of the Year Tuesday by Sports Illustrated magazine.

Abdul-Jabbar, 38, becomes only the second NBA player to win the award. Bill Russell was the first in 1968. There were two winners last year, Olympians Edwin Moses and Mary Lou Retton.

Since 1954, Sports Illustrated has chosen to give its sportsman or sportswoman of the year award to the athlete who best symbolizes in character and performance the ideals of sportsmanship.

Now in his 17th NBA season and his 11th with the Lakers, Abdul-Jabbar credits a turnaround in his dealing with the media for helping him win the honor.

“It’s a funny type of award,” he said. “It has a lot to do with a person’s public perception, and my public relations weren’t that good for a long time. I probably wouldn’t have won it if I hadn’t changed.”

Abdul-Jabbar said he thought he had made a mistake by not becoming more accessible to the media earlier in his career.

“All I was concerned about was my playing,” he said. “It helped me when I decided not to be as distant as I had been with the press. I didn’t understand that before and I paid for it.”

Abdul-Jabbar said he began to change when Magic Johnson joined the Lakers in 1979. He said winning the magazine’s award was another step in his new public image.

“You have to be a brilliant athlete and you have to have that something extra that people can appreciate,” he said.