Citizen Kareem’s First Year on the Sidelines

Summer had turned to fall and, while his former Laker teammates were pounding the court, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was digging his toes into the warm sand of Kauai.

“I really had absolutely nothing to do in September and October last year,” he says. “I was over there in Hawaii and just hung out. Geez, it’s been at least since my freshman year at UCLA that my activities haven’t been dictated by the schedule.”

Retired as Laker center after 20 NBA seasons, Abdul-Jabbar, 42, seems to have made a smooth transition from sports icon to private citizen. He has spent more time with his children, redecorated his Bel-Air home, added a tennis court to his Kauai home and learned to ski in Colorado.

Abdul-Jabbar shares custody of 9-year-old Amir, his younger son, every other month with Amir’s mother, Cheryl Jenkins, who lives in Los Angeles. He shuttles Amir to school, helps him with his homework and works out with him. Abdul-Jabbar also visits his 13-year-old son, Kareem, who plays city league basketball, and his daughters, Habiba, 17, and Sultana, 10, who also live in Los Angeles with their mother, Habiba Herbert.

But father is not the only role Abdul-Jabbar has played since retiring. Last month, he appeared on Fox’s “21 Jump Street” as an athletic director trying to clean up a college athletics scandal. He intends to take acting classes and hopes to land more serious roles, but he acknowledges that being 7 feet 2 and immediately recognizable makes him prone to typecasting.

Abdul-Jabbar also is taking advantage of endorsement opportunities now that he no longer collects his $3-million annual salary. He remains a spokesman for L.A. Gear, the apparel company that sponsored his farewell tour. His name soon will grace a line of socks and a toy replica that shoots skyhooks.

Although he stays fit by attending yoga classes, he has no desire to make a comeback, even in an old-timers’ game. He says he’ll resurface occasionally, as he will Tuesday night when the Lakers retire his jersey at halftime during a game against the Charlotte Hornets. And, as part of a consulting agreement with the Lakers, he helps train Vlade Divac, the rookie center from Yugoslavia.

Abdul-Jabbar hasn’t attended a Laker game this season and watches his old team on television only occasionally. He hasn’t grown tired of the sport; he simply wants a break from it. “I’ve experienced all of the most important moments of the game, in college and the pros,” he says. “So, I’ve lived the dream. There’s no sense of discovery anymore. But it still is a great game, and I’m happy it was part of my life.”

What Abdul-Jabbar says he misses most is the Laker players. “You’re kind of like a family,” he says. “That’s a special element of playing pro ball, and you do miss those attachments.”

But he won’t miss the travel schedule of the NBA. Later this month, when he embarks on an extensive tour to promote his new book, the pace will be leisurely in comparison. “It’s going to be easy,” he says. “It’ll be through before 5 in the afternoon, and I won’t have to play any basketball games.”