Imagine being so good at your job that your bosses literally change the laws of physics just to slow you down. That’s not a metaphor. In 1967, the NCAA—the governing body for college sports—actually banned the slam dunk. Why? Basically because of one person.
A teenager named Lew Alcindor.
Before he was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer for nearly four decades, and before he was the philosopher-king of the Los Angeles Lakers, he was a skinny, 7-foot-1 kid from Harlem who made the game of basketball look broken. Honestly, looking back at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar young is like watching a "Create-a-Player" from a video game dropped into a 1960s newsreel. He didn't just win; he demoralized the entire concept of competition.
The Tower from Power: High School Was a Bloodbath
Lew Alcindor attended Power Memorial Academy in New York City. Calling his high school career "successful" is like calling the Pacific Ocean "a bit damp."
Under coach Jack Donohue, Alcindor’s team went on a 71-game winning streak. Think about that. Most high schoolers can't go 71 days without losing their car keys, but this kid didn't lose a basketball game for three years. He finished his high school run with a 79-2 record.
He was a three-time First Team All-American before he could even legally buy a beer. By the time he graduated in 1965, he had scored 2,067 points and grabbed over 2,000 rebounds. These weren't just "big guy" stats. He was agile. He was fast. He had a touch that felt more like a surgeon's than a giant's.
The Greatest Scrimmage Nobody Saw
When Alcindor got to UCLA in 1965, freshmen weren't allowed to play on the varsity team. It was a weird, antiquated rule. So, the UCLA varsity team—who were the defending national champions at the time—had to play the freshman team in an exhibition game to open the new Pauley Pavilion.
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The varsity guys were ranked #1 in the preseason polls. They had the legendary John Wooden on the sidelines.
The freshmen won 75-60.
Alcindor dropped 31 points and 21 rebounds on the best team in the country. He was essentially a cheat code. After the game, the local media basically said UCLA was the second-best team in the country, but they were only the second-best team on their own campus. That's the level of absurdity we're talking about with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar young.
Why the "Alcindor Rule" Actually Backfired
In 1967, the NCAA decided they’d had enough of the dunking. They claimed it was to prevent injuries and broken rims, but everyone knew it was because Lew Alcindor was dunking on people like they were toddlers. They banned the dunk for nearly ten years.
This is where it gets interesting.
If you take away a giant's easiest way to score, you'd think he'd struggle, right? Nope. Forced to adapt, Alcindor perfected a shot he’d been tinkering with: the Skyhook.
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"The skyhook is a shot that you can't really block if it's done right. You're using your whole body as a shield." — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Because he couldn't dunk, he developed the most unguardable shot in the history of the sport. The NCAA tried to nerf him, and instead, they accidentally turned him into a scoring machine that would last 20 seasons in the NBA. Talk about an own goal.
More Than a Jersey Number
It wasn't all just points and trophies. Being Kareem Abdul-Jabbar young meant navigating a country that was literally on fire. In 1968, he did something that most people today would find unthinkable: he boycotted the Olympics.
He was the best player in the world. A gold medal was a lock. But he stayed home to protest the treatment of Black Americans.
- He attended the "Cleveland Summit" in 1967 to support Muhammad Ali.
- He studied martial arts under Bruce Lee (yes, that Bruce Lee).
- He converted to Islam and eventually took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.
People hated him for it. Sportswriters called him ungrateful. Fans booed. But he didn't budge. He wasn't just a basketball player; he was a 21-year-old with the moral clarity of a man twice his age.
The Numbers That Don't Make Sense
If you're trying to explain his dominance to someone who only knows modern ball, just show them his UCLA varsity record.
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Over three seasons, the Bruins went 88-2.
He won three straight national titles. He was the only player to be named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player three times. He averaged 26.4 points and 15.5 rebounds per game without a three-point line and without being allowed to dunk for two of those years.
How to Appreciate the Young Kareem Today
If you want to actually understand the impact of his early years, don't just look at the grainy highlights. Look at how he changed the geometry of the game.
- Watch the 1968 "Game of the Century" against Houston. He played with a scratched cornea and still almost won.
- Study his footwork. Young Kareem moved like a guard. He wasn't a "plodding" center.
- Read his early interviews. His evolution from Lew Alcindor to Kareem is one of the most documented and fascinating personal journeys in American history.
The reality is that we will likely never see another player dominate every single level of the game as thoroughly as he did. From the playgrounds of Harlem to the bright lights of Pauley Pavilion, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar young was a force that the rules of the game simply weren't built to contain. He didn't just play basketball; he forced the world to change its definition of what a basketball player could be.
To truly grasp his legacy, start by looking into the archives of the 1960s New York City Catholic league and the 1966 UCLA freshman box scores. You'll find a version of greatness that feels more like myth than reality.
Practical Next Steps:
- Research the "Cleveland Summit of 1967" to see how young athletes first began using their platforms for social change.
- Look up the "Game of the Century" UCLA vs. Houston box score to see the only time the young Alcindor was truly "contained" (and why).
- Compare his college field goal percentage ($63.9%$) to modern centers to see just how efficient the Skyhook was even in its infancy.