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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar College: UCLA’s Three NCAA Titles

Joshua Silvia
2–4 minutes
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his Los Angeles Lakers uniform — UCLA Bruin who won three consecutive NCAA championships from 1967-69
Photo: copyright Steve lipofsky http://www.Basketballphoto.com · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
The short answer
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — then known as Lew Alcindor — attended UCLA from 1965 to 1969. Under head coach John Wooden, he won three consecutive NCAA championships (1967, 1968, 1969), was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player all three years (the only player ever to win that honor three times), and finished 88-2 in his varsity career. Freshmen weren’t eligible for varsity in that era; Alcindor’s UCLA freshman team beat the varsity team 75-60 in a 1965 scrimmage that’s still talked about in Westwood.

The Lew Alcindor recruiting battle

Alcindor grew up in Manhattan and dominated Power Memorial Academy for four years, going 95-6 with three New York City Catholic championships. Every major program recruited him; he visited Michigan, North Carolina, and St. John’s, but Wooden’s reputation and UCLA’s academic profile won out. He committed in May 1965.

His freshman year (1965-66) the UCLA freshman squad — known as “the Brubabes” — went 21-0. The infamous Pauley Pavilion scrimmage on November 27, 1965 saw the freshmen beat the defending two-time national champion UCLA varsity 75-60. Alcindor had 31 points and 21 rebounds. Wooden told reporters, “That’s the best freshman team I’ve ever coached, and the best player I’ve ever coached.”

Three titles, the dunk ban, and a perfect season

1966-67: 30-0, NCAA champion (beat Dayton 79-64 in title game). 1967-68: 29-1 (only loss was the famous Houston “Game of the Century” with Elvin Hayes), beat North Carolina 78-55 in the title game. 1968-69: 29-1, beat Purdue 92-72 in the title game.

After Alcindor’s sophomore year the NCAA banned dunking (the so-called “Lew Alcindor rule”) because he was unstoppable at the rim. Alcindor responded by perfecting his sky hook. UCLA had a 47-game winning streak during this run; Alcindor averaged 26.4 points and 15.5 rebounds across his three varsity seasons.

The 1969 NBA Draft and the Bucks coin flip

Alcindor was eligible for the 1969 NBA Draft and the ABA Draft simultaneously. The Milwaukee Bucks (NBA, last in the East) and Phoenix Suns (NBA, last in the West) flipped a coin for the #1 pick. Phoenix called heads; the coin landed tails. Milwaukee took Alcindor. The ABA’s New York Nets, his hometown team, offered him a million-dollar contract; Alcindor took the Bucks’ “smaller, fairer” offer instead, citing his preference for the established league.

He converted to Islam in 1971 and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971. Won six NBA championships (one with Milwaukee in 1971, five with the Lakers from 1980-88), six NBA MVPs (still an NBA record), and held the NBA’s all-time scoring record for 38 years until LeBron James passed him on February 7, 2023.

Pauley Pavilion, 555 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095

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Background facts cross-referenced with the Wikipedia article on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Pro-Football-Reference / Basketball-Reference public records. Lead image via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

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