Kareem visits town for a 3-on-3 championship

JAKARTA (JP): Six-time NBA Most Valuable Player Kareem Abdul Jabbar, is in town for the Adidas 3-on-3 championship at the Pondok Indah Mall over the weekend.

The winner will be honored by receiving a trophy from Kareem at the closing ceremony.

The jet-lagged 7'2 feet (216 cm) center who played for the Milwaukee Bucks and later for the Los Angeles Lakers, was more than happy to answer questions at a press conference.

The hall-of-famer is known for his skyhook which led him to the top of the all-time scoring leader with 38.387 points. He started developing his famous shot as a little boy.

"I started developing this shot when I was in grade school. I just continued perfecting the shot until I was able to hit it constantly." he explained, adding, "the hook shot was not my creation. It has been there for a long time, and because I'm tall, it suits me. I guess people connect me with it just because I hit it on a constant basis."

Born in Manhattan 48 years ago, Kareem believes determination brings success. His belief got him to the NBA.

"I don't think it's true to say that black is better than white in playing basketball. I believe though that blacks have more determination in their athletic career, while whites have more choices in life. I guess that's something which explained why basketball is more predominantly black."

Kareem, although visiting Indonesia for the first time, said he met some Indonesians in the Middle East. "I didn't know about the basketball condition in Indonesia," he said. He contends that Indonesians can play ball.

"Although players here are relatively smaller, that can be an advantage to them because their bodies are closer to the ground which will enable them to dribble easier than others. The secret to basketball success is to work hard, play defense and work as a team, then everything will be alright." he explained.

Kareem, who listed Magic Johnson and John Wooden as his best teammate and coach, stressed he is here for basketball, even though he plans to visit an orphanage.

Kareem, who will run a coaching clinic on both days of the tournament, said he is here to promote 3-on-3 basketball which he believes is the best way to play. It only takes half the court and allows players to showoff their individual abilities, he said, adding that teamwork is still the key to winning(07).