The former professional basketball player fractured his hip at a Manhattan Transfer’s concert in Los Angeles on Dec. 15 and was taken to the hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to a Dec. 18 report from MyNewsLA.
His procedure was completed with no complications, and he is expected to be fully recovered in three months.
“Hard for me to accept that a once world-class athlete just stumbled. But age is the great equalizer and humbles us all. Now, I’m a world-class patient in a bed convalescing from a hip replacement like 450,000 other Americans every year,” Mr. Abdul-Jabbar wrote in a statement.
Deborah Morales, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar’s business partner, put out a statement thanking his “amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of Kareem now.”
The hip fracture is the latest in a series of health issues the NBA great has faced over the last several years, which has included leukemia, prostate cancer and heart bypass surgery.
Mr. Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most decorated NBA players in league history, winning six championships, six league MVP awards and 19 All-Star Game selections. He has the most MVPs in NBA history and is tied with current Lakers star LeBron James for the All-Star record.
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