Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hospitalized with broken hip: Everything we know so far
Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reportedly fell and suffered a broken hip while attending a concert this week. TMZ broke the news, indicating that the LA Lakers legend has been hospitalized as a result of the fall. So far, no reports have indicated what show Abdul-Jabbar was attending, however, paramedics were able to assist him quickly despite a packed crowd.
After being transported to the hospital, a statement from Deborah Morales, the rep for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, released through TMZ gave an update. In addition to it being unclear how long he will be hospitalized for, it has also not been reported if he will have to undergo surgery.
The statement from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's rep states that the Hall of Famer is deeply appreciative of the assistance he got. In addition, Morales said:
"Last night while attending a concert, Kareem had an accidental fall and broke his hip. He will have surgery today . We are deeply appreciative of all the support, especially from Los Angeles fire department who assisted Kareem on site and the amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of (him).
So far, no other details have been released regarding the course of treatment. At 76 years old, the six-time NBA champ could be faced with a long road to recovery.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's previous health scares over the years
As NBA fans are well aware, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has dealt with his fair share of health complications over the years. Back in 2009, the Hall of Famer announced that he had chronic myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Fortunately, two years later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced via Twitter that he had received some good news about his cancer diagnosis. Initially, he said that he was cancer-free, however, he then clarified in a 2011 ESPN interview that his cancer was in a very deep remission.
"You're never really cancer-free and I should have known that. My cancer right now is at an absolute minimum. It's not life-threatening at this point in my life."
While he and his doctors have been able to keep his cancer in-check, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also notably dealt with heart problems in 2015. After being admitted to the hospital, he underwent a quadruple coronary bypass at UCLA Medical Center on his 68th birthday.
Earlier this year, he was also diagnosed with atrial-fibrillation (a-fib), a cardiac arrhythmia that could be fatal if left unchecked. As he now looks ahead at the long road to recovery following his recent fall, it's clear that he has the support of the NBA community behind him.