"There was times where I couldn't be bothered"- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar confirms hilarious Charles Barkley story which broke the NBA
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar opened up about the time that he didn't pay attention to Charles Barkley during their first meeting. Barkley told the story about when it wasn't the best time for him to meet the LA Lakers legend. Their first encounter took place during the 1987 All-Star game and at the time Chuck hasn't met Kareem in person.
Charles Barkley told his fellow All-Stars at the time that he was interested in meeting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His colleagues then encouraged him to approach "The Big A", which didn't turn out to be the encounter Chuck was expecting. Barkley greeted Abdul-Jabbar and Kareem waived him off by stating that he was busy reading. The Lakers legend humorously explained why he acted a bit rude:
"I told him I was reading. There was times where I couldn't be bothered. Now Charles is making me pay for that."
Looking back at Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 1986-87 season
Back in the 1986-87 NBA season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was slowly declining as a player and was nearing his retirement at that point. Playing in his 18th season, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. That was the first season "The Big A" didn't average at least 20 points per game.
Nevertheless, despite his apparent decline in his career, Kareem was still named an All-Star that season and played in his 17th appearance. While many players in the league respected him for still being able to play at the age of 39, it was clear that new stars were about to take over the league.
One primary example was Charles Barkley. It's true that Kareem didn't acknowledge the young superstar in the locker room of the 1987 All-Star game at the time, however, Chuck made his presence felt on the court. Barkley attacked the paint knowing that Abdul-Jabbar was defending. Kareem won the bout with a charging foul call, but he got bruises on his ribs in return.
That moment alone was a clear indication of how old Kareem was getting. Ultimately, Abdul-Jabbar got the last laugh as he ended up winning his fifth title that season alongside the LA Lakers superstar Magic Johnson.