Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Reveals Past Prostate Cancer Diagnosis in Essay

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 73, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2008. He spoke about the prostate cancer for the first time in a WebMD article.

NEW YORK (AP) — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed he had prostate cancer in a magazine article he wrote about health risks faced by Blacks.

Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s career scoring leader, provided no other details about that illness in the piece he wrote for WebMD that first appeared Wednesday. A publicist for Abdul-Jabbar said this is the first time he has spoken about the prostate cancer.

Abdul-Jabbar, now 73, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2008.

In his article, titled “Black Lives Matter,” Abdul-Jabbar writes that Blacks are at higher risk for heart problems and cancer, and said he also had heart bypass surgery. He said he’s been able to get better care than many Blacks, in part because of his celebrity and also because two sons work in the health care profession.