NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is all praise for Dwayne Wade

He is as old as Independent India, but his association with India is minuscule: Once, on his way to Pakistan, he passed through the security checks at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport.

NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is all praise for Dwayne Wade

He is as old as Independent India, but his association with India is minuscule: Once, on his way to Pakistan, he passed through the security checks at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport.

But that won't take away from the popularity that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among the LA Lakers' most legendary players, enjoys in India. His eminence among Indian basketball fans is up there with the likes of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and, more recently, Kobe Bryant.

A man of few words, Jabbar said he was content with his achievements as a player. After all, he totted up the highest number of points scored by any NBA player during his 20-year career, not to mention a record of six Most Valuable Player awards.

"The time that I played is really seen as the golden age. All the players during that time had to go to university. One couldn't get entry into the NBA otherwise. Playing for the university gives an opportunity to learn the game in less intense circumstances. So, at that time people were a lot more rounded. Their games were a lot more developed when they started than they are now," said Jabbar on the eve of the second of the seven NBA finals between LA Lakers and Orlando Magic yesterday.

In that context, Jabbar finds Miami Heats guard Dwayne Wade special among the current lot of players.

"I enjoy watching Dwayne (Wade) play. He is a very talented and passionate player. It all comes out on court," Jabbar said.

Jabbar believes nothing much has changed in the way the game is played since his retirement.

"I think the only thing that has changed is that it has gained popularity worldwide. I think that has been a real change in an aspect of the game its visibility. But the game itself, it hasn't changed at all," said the player.

"It's the same game, but a lot more people are watching it and the international spotlight on the game is now quite intense."

Fascinating India
While the NBA has set its sights on India as a destination to popularise their format, Jabbar, who practices yoga, is also keen to visit India because he is a history graduate and finds Indian history extremely rich and intriguing.

"I studied the history of India and it's a fascinating place," said the 62-year-old who is now involved in a series of promotional activities for the National Basketball Association.

Hugely popular also because of his roles in films and also as a regular blogger, Jabbar had appeared in the video 'Yes We Can' with several US celebrities, in support of Barack Obama's candidature during the US Presidential elections. Having seen racism from close quarters as a youngster, he says he is "extremely glad" that Obama won.

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