Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar walked into the NBA Finals with divided loyalties. Born and raised in Harlem, New York, he might have been expected to pull for the Knicks. Instead, the league’s all-time leading scorer found himself cheering for the 7-foot-4 rookie who’s drawing comparisons to his younger self: San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
Abdul-Jabbar, writing on his Substack, admitted he was rooting for the French phenom and the Spurs against the Knicks in the title series. It wasn’t just nostalgia for his own game — it was a lingering grudge from his rookie season, when the Knicks eliminated his Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals. The Hall of Famer says he’s over it now, especially after witnessing New York’s stunning postseason run.
A Series That Delivered Drama
Though the Knicks took the series 4-1, the games were anything but a rout. Wembanyama — the Defensive Player of the Year — averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks through the postseason, joining Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to hit those marks in a single playoff run. It wasn’t enough to bring a title to San Antonio, but it earned him the respect of a legend.
“I found myself rooting for Wemby, who reminds me a little of myself at that age,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. The connection is obvious: both are lanky, dominant centers who changed how the game is played on both ends of the floor.
Why Abdul-Jabbar Gave Props to the Knicks
Despite his allegiance to Wembanyama, Abdul-Jabbar didn’t hold back praise for the Knicks’ core. Jalen Brunson, the undersized point guard with an enormous heart, was named Finals MVP after scoring a team playoff-record 45 points in the series-clinching Game 5. “It came as a surprise to exactly no one when he was named finals MVP,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote.
He also singled out OG Anunoby, who saved Game 4 with a tip-in that’s already reached legendary status around Madison Square Garden. “He averaged 21 points per game in the finals,” Abdul-Jabbar noted. And he couldn’t ignore Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves-turned-Knicks center who won the league’s Social Justice Champion Award — named in Abdul-Jabbar’s honor — in 2024 for his work on voter rights in Minnesota.
A Balanced View From a Living Legend
Abdul-Jabbar gave a shout-out to coach Mike Brown, whose leadership helped the underdog Knicks overachieve when it mattered most. “I don’t have the time or space to talk about every player on the team, but they all shared in the glory,” he wrote.
So while Abdul-Jabbar was pulling for Wembanyama to lift his first trophy, he walked away from the series convinced the Knicks earned it. The Spurs’ rookie may have lost the battle, but he won something just as valuable: the nod of approval from one of the greatest to ever do it.
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