Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 68, underwent a successful quadruple coronary bypass surgery on Thursday. Doctors for the former NBA superstar say he is recovering nicely.
Time magazine reports that Abdul-Jabbar entered Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in L.A. last week, suffering from cardiovascular disease.
“At this time, Abdul-Jabbar would like to thank his surgical team and the medical staff at UCLA, his alma mater, for the excellent care he has received. He is looking forward to getting back to his normal activities soon,” a statement from the hospital reads.
“He asks that you keep him in your thoughts and, most importantly, cherish and live each day to its fullest,” it continues.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar undergoes heart surgery. http://t.co/O2I9JdprOD pic.twitter.com/uRCdhRf09H
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 17, 2015
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He retired in 1989, after a 20-year career.
An actor as well as a basketball player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar appeared in the 1980 film Airplane! and TV shows including New Girl, Full House, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
In 2009, Abdul-Jabbar announced he had chronic myeloid leukemia. In 2011 he said the cancer was “not life-threatening at this point in my life.”
Hopefully Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continues on the road to a full recovery. Perhaps the seven-foot-two-inch tall star will soon shoot a few hoops as part of his physical therapy?