Over the years, people have been looking for the next Michael Jordan, but no one has really looked for the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The closest thing to the next Abdul-Jabbar is Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers, at least according to the six-time MVP himself.
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Abdul-Jabbar first garnered national attention with his dominance at Power Memorial Academy in New York City, then at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He was then drafted in 1969 by the Milwaukee Bucks, who had entered the NBA just a year earlier. Abdul-Jabbar, who was then known as Lew Alcindor, led the Bucks to an NBA championship in just their third year of existence.
Of course, Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson helped the Lakers evolve into arguably the greatest NBA team ever in the 1980s through a phenomenon known as “Showtime.”
This season, Showtime has returned to L.A. with the arrival of Anthony Davis. His unique combination of guard skills, length, athleticism, rebounding and defense has helped the Lakers attain the best record in the Western Conference.
To be fair, Davis doesn’t yet have Abdul-Jabbar’s great post game, let alone his famed skyhook. But Davis’ overall production isn’t that far off the production of the league’s all-time leading scorer.
If and when the season resumes, Davis can take the first step towards reaching Abdul-Jabbar’s exalted status by helping to lead the Purple and Gold to an NBA title.
