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Bad news for the NBA.
ESPN.com is reporting that former Bucks and Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a rare form of leukemia.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was diagnosed with the condition last December, but it was not publicly known until recently.
“It was scary,” Abdul-Jabbar told ESPN.
Abdul-Jabbar has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia.
The ESPN.com reports:
Abdul-Jabbar became concerned last year after feeling odd sensations. He went for tests at UCLA, where he dominated college basketball in the late 1960s, winning three straight NCAA championships from 1967 to 1969.
“I was getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis,” he said. “That’s not normal, even for my age.”
An exam showed his white blood cell count was “sky high” and a doctor quickly diagnosed his condition. At first, all Abdul-Jabbar heard was the word “leukemia.”
“I was scared,” he said. “I thought it was all the same. I thought it could mean I have a month to live.”
“That was my first question,” he said. “Was I going to make it?”
A longtime student in martial arts, Abdul-Jabbar said he took the approach of a samurai — to face death without fear.
“I had my face on,” he said.
Instead, doctors told him CML was treatable with proper medication and monitoring.
Abdul-Jabbar is a special assistant with the Lakers. He said the condition has not affected his everyday life too significantly.
He told ESPN he feels he can help “save lives” if he talks openly about the disease to raise awareness.
Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time NBA All-Star, arguably the greatest center to play in the league.
While the condition is not as severe, it still, like most diseases, puts life into perspective.
Abdul-Jabbar is still highly respected around the league, particularly for his ability to teach the game to today’s young post players.
Recently, the Memphis Grizzlies had been talking with him to come on board and help their young talent, and there was reportedly sincere interest in both sides.
An enigma in many ways, Abdul-Jabbar has stayed away from the public eye while often enduring the distaste from people in the “media” such as Bill Simmons.
But his impact and presence in the game is unrelenting, and here’s hoping that he makes a successful recovery from the condition.
H O O P S C R I B E 
Dear Kareem , I pray you recover fast. I know what you are going through i was their do not give up.
My name is Wossene Bowler and I am the founder of Life’s Second Chance Foundation and a survivor of CML Leukemia who was treated with a bone marrow transplant in 2000.