Students, donors in awe of Abdul-Jabbar at Ogden Fall Author Event
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- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks to a packed crowd for the Ogden Authors Event on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.
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- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar speaks to a packed crowd for the Ogden Authors Event on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.
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- A select group of high schoolers talks to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar backstage at Ogden High School on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.
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- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wears socks bearing his likeness to the Ogden Author Event on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.
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- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is interviewed by David James at the Ogden Authors Event on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.
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- A crowd attends the Ogden Author Event on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.
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- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar signs books after his presentation at the Ogden Author Event on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.
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- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar waves to a crowd of Ogden and Ben Lomond High School students on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.
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- David James interviews Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the Ogden Authors Event on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021.
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- Essay contest winners Reagan Wilcox, Ruben Ortiz and Joseph Gibson listen to guest speaker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at Ogden High School on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.
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- Essay contest winners Kel Petersen, Elizabeth Hansen and Sae Obayashi listen as Sydney D’Hulst asks a question during the small group discussion with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Friday, Nov. 4, 2021.
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- Brook Hardin waits as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar signs a copy of his book on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.
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- Jami Jane Elbrader waits as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar signs a copy of his book on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021.
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- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar listens to a question from a select group of students at Ogden High School on Friday, Nov. 5, 2021. Also pictured are Jami Jane Elbrader, left, and Sydney D’Hulst.
OGDEN — In a different life, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would have been a history teacher. The acclaimed author, athlete and activist used those instincts to discuss everything from current affairs to jazz — and the Jazz — this week for the annual Ogden Fall Author Event.
While the conversations were different Thursday evening and Friday morning, Abdul-Jabbar sought to provide a glimpse into his life and experiences to both groups. Thursday was the Ogden School Foundation’s gala for donors — a group of 940 in the Ogden Eccles Conference Center’s main ballroom and another 110 watching a livestream in a secondary space. On Friday, a far more intimate discussion was held in Ogden High School’s Black Box Theater with 11 contest-winning students.
The students had a chance to ask Abdul-Jabbar questions expanding on his stories the night before and received signed books and basketball cards as keepsakes.
While answering the students’ questions honestly, he took each opportunity to also give a life lesson. They varied from listening to parents to the importance of proper grammar.
“The first book that I wrote, that I wanted to write, was called ‘Black Profiles in Courage’ and it’s a history book. I wrote that for Black kids who don’t realize that America is their country,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I did that book to communicate those thoughts to them.”
The NBA all-time scoring leader and New York Times bestselling author helped maintain a jovial mood in the theater Friday, holding onto a lollipop as he answered questions and wearing, for the second time in two days, socks bearing his own likeness.
The winning students in attendance were Sydney D’Hulst, Jami Jane Elbrader, Joseph Gibson, Elizabeth Hansen, Brook Hardin, Sae Obayashi, Ruben Ortiz, Kel Petersen and Reagan Wilcox.
Two of the contest-winning students, Alicia Martinez Granados and Danielle Johns, were unable to attend the discussion with Abdul-Jabbar.
He also spoke to a large group of Ogden and Ben Lomond high school students about his life and experiences in the main auditorium.
Kicking off the Thursday festivities was Ogden School District Superintendent Luke Rasmussen, who introduced the student essay contest winners and read small excerpts from several of their essays.
One such passage read, “I have come to realize that the people we truly are don’t fit into specific categories. Who we want to be and all the different versions of ourselves that others see play a vital role in who we are. Sure, conflicting parts of ourselves may clash. We might hate one character trait and love another, and that can be confusing sometimes, but it all goes hand in hand with our individual identities.”
Finding a place in the world, and what each person can bring to any group setting, aligned closely with Abdul-Jabbar’s speech.
“Every generation grows up in unique circumstances, with different pressures, different experiences and different expectations. What I went through when I was a teenager is not directly compatible to what today’s teenagers are going through,” he said. “Part of their education was doing a worldwide pandemic. Climate change is an imminent threat, insurrectionists invaded the Capitol Building, attempts were made to overturn a national election. Other generations haven’t experienced anything like that.”
Abdul-Jabbar brought together all points to refocus on a shared goal of achieving equality. He talked about the importance of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and the light they shone on the issues facing people of color in the United States. Abdul-Jabbar brought his own experiences to the conversation as the son of a police officer in Harlem who became an officer after he was unable to find work as a musician due to “the color of his skin.”
He also, as a 20-year-old college student, was invited to the Cleveland Summit with Jim Brown, Bill Russell and other Black leaders in sports to discuss Muhammed Ali’s decision to protest the Vietnam war.
For 45 minutes, Abdul-Jabbar and KUTV’s David James had a conversation that intertwined race, basketball, community and education. In it, Abdul-Jabbar talked about how and why he became a reader and, eventually, a writer. He said that as a child when he would ask questions, adding that they were frequent, his father would hand him books to find the answers himself.
After wrapping up the conversation with James, Abdul-Jabbar walked to a nearby table and signed copies of his books for hundreds of attendees who were eagerly awaiting a chance to meet the NBA legend.
While most simply waited for the autograph, took a quick selfie and thanked Abdul-Jabbar, others told him of their occasional interactions with him in the past. Whether they were current employees of the Utah Jazz, saw him play in the 1970s or had loved ones compete against him on the court — even briefly — eager attendees lit up with the chance to meet Abdul-Jabbar.
“He is someone who searched for and found his path in life, and encourages others to do the same and be positive contributors in their communities. The reason we do all this is to enrich the lives of our students,” Ogden School Foundation Executive Director Janis Vause said.
She added that the event is vital for students and consistently has a major impact on them and that, she hopes, the students come away from the week with a new perspective.
After being called the greatest basketball player of all time on Friday, Abdul-Jabbar was asked what it took, behind the scenes, to achieve the success he has had.
“Sometimes you’re doing something, and you don’t think it’s that significant,” he said. “You never know what’s going to come your way.”