Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Anthony Davis Saga ‘Mirrors’ Trade Request from Milwaukee

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says his trade request from Milwaukee 45 years ago “almost exactly” mirrors the present-day Anthony Davis saga.

Abdul-Jabbar told the Bucks he wouldn’t re-sign, and that he wanted instead to play in New York or Los Angeles.

Kareem, who spent the final 14 years of his career with the Lakers, advises AD against publicly pressuring the New Orleans Pelicans to shop him.

Per Bleacher Report:

“It mirrors almost exactly the same situation I was in in Milwaukee,” Abdul-Jabbar told B/R. “Almost exactly.”

Before the 1974-75 season, with two years left on his contract, Abdul-Jabbar informed Bucks management that he would not be re-signing when his deal was up.

“I told them, ‘Look, I’m not signing again,'” Abdul-Jabbar said. “‘You guys gotta find a place to put me where you can get the best deal that you can make. Because I’m out of here.’ And they got that. And the fact that I had a good relationship with them—I respected them, they respected me, they paid me well—they did the best deal that they could do for themselves, and it was a pretty good deal. Given they got four very good players for me, I thought that everybody won.”

Abdul-Jabbar’s power play—which was ahead of its time—is arguably the main reason the Lakers remain a glamour destination for NBA stars, from LeBron on down.

“It looks like Anthony Davis is in the same position,” Abdul-Jabbar said, though he noted Davis hasn’t handled it the same way. He just shouldn’t do it in public. Those are discussions for behind closed doors.”

Related Magic Johnson: Pelicans Didn’t Negotiate in Good Faith on Anthony Davis