Gary D'Amato

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a good idea how he’d have tried to defend Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the day.

“I would have tried to get in his way,” a smiling Abdul-Jabbar said Wednesday. “That would have been about it.”

There was more than a hint of self-deprecation in his answer. Abdul-Jabbar, 69, led the Bucks to their only NBA title in 1971 and is one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Graceful and athletic at 7-foot-2, he would have been a formidable obstacle for Antetokounmpo.

Abdul-Jabbar is in town this week to make several appearances, including a speech Thursday night at the Milwaukee Theatre as a guest of the UW-Milwaukee Distinguished Lecture Series and the Muslim Student Association.

The 19-time all-star, six-time NBA champion and all-time scoring leader met with reporters for 10 minutes before the Bucks-Denver Nuggets game. Here’s his take on a few subjects:

On Antetokounmpo: “He’s a pretty unusual talent to be that tall and that gifted and to understand the game the way he does. They’ve got a great player there and I hope he continues to do well. I saw him play two or three years ago when I came and I saw a little flash of it. Geez, he’s really matured and learned the game and has done a great job.”

On the six seasons he spent in Milwaukee: “It feels like long ago and far away. A whole lot of years have gone by, a whole lot of time. I’ve been retired more than 25 years from the game. But it’s really great still today. I travel places and people say, ‘I’m from Wisconsin and when I was a kid I watched you guys play and you were great and I really loved what you did when you were with the Bucks.’ It’s always gratifying to hear that.”

On President Trump: “I hope that he would understand that Islam is not about violence and aggressive behavior. Islam is supposed to be about peace. And the people who he wants to keep out of this country don’t practice Islam. They practice violence. And they come in all shapes and colors and religions and it’s not just Islam. It’s not Islam at all. He has to really understand that some of the things he does and says can negatively affect the things he’s trying to change.”

On the Bucks’ direction: “I think they’ve done a good job drafting. Antetokounmpo is unreal. Good things are happening. They’re one or two players away from causing problems for everybody else in the Eastern Conference. I’m rooting for them.”