"I took that to another level" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once spilled beans on training secrets with Bruce Lee

Although you can't acquire longevity through instruction, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once attributed his durability and prolonged basketball career to his training with actor Bruce Lee. He said this partnership contributed to his ability to forge one of the most renowned and iconic careers in NBA history.

In an appearance on "SportsCenter" with Scott Van Pelt in 2020, Abdul-Jabbar elaborated on how Lee had a profound influence on his career.

"Bruce always emphasized the effectiveness of stretching," he said. "So, before we worked out, we stretched all the time. And that was it. I took that to another level by studying yoga and being able to advance as a yoga student, and that really was the best preventative maintenance that I could have been doing in the offseason."

Abdul-Jabbar had an iconic NBA career, spanning 20 seasons and amassing 38,387 points, a record that stood until LeBron James surpassed it in February.

Abdul-Jabbar shared a strong bond with the martial arts legend and made a notable appearance in a memorable fight scene alongside him in the 1978 film "Game of Death." This movie marked Lee's final film appearance, as it was released posthumously in 1973 after his tragic death.

Lee died on July 20, 1973, at the age of 32. The exact cause of his death has been the subject of controversy and speculation, but it was attributed to cerebral edema (swelling of the brain) caused by an allergic reaction to a painkiller he had taken for a headache.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the actor

Being based in Los Angeles provides celebrities with access to Hollywood. Abdul-Jabbar had his first acting role in the film alongside Lee.

In 1980, Abdul-Jabbar played co-pilot Roger Murdock in "Airplane!" with a memorable scene where a young boy recognizes him as Abdul-Jabbar, prompting a humorous exchange about his basketball skills. Abdul-Jabbar later loses consciousness in the film while wearing his Lakers' gear. In 2014, he reprised his "Airplane!" role in a parody commercial for Wisconsin tourism.

Abdul-Jabbar has made numerous television and film appearances, often as himself. His credits include movies like "Fletch," "Troop Beverly Hills" and "Forget Paris," and TV shows like "Full House," "Living Single," "Amen" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." He also had roles in "The Stand," "Slam Dunk Ernest" and made a cameo in "BASEketball." He served as the co-executive producer of "The Vernon Johns Story" in 1994 and appeared on "The Colbert Report" and "The Simpsons."

In 2015, he was featured in an HBO documentary titled "Kareem: Minority of One" about his life. In 2019, he appeared on "The Big Bang Theory," and in 2021, he guest-starred as himself in an episode of "Dave."

In 2020, he served as the executive producer and narrator for the History channel special "Black Patriots: Heroes of the Revolution," earning an Emmy Award nomination for his narration.

Recently, he made a cameo appearance in the 2022 Netflix film "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”