Abdul-Jabbar Is Puzzled by Brewhaha

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said he is mystified by criticism of his appearance in a television beer commercial, pointing out that throughout his career his photo has been used in beer ads and he has never espoused the use of alcohol.

“I played for the Milwaukee Bucks for six years, ‘Brew Town,’ and Miller Brewing sponsored our radio broadcasts,” Abdul-Jabbar said Wednesday from his Century City office. “They did promotions using my picture. I had no control over it. I didn’t have any problem with it. They didn’t require me to say that I drank beer. That was enough for me.”

Abdul-Jabbar, in his first public comments since the controversy surfaced last week, noted it was customary for a photo of the NBA all-star team to be made into a poster sponsored by a brewery. The Lakers, he said, used his likeness in promotional material involving alcohol.

“It’s been like this for my whole professional career,” he said. “Why now, at this point, do I get this static? That’s the only thing I’m saying. I couldn’t go down to the Milwaukee Bucks’ office and tell them I don’t like the fact that Miller is a primary sponsor. I couldn’t do that. I’m an employee and they treated me well, I didn’t have any business saying that.”

The NBA Hall of Famer was denounced last Friday by the Islamic Society of North America, a conservative group based in Plainfield, Ind. The group interpreted Abdul-Jabbar’s appearance in the Coors ads as an implied endorsement of alcohol, which is prohibited in Islam.

Abdul-Jabbar said he was particularly surprised the group did not try to contact him privately before making a public pronouncement.

“The prophet said that we should try discourse first,” he said.

Abdul-Jabbar, who converted to Islam in 1971, said he was careful in choosing the content of the commercial and insisted he never held a bottle of beer. He played his entire career with people who drank beer, he said, why couldn’t he appear in a commercial with people who drank beer?

The commercial shows young men playing basketball among snow-covered peaks. Abdul-Jabbar appears intercepting a pass then shooting a skyhook.

“I didn’t see too much problem with it,” he said. “We made sure they understood that I do not drink. Coors knew that I have taken a public posture of not drinking. I think it was tastefully done.”

Asked if he applies religious strictures when he chooses products to endorse, Abdul-Jabbar nodded emphatically.

“Certainly,” he said. “I don’t want to advocate anything that would be detrimental to anyone, but I didn’t see this [ad] in that light. My whole religious stance on this was something that we brought up with the ad agency.”

Some Muslims were disturbed that the airing of the ad, which began Jan. 1, coincides with Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. During this time Muslims are required to fast from sunrise to sunset and reflect prayerfully on their lives.

Abdul-Jabbar, who describes himself as a “practicing” Muslim, said he has been traveling and has been unable to fast every day. Like most religions, adherence to rules is a matter of culture and interpretation, he said.

“One time I was on a TV show and I appeared in my basketball uniform,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I got a letter from a guy from Pakistan saying how dare I appear on national TV that scantily dressed.

“That may be so, strictly according to Islamic law, but it [the law] can be interpreted many ways. It all depends what century you want to live in.”