Abdul-Jabbar’s foundation gives shoes, backpacks
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gives a high five to a student at UCLA Community School Nov. 17. About 100 fourth, fifth and sixth graders received free Adidas shoes and backpacks as part of the program.
Photo by Lorenzo Gomez
By Stephen Oduntan
Contributing Writer
KOREATOWN — The buzz started with whispers. More than a 100 fourth-, fifth- and sixth- graders sat cross-legged on the gym floor at UCLA Community School, glancing toward a side door as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s small entourage appeared.
The students already knew the NBA legend was coming, yet the air still tightened with anticipation — a reminder that some legacies stretch well beyond the years a player spends on the court.
When Abdul-Jabbar entered the gym, the students erupted into applause. Moments later, as he rose to take a seat behind the lectern, a collective gasp swept through the room, the children staring upward as he waved, his 7-foot-2 frame towering above them like a living piece of history.
The event — held Nov. 17 and organized through a partnership between the Los Angeles Unified School District, the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, the UCLA Alumni Association and Abdul-Jabbar’s Skyhook Foundation — brought the NBA icon to the Robert F. Kennedy School campus to donate Adidas shoes and backpacks to students across the community school complex. Region West Superintendent Denise Collier and UCLA Education Dean Christina “Tina” Christie joined Abdul-Jabbar in celebrating students, many of whom come from families facing rising economic pressures.
Abdul-Jabbar — a UCLA alumnus whose college career helped define his early legacy — said he sees events like the giveaway as a way to expand how young people imagine their futures.
“Our young people need assistance and trust to expand their world,” he said. “When I was growing up, I had opportunities to learn, and I think this is a good way to help them in that effort.”
The Skyhook Foundation, he said, focuses on exposing students to fields they might not otherwise encounter.
“We’re encouraging them to explore science, technology, engineering and math,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “There are so many jobs there, and it exposes them to things they’re usually not aware of.”
Asked why the foundation prioritizes underserved communities, he said the need is obvious.
“A lot of communities aren’t seen as having potential for higher learning,” he said. “People assume the kids there don’t go to college. It’s terrible — and that’s why we’re doing this.”
Meeting the students, he added, was the highlight of his visit.
“These are the kids I’ve been wanting to meet,” he said. “I’m just happy.”
Watching students cheer and try on new shoes reaffirmed his commitment to the foundation’s mission.
“When you see kids get excited about something new — something that can expand their life — it gives them ideas they may never have thought about before,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I just want to give them an idea of what they can achieve and where they can go to get the knowledge.”
Abdul-Jabbar also reflected on the broader state of American education.
“The state of education is rather uneven,” he said. “There are some great schools and a lot of bad schools. A lot of it has to do with politics. But our children are our future. We have to give them every chance to be what they are.”
Deborah Morales, Abdul-Jabbar’s longtime business partner and executive director of the Skyhook Foundation, said the giveaway took nearly two months to organize.
“We had to collect shoe sizes from every school, coordinate shipments with Adidas and organize all the volunteers,” Morales said. “Altogether, we’re giving away 5,000 backpacks and 5,000 pairs of shoes.”
The Los Angeles event, she said, is part of a wider effort across Southern California.
“There are about 2,200 shoes going out in Los Angeles and another 2,500 in Orange County this week,” she said.
Morales said the surprise element helped keep the focus on the students.
“If we told anyone ahead of time, people would’ve shown up with memorabilia and turned it into an autograph session,” she said. “We wanted it to be a surprise for the kids.”
She added that the foundation focuses on younger grades because early exposure can shape long-term aspirations.
“They’re young enough to explore what they can do,” Morales said. “Maybe they’ll design a video game, become a naturalist, a scientist or an AI engineer. STEM opens so many doors — and if you start early, you can build a future.”
Collier said the event centered on making students feel valued.
“It’s inspired by making sure our kids feel loved and supported in their community,” Collier said. “To have someone like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar here — it inspires the kids to do great, to be great. And during the holiday season, it’s especially meaningful.”
Collier said the partnership with UCLA is longstanding and rooted in student success.
“This is an RFK UCLA school,” she said. “UCLA provides professional development for teachers and additional support programs to help the school thrive.”
The collaboration between LAUSD and UCLA, she added, extends far beyond the one-day giveaway.
“They do training for our teachers, they support our community partnerships, and they’ve been connected to RFK UCLA for years,” she said. “There’s always a big connection.”
Christie said the campus’s community school model made it a natural home for the event.
“This was one of the first community schools in L.A. Unified,” Christie said. “Many of these children live in the surrounding neighborhoods, and it’s a very high immigrant population. Kareem wanted to come in with the Skyhook Foundation and work with LA Unified to really make a difference.”
She said the timing of the donation mattered just as much as the gesture.
“This is the time of year when kids need new shoes,” Christie said. “For the students to meet a UCLA legend like Kareem — and to have Adidas sponsor this — is an incredible gift right before the holidays.”
Christie said preparation required extensive coordination between UCLA, Skyhook and Adidas.
“It’s all hands on deck,” she said. “Our team coordinated with Skyhook and the school to make sure everything ran smoothly.”
Student selection, she added, was based on developmental need.
“We chose the kids based on their age and grades,” Christie said. “These are students whose feet are growing quickly, and we wanted them to have a new pair of shoes going into the holiday season.”
Stephen Oduntan is a freelance writer for Wave Newspapers.
