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laalaaliaa · 2 years ago

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Hello! Can I pls request a titans! Dick x reader? They're in a romantic relationship btw

Idea/prompt: You have been dating dick for about 8 months and it has been amazing so far. But lately, you've been feeling more insecure about yourself and your relationship. You've always known about all of dicks past relationships but youve never thought anything of it. But lately, you've been thinking about it and you've come to the realization that all of his exes were much better than you.

Dick can't help but notice the way you've been distancing yourself and he feels as if he's done something wrong to make you upset. But after almost a week of this, he gets frustrated and decides to confront you. When you were both getting ready to go to sleep, he cornered you and asked you what was wrong and why you've been avoiding him.

At first, you try to ignore him and say that you need to get some rest, but you eventually give in and explain everything to him. He feels horrible, how hadn't he noticed before? He comforted you and cuddles your worries away.

Have a good day!

Leaden Insecurities

in which your insecurities start to show…

dick grayson x fem!reader

warnings: the tiniest bit of angst, but fluffy towards the end

proofread? nope

i’m such a bad liar! i said i’d be back, but once school started up again, i began to feel stressed, but i reallyyy do hope you enjoy, i also changed it up a bit, hope you don’t mind <33

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Galas are such a bore. Perhaps it was because you stuck out like a sore thumb. For the sake of your lover you attended, and possibly because of the appetizers Alfred always had laid out. You felt self-conscious, fear tantalizing you as you weaved your way through crowds of snobby rich people. You felt so warm, your skin hot to the touch, but only so much air could cool you down. As you waltzed your way towards one of the openings towards the garden, you stumbled at the feeling of someone bumping into your back.

The both of you muttered apologies, sympathetic smiles filled with faux intentions before you finally caught a glance of one another. Barbra Gordon. A red-headed beauty who you knew somewhat well. “I’m sorry Y/N.�� She let out weakly, a genuine smile on her face as she held your forearm affectionately. You only shook your head, a slight relief from not possibly bumping into one of Gotham’s finest. “It’s fine Barbra, I’m actually happy to actually be in the vicinity of someone I know,” You joked lightly, causing her to laugh in agreement.

Unbeknownst to the two of you, a person, who you both knew in and out was staring at you two tensely. It wasn’t a secret that Barbra and Dick had been together. You actually befriended Dick whilst they were still in a relationship. Once they’re relationship went to shit, the two of you took the opportunity to possibly strike one up, and in both your favors, it worked. “Careful Grayson, Barbra might just turn her on you.” Dick heard Jason jab playfully. Dick might’ve laughed if the situation was different, but he didn’t. Instead he watched from afar as your entire conversation unfolded.

“So what’re you doing here?” Barbra questioned, her head tilting slightly as she stirred her champagne glass cooly. “I’m here with Dick actually.” You meekly replied, slyly glancing behind her to catch sight of him already looking at you. You turned your attention back to Barbra, watching the way her face conformed in realization. Suddenly the air became tense, as Barbra spoke, “Wow, I’m actually surprised you’re still together.” Your brows furrowed slightly at her shady comment, but you could only laugh awkwardly.

“What does that mean?” You pressed, your tone light, in hopes she wouldn’t detect the hostility her statement arose in you. She only shrugged, lifting the glass to her cherry covered lips as she took a long sip. Once she pulled the glass away, her reply shocked you. “Well it just seems like he has a type.” You scoffed lightly, an offended expression upon your face as you leaned back slightly. “What are you getting at?” She shrugged once more, her action irritating you before she spoke, “You’ll see the signs eventually,” And with that she left with a squeeze to your shoulder, which ultimately felt like her touch burned you.

He has a type? You couldn’t help but ponder on that question, the conversation you two shared stuck in your head on repeat. It’s been almost a week since the gala, and since then, you couldn’t help but shelter yourself. You built a brick wall, the fear of Barbra being right causing your heart to hurt a little. You knew Dick wasn’t clueless, he was a detective for crying out loud, but he was also your boyfriend, and with that title, came him knowing when something was wrong.

He knew something was wrong the minute you left Bruce’s home, the way you shifted your body towards the window in the car, the way you didn’t rest your hand atop his as he drove the two of you home, and the way you went to bed that night, without giving him a good night kiss. Your days blended together that way, a painfully cruel reminder that you were just a bland and simple girl. Basic. Dick Grayson could do better.

Damn you Barbra.

Night time became a comforting bliss, the darkness of the sky and the brightness of the moon was beautiful. Especially when you laid sprawled out on the couch, street light and moon light meshed together as it splayed across your skin through the sheer curtains. With a frazzled mind, you hoped a book could keep it occupied, yet your eyes kept skimming over the same sentence. The irony of the words making you want to laugh

quiet down i begged my mind

your overthinking is

robbing us of joy

Rupi Kaur was too relatable for your liking. With a quiet sigh you set down the book, lazily guiding your attention to a random talk show on the tv. You waited impatiently, waiting for the moment the squeaky door would creak open, forcing you to put that wall back up. You waited, and waited, until eventually you forgot about the existence of your beloved boyfriend. Too engrossed in a re-run of the bachelor, you failed to notice the door open.

It wasn’t until Dick leaned over the back of the couch, pressing a feathered kiss to your hair, causing you to tense. “How was your day?” He asked, making his way towards the kitchen and out of your sight. You gave him the same response you’d been giving him the last few days, “It’s been good babe.” He hummed at that, returning back to you with a water bottle in hand. “Are you sure?” You leaned into his side, giving him a nod of assurance. It was silent after that, and you couldn’t help but bite your bottom lip anxiously.

You glanced at him, his head tilted back as he let out a distressed sigh. You hated knowing that a few little words could cause a riff in your relationship, but you couldn’t help it. You knew Dick was the sweetest soul on earth, his kindness and compassion making him hard to resist, yet knowing that he chose you of all people made you question everything. “Y/N,” He started, leaning forward onto his knees. “Talk to me baby, I can’t stand..,” He waved his hands around with a pained expression, “This.”

You looked at him naively, head tilted as you grasped his hand. “Dick what are you talking about? I’m fine, see.” You gestured to yourself, a smile on your face as you placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He was silent after that, mumbling a weak agreement as he sunk back into the couch, an arm wrapped atop your shoulder. You two spent a mere hour like that, before the darkness of the night made you woozy with sleep, prompting the two of you to turn in for the night.

You silently washed your face, the sound of the water in the shower distracting your racing thoughts. It was only when you heard it turn off that your thoughts seemed to race back into your head. Although you were silent, face void of any emotion as you applied lotion to your skin. Kori had lovely skin. You wanted to punch yourself, however with Dick half naked with a towel around his lower waist you could hopefully bury your mind with different thoughts. You left the bathroom, humid air and the smell of his coconut-hibiscus shampoo making your mind go under.

You settled into the bed first, silent as he slipped on a pair of boxers and his favorite pair of sleeping pants. Instead of getting in like he normally did, you were surprised that he only sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands as he let out a tired breath. “Y/N,” Your body seemed to go tense at the seriousness of his tone, making you pull he blanket up higher for him to get the idea of possibly going to sleep. “Yes babe.” He stood from the edge, making his way by your legs before sitting down, the sight of his chest glimmering slightly from the lotion you bought him making you want to curse yourself.

dirty minded bit-

“We need to talk.” He spoke solemnly, breaking you from your thoughts as your throat went dry. You knew it was coming eventually. Barbra was right, you were so-“I’m worried about you babe.” Wrong. You were so wrong? He seemed to notice you confusion, making him chuckle lightly, before he grew serious once more. “I’m just tired, like super tired, I woke up earlier than I normally do.” You reassured, even going as far as rubbing your eyes when you knew you were lying some what. “Did I do something?” He questioned weakly, making your slumped form perk up slightly. “No I—no baby, it’s not you. Well it is you, but,” You cut yourself off, laughing weakly as you head fell sourly.

“It’s silly.” “Clearly not if it’s making my girlfriend a completely different person. Talk to me baby.” You knew it was now or never, you’d either receive the answer you were looking for, or be dumped onto the streets just like Barbra had implied. “Why me?” The question was so short, sweet and simple, yet there was a multitude of answers you could’ve gotten, making your heart race slightly at his silence. “Why you.” He restated, making you nod weakly. “Baby, you have my heart, mind, and soul in the palm of your hand,” He started, his hand slipping into yours comfortingly. “And it hurts knowing that, you feel insecure in why I wanna be with you. Y/N, you’re amazing, you’re you, and I hate the fact that you don’t see yourself the way I do.”

You felt the sudden urge to bite your lip, a possible stream of tears soon to erupt, but you couldn’t. You stared at him with such a loving expression in your eyes, and he couldn’t help but fall for you more. “You’re no superhero, and I’m glad, they’re all copy and paste anyways, I mean look at ‘Gymnastics man’ I—ow babe I’m serious.” He finished, holding his shoulder with a genuine smile as he rubbed the spot you hit playfully. “His back handsprings are killer.” He joked, making you laugh for the first time in days. He smiled at that. “In all seriousness, I don’t care that you can’t fly, or shoot lasers—although that’d be pretty cool- right sorry, not the point,” He began once more, his hands held up in surrender at the sight of your glare.

“However, you’re Y/N, a pretty cool chick who’s not afraid of anything, except for maybe spiders, and haunted houses. Not the point again, but I love you for you, for all your faults and insecurities. I love you.” He finished, a smile gracing his face as silently watched your expression morph and soon the tears fled. “I hate you.” You cried weakly, burying your face in the crook of his neck. He shushed you, pressing a soft kiss into your hair. “If you hated me, then you wouldn’t have agreed to be my girlfriend 8 months ago.” He had you there. You only rolled your eyes with a sniffle, pulling back as you stared into his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, however if you ever doubt this,” He gestured between the two of you, “You talk to me baby.” You nodded at that, finally pulling his face closer as you gave him a well deserved kiss. The two of you pulled away, your foreheads resting on one another as you smiled at each other. “I love you Y/N L/N.”

“I love you too Dick Grayson.”

It was silent, until Dick had to ruin it

“Can we talk about Gymnastics man copying me?”

“No.”

——————

the end. I hope you enjoyed, and yes i’m terrified of haunted houses.

#dc imagine #dc comics #dick grayson x reader #dc titans #dick grayson imagine #nightwing x reader #nightwing imagine

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lovelylonelymoonlight · 1 year ago

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Just here to simply provide some information since I saw your last reblog, but Alfred is the one to give Damian Wayne the Robin mantel in Battle of the Cowl. Idk where on Google it tells you it’s Dick, but here’s a nice tumblr post that breaks down how Damian became Robin!

https://www.tumblr.com/fancyfade/721783028287995904/do-you-know-if-youve-ever-done-a-post-that?source=share

Okay see now this is interesting to me as it also parallels how Tim became robin after Jason except that Tim is still like alive lol like Alfred sir have you learned NOTHING

now saying that I think it’s interesting how people will write off dicks involvement here because while it may not be his idea he still goes along with it and as he’s Batman it’s still ultimately up to him to say yes or no. He still take Damian up as his Robin no matter what He still Made That Choice. No matter how you view it he made Damian robin. Even no action is an action

Now saying all of thissss!!!! I will now not be surprised if Alfred made Jason robin because that old bitch is in everyone’s business!!!!

#and we love him for it we do #again dick staying silent is still dick allowing Damian as robin and trying to give Tim independence #batfamily #batman #bruce wayne #batfam #dick Grayson #damian wayne #Tim Drake #alfred pennyworth

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shg11 · 7 years ago

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The basketball legend and social activist who counted Ali and King among his contemporaries discusses Colin Kaepernick, LaVar Ball and Trumps America

Like all people my age I find the passage of time so startling, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says with a quiet smile. The 70-year-old remains the highest points-scorer in the history of the NBA and, having won six championships and been picked for a record 19 All-Star Games, he is often compared with Michael Jordan when the greatest basketball players of all time are listed. Yet no one in American sport today can match Kareems political and cultural impact over 50 years.

In the 90 minutes since he knocked on my hotel room door in Los Angeles, Abdul-Jabbar has recounted a dizzying personal history which stretches from conducting his first-ever interview with Martin Luther King in Harlem, when he was just 17, to receiving a hand-written insult from Donald Trump in 2015. We move from Colin Kaepernick calling him last week to the moment when, aged 20, Kareem was the youngest man invited to the Cleveland Summit as the leading black athletes in 1967 gathered to meet Muhammad Ali to decide whether they would support him after he had been stripped of his world title and banned from boxing for rejecting the draft during the Vietnam War.

Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who has been shut out of the NFL for his refusal to stand for the US national anthem, is engaged in a different struggle. But, after being banished unofficially from football for going down on a bended knee in protest against racism and police brutality, Kaepernick has one of his staunchest allies in Abdul-Jabbar.

At the Cleveland Summit Abdul-Jabbar was called Lew Alcindor, for he had not converted to Islam then, and he became one of Alis ardent supporters. When Ali convinced his fellow athletes he was right to stand against the US government, the young basketball star knew he needed to make his more reticent voice heard. He has stayed true to that conviction ever since.

Were talking about 50 years since the Cleveland Summit, wow, Abdul-Jabbar exclaims. We were tense about what we were going to do and Ali was the opposite. He said: Weve got to fight this in court and Im going to start a speaking tour. Ali had figured out what he had to do in order to make the dollars while fighting the case was essential to his identity. Bill Russell [the great Boston Celtics player] said: Ive got no concerns about Ali. Its the rest of us Im worried about. Ali had such conviction but he was cracking jokes and asking us if we were going to be as dumb as Wilt Chamberlain [another basketball great who played for the Philadelphia 76ers]. Wilt wanted to box Ali. Oh my God.

Abdul-Jabbars face creases with laughter before he becomes more serious again. Black Americans wanted to protect Ali because he spoke for us when we had no voice. When he said: Aint no Viet Cong ever called me the N-word, we figured that one out real quick. Ali was a winner and people supported him because of his class as a human being. But some of the things we fought against then are still happening. Each generation faces these same old problems.

The previous evening, when I had sat next to Abdul-Jabbar at the Los Angeles Press Club awards, the past echoed again. Abdul-Jabbar received two prizes the Legend Award and Columnist of the Year for his work in the Hollywood Reporter. Other award winners included Tippi Hedren, who starred in Alfred Hitchcocks thriller, The Birds, and the New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who broke the Harvey Weinstein story two months ago. As if to prove that the past can be played over and over again in a contemporary loop, we saw footage of Hedren saying how she would not accept the sexual bullying of Hitchcock in the 1960s just before Kantor and Twohey described how they earned the trust of women who had been abused by Weinstein.

Abdul-Jabbar explained quietly to me how much of an ordeal he found such occasions. He was happiest talking about John Coltrane or Sherlock Holmes, James Baldwin or Bruce Lee, but people kept coming over to ask for a selfie or a book to be signed while, all evening, comic references were made to his height. Abdul-Jabbar is 7ft 2in and he looked two feet taller than Hedren on the red carpet.

The following morning, as he stretches out his long legs, I tell Kareem how I winced each time another wise-crack was made about his height. I can tell you I was six-foot-two, aged 12, when the questions started, Abdul-Jabbar says. Hows the weather up there? I should write down all the things people said when affected by my height. One of the funniest was at an airport and this little boy of five looked at my feet in amazement. I said: Hey, how youre doing? He just said: You must be very old because youve got very big shoes. For him the older you were, the bigger your shoes. Thats the best Ive heard.

In his simple but often beautiful and profound new book, Becoming Kareem, Abdul-Jabbar writes poignantly: My skin made me a symbol, my height made me a target.

A group of top black athletes gather to give support to Muhammad Ali give his reasons for rejecting the draft during the Vietnam War at a meeting of the Negro Industrial and Economic Union, held in Cleveland in June 1967. Seated in the front row, from left to right: Bill Russell, Ali, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Standing behind them are: Carl Stokes, Walter Beach, Bobby Mitchell, Sid Williams, Curtis McClinton, Willie Davis, Jim Shorter and John Wooten. Photograph: Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

Race has been the primary issue which Abdul-Jabbar has confronted every day. In another absorbing Abdul-Jabbar book published this year, Coach Wooden and Me, he celebrates his friendship with the man who helped him win an unprecedented three NCAA championship titles with UCLA. They lost only two games in his three years on campus as UCLA established themselves as the greatest team in the history of college basketball and Wooden, a white midwesterner, and Kareem, a black kid from New York, forged a bond that lasted a half-century. Yet, amid their shared morality and decency, race remained an unresolved issue between them.

Wooden was mortified when a little old lady stared up at the teenage Kareem and said: Ive never seen a nigger that tall. Even though he would later say that he learnt more about mans inhumanity to man by witnessing all his protg endured over the years, Woodens memory of that encounter softened the womans racial insult by saying that she had called Kareem a big black freak.

Abdul-Jabbar nods. He would never see a little grey-haired lady using such language. When it doesnt affect your life its hard for you to see. Men dont understand what attractive women go through. We dont get on a bus and have somebody squeeze our breast. We have no idea how bad it can be. For people to understand your predicament youve got to figure out how to convey that reality. It takes time.

Abdul-Jabbar made his first high-profile statement against the predicament of all African Americans when, in 1968, he boycotted the Olympic Games in Mexico. After race riots in Newark and Detroit, and the assassination of King in April 1968, he knew he could not represent his country. Dr Harry Edwards [the civil rights activist] helped me realise how much power I had. The Olympics are a great event but what happened overwhelmed any patriotism. I had to make a stand. I wanted the country to live up to the words of the founding fathers and make sure they applied to people of colour and to women. I was trying to hold America to that standard.

The athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos took another path of protest. They competed in the Olympic 200m in Mexico and, after they had won gold and bronze, raised their gloved fists in a black power salute on the podium. I was glad somebody with some political consciousness had gone to Mexico, Abdul-Jabbar says, so I was very supportive of them.

Does Kaepernicks situation mirror those same issues? Yeah. The whole issue of equal treatment under the law is still being worked out here because for so long our political and legal culture has denied black Americans equal treatment. But I was surprised Kaepernick had that awareness. It made me think: I wonder how many other NFL athletes are also aware? From there it has bloomed. This generation has a very good idea on how to confront racism. I talked to Colin a couple of days ago on the phone and Im really proud of him. Hes filed an issue with the Players Association about the owners colluding to keep him from working. Thats the best legal approach to it. I hope he prevails.

Over dinner the night before, he intimated that Kaepernick knew he would never play in the NFL again. We didnt get that deep into it, he says now, but he has an idea that is whats going down. But hes moved on. He hadnt prepared for this but he coped with different twists and turns. Some of the owners in the NFL are sympathetic, some arent. Its gone back and forth. But he appreciates the fact that kids in high school have taken an interest. So he got something done and this generations athletes are now more aware of civil rights.

Abdul-Jabbar is proud of Colin Kaepernicks stand. Photograph: Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

Kaepernick has been voted GQs Citizen of the Year, the runner-up in Time magazines Person of the Year and this week he received Sports Illustrateds Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. Considering the way Kaepernick has never wavered in his commitment, Abdul-Jabbar writes in Sports Illustrated that: I have never been prouder to be an American On November 30, it was reported that 40 NFL players and league officials had reached an agreement for the league to provide approximately $90m between now and 2023 for activism endeavors important to African American communities. Clearly, this is the result of Colins one-knee revolution and of the many players and coaches he inspired to join him. That is some serious impact Were my old friend [Ali] still alive, I know he would be proud that Colin is continuing this tradition of being a selfless warrior for social justice.

In my hotel room, Abdul-Jabbar is more specific in linking tragedy and a deepening social conscience. I dont know how anybody could not be moved by some of the things weve seen. Remember the footage of [12-year-old] Tamir Rice getting killed [in Cleveland [in 2014]. The car stops and the cop stands up and executes Tamir Rice. It took two seconds. Its so unbelievably brutal you have to do something about it.

LeBron James and other guys in the NBA all had something to say about such crimes [James and leading players wore I Cant Breathe T-shirts in December 2014 to protest against the police killing of Eric Garner, another black man]. They werent talking as athletes. They were talking as parents because that could have been their kid.

If the NFL appears to have actively ended Kaepernicks career, what does Abdul-Jabbar feel about the NBAs politics? The NBA has been wonderful. I came into the NBA and went to Milwaukee [where he won his first championship before winning five more with the LA Lakers]. Milwaukee had the first black general manager in professional sports [Wayne Embry in 1972]. And the NBAs outreach for coaches, general managers and women has been exemplary. The NBA has been on the edge of change. I was hoping the NFL might do the same because some of the owners were taking the knee. But theyre making an example of Colin. Its not right. Let him go out there and succeed or fail on the field like any other great athlete.

Abdul-Jabbar smiles shyly when I ask him about his first interview with Martin Luther King 53 years ago. As a journalist I started out interviewing Dr King. Whoa! By that point [1964], Dr King was a serious icon and I was thrilled he gave me a really good earnest answer. Moments like that affect your life. But my first real experience of being drawn into the civil rights movement came when I read James Baldwins The Fire Next Time.

Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, with Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor. Photograph: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

Has he seen I Am Not Your Negro Raoul Pecks 2016 documentary of Baldwin? Its wonderful. I saw it two weeks after the Trump election. It was medicine for my soul. It made me think of how bad things were for James Baldwin. But remember him speaking at Cambridge [University] and the reception he got? Oh man, amazing! I kept telling people: Trump is an asshole but go and see this film. Trump doesnt matter because weve got work to do.

In 2015, after Abdul-Jabbar wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post, condemning Trumps attempts to bully the press, the future president sent him a scrawled note: Kareem now I know why the press always treated you so badly. They couldnt stand you. The fact is you dont have a clue about life and what has to be done to make America great again.

Abdul-Jabbar smiles when I say that schoolyard taunt is a long way from the oratory of King or Malcolm X. If you judge yourself by your enemies Im doing great. Trumps not going to change. He knows he is where he is because of his appeal to racism and xenophobia. The people that want to divide the country are in his camp. They want to go back to the 18th century.

Trump wants to move us back to 1952 but hes not Eisenhower who was the type of Republican that cared about the whole nation. Even George Bush Sr and George W Bushs idea of fellow citizens did not exclude people of colour. George Ws cabinet looked like America. It had Condoleezza Rice and the Mexican American gentleman who was the attorney general [Alberto Gonzales] and Colin Powell. Women had important positions in his administration. Even though I did not like his policies, he wasnt exclusionary.

Look whats going on with Trump in Alabama [where the president supports Roy Moore in the state senate election despite his favoured candidate being accused of multiple sexual assaults of under-age girls]. You have a guy like him but hes going to vote the way you want politically. Thats more important than what hes accused of? People with that frightening viewpoint are still fighting a civil war. They have to be contained.

Does he fear that Trump might win a second term? I dont think he can, but the rest of us had better organise and vote in 2020. I hope people stop him ruining our nation.

Abdul-Jabbar also worries that college sport remains as exploitative as ever. Its a business and the coaches, the NCAA and universities make a lot of money and the athletes get exploited. They make billions of dollars for the whole system and dont get any. Im not saying they have to be wealthy but I think they should get a share of the incredible amount they generate.

In Coach Wooden and Me, he writes of how, in the 1960s, he was famous at UCLA but dead broke. Yeah. No cash. Its ridiculous. Basketball and football fund everything. College sports do not function on the revenue from water polo or track and field or gymnastics. Its all down to basketball and football. The athletes at Northwestern tried to organise a union and thats how college athletes have to think. They need to unionise. If they can organise they can get a piece of the pie because they are the show.

The legendary Michael Jordan never showed the social conscience of Abdul-Jabbar and other rare NBA activists like Craig Hodges. But Abdul-Jabbar is conciliatory towards Jordan and his commercially-driven contemporaries. I was glad they became interested in being successful businessmen because their financial power makes a difference. I just felt they should leave a little room to help the causes they knew needed their help. But Jordan has come around. He gave some money to the NAACP for legal funds, thank goodness.

President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Freedom to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the White House in November 2016. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Abdul-Jabbar defines himself as a writer now. As he reflects on his LA Press Club awards he says: To be honoured by other writers is incredible. Im a neophyte. Im a rookie.

He grins when I say hes not doing not too badly for a rookie who has written 13 books, including novels about Mycoft Holmes brother of Sherlock. Yeah, but I still feel new to it and to get that recognition was wonderful. I was very flattered that the BBC came to interview me about Mycroft because the British are very protective of their culture. Arthur Conan Doyle is beyond an icon. So I was like, Wow, maybe I am doing OK. When I was [an NBA] rookie somebody gave me a complete compilation of Doyles stories. I went from there.

People were amazed because I always used to be reading before a game whether it was Sherlock Holmes or Malcolm X, John Le Carr or James Baldwin. But that was one of the luxuries of being a professional athlete. You get lots of time to read. My team-mates did not read to the same extent but Im a historian and some of the guys had big holes in their knowledge of black history. So I was the librarian for the team.

I tell Abdul-Jabbar about my upcoming interview with Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics and how the 21-year-old has the same thirst for reading and knowledge. While enthusiastic about the possibility of meeting Brown when the Celtics next visit LA, Abdul-Jabbar makes a wistful observation of a young sportsmans intellectual curiosity. Hes going to be lonely. Most of the guys are like: Where are we going to party in this town? Where are the babes? So the fact that he has such broader interests is remarkable and wonderful.

Abdul-Jabbar acknowledges that his own bookish nature and self-consciousness about his height, combined with a fierce sense of injustice, made him appear surly and aloof as a player. It also meant he was never offered the head-coach job he desired. They didnt think I could communicate and they didnt take the time to get to know me. But I didnt make it easy for them so some of that falls in my lap absolutely. But its different now. People stop me in the street and want to talk about my articles. Its amazing.

Most of all, in his eighth decade, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar loves to lose myself in my imagination. Its a wonderful place to go when youre old and creaky like me. I see myself working at this pace [writing at least a book a year] but its not like I have the hounds at my heels. Since my career ended Ive been able to have friends and family. My new granddaughter will be three this month. Shes my very first [grandchild]. So my life has expanded in wonderful ways. But, still, we all have so much work to do. The work is a long way from being done.

Main photograph by Austin Hargrave/AUGUST

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/dec/08/kareem-abdul-jabbar-kaepernick-trump-interview

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trendingnewsb · 7 years ago

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: ‘Trump is where he is because of his appeal to racism’