Unfortunately this is the kind of thing you never want to read when you wake up.

NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar revealed in an interview Monday that he is battling a rare form of leukemia.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that produces cancerous blood cells.

Abdul-Jabbar, 62, said the disease is manageable with medication and that his prognosis is encouraging

Well at least it looks as though his disease is manageable so that’s a good sign.  But anytime you hear of news like this in the NBA, it’s always tough to take.  Especially when it’s a guy like Kareem.  Clearly etched in stone as one of the games greatest centers of all time, Abdul Jabbar has been an inspiration to other centers and players around the league.

His approach to not only the game, but to life is something we should all strive for.   We here at Unathletic hope that Kareem has an easy batter with Cancer and can continue his contributions to the Lakers organization.

Kareem, this video is for you bud

[Via Seattle Post]