His accomplishments on the court are legendary.Ībdul-Jabbar is also an educator and best-selling author. In 1971, Alcindor converted to Islam and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.īy the time he retired from professional basketball in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was the NBA’s leading scorer and winner of six championships. An A-student, he also studied black history and learned about his own family’s African heritage. Lew Alcindor, already known to sports insiders when Avedon shot this picture, finished his high school career with 79 wins and only two losses. He later championed Donyale Lewis as the first black super model. And, despite opposition from others in the fashion business, Avedon chose and photographed the first non-white model, China Machado, to appear in a fashion magazine. He took pictures of African American leaders such as Malcolm X, and movement opponents like George Wallace, governor of Alabama, for a book he called Nothing Personal, a collaboration with James Baldwin, the novelist, playwright, poet, and civil rights activist.Īvedon’s photographs often present political or ethical positions. During the early 1960s, he traveled through the southern United States photographing participants in the American Civil Rights Movement. Richard Avedon was one of the world’s most famous fashion and art photographers from the late 1940s into the 21st century. Both also dedicated themselves to the cause of civil rights. Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt made this portrait of the world-famous photographer Richard Avedon in 1963.īoth Richard Avedon, the photographer, and Lew Alcindor, better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, were superstars in their chosen professions.

01 January 1963, Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Avedon portrait