The basketball player, writer, and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will address graduating seniors during this year’s Class Day celebration on May 28, the day before Harvard’s 374th Commencement.
“We are so excited to welcome Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the featured Class Day speaker,” Uzma Issa ’25, first marshal of the 2025 Class Committee, said in a news announcement. “He’s a champion in every sense of the word—celebrated both for his extraordinary achievements on the court and his lasting efforts to build a more just and compassionate world. He has shown that true leadership is measured by the difference we make in people’s lives.”
Abdul-Jabbar is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. During his two-decade career, he earned 19 NBA All-Star selections and won six NBA championships. Named “History's Greatest Player” by Time magazine, he remains the only player in NBA history to win six Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards.
After retiring in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar turned his focus to activism, writing, and public speaking. He has contributed to major media, writing about sports, politics, and popular culture, and now publishes regularly on his Substack newsletter. He has also written 20 books, spanning memoirs, history, and fiction. His work often addresses the country’s legacies of racism and inequality—an interest that began in his youth, when he met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his high school in Harlem.
In 2012, Abdul-Jabbar was appointed U.S. Cultural Ambassador by the State Department, tasked with promoting education, racial tolerance, and cross-cultural understanding among youth around the world. In 2021, the NBA established the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award to honor athletes making a positive impact in their communities. In 2022, his public service efforts earned him Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Medal. He is also the founder and chair of The Skyhook Foundation, which provides STEM education to underserved communities in Los Angeles.
“It’s a privilege to share this moment with the Class of 2025 and to celebrate all that lies ahead,” Abdul-Jabbar said in the announcement. “The world needs their ideas, their energy, and their heart. I hope my words will encourage them to keep learning, keep growing, and keep showing up—for themselves and for others.”
The Class Day ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in Tercentenary Theatre and will feature student speeches and award presentations. The event will be available for livestream viewing.
Other major speakers this spring include Jodie Foster at Radcliffe Day, May 9; Abraham Verghese at Commencement; and Atul Gawande at Alumni Day, June 6.
