Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Has Atrial Fibrillation, Partners With Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer to Raise Awareness

NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has partnered with Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer for its “No Time To Wait” campaign in an effort to raise awareness for atrial fibrillation.

Today Show reports that close to 12.3 million people could have atrial fibrillation by 2030, however, many will remain undiagnosed because they lack symptoms.

Atrial fibrillation is close to Jabbar because he was recently diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.

“I had shortness of breath, fatigue, I had no energy. I was worried about it, but it wasn’t consistent. It would come and go,” Abdul-Jabbar said to the Today Show. “I thought, “Hey, I’m in the shape of my life. It’s not going to affect me.'”

Jabbar was on vacation in Europe with his son when he began having shortness of breath, but disregarded it because he felt he was in great shape. Then one day, Jabbar didn’t have the strength to get up.

“They had to help me out to my car. While I was going past the trophy case, I collapsed against it,” Jabbar recalled. “It was rough. And I didn’t know what was going on — that was the whole problem. I didn’t understand what was happening.”

Jabbar ignoring signs is not uncommon, yet dangerous.

“In my experience, I have seen many patients ignore or dismiss their symptoms, potentially delaying diagnosis and treatment,” Dr. Andrea Russo, director of cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmia services at Cooper University Health System, said in a press release.

Russo added: “Because AFib can lead to serious consequences, including increasing the risk of stroke, its critical individuals are empowered to speak with a healthcare professional about any symptoms they may have. No symptom or concern is too small or insignificant.”

In other Jabbar news, Lebron James recently passed Jabbar’s record as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Jabbar held the record for 39 years.