NEW YORK— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's father, Ferdinand L. Alcindor, died Friday from organ failure after a long bout with senile dementia. He was 86.
Alcindor died at Coney Island Hospital, the Los Angeles Lakers said in a statement. Abdul-Jabbar is a special assistant coach with the team.
"Our deepest condolences and sympathy go out to Kareem and his entire family," Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss said in a statement. "Al Alcindor will be remembered mostly by Lakers fans for the fact that he and Kareem's mother, Cora, raised Kareem into a fine man who became one of the greatest players in Lakers' history.
"However, he should also be remembered as a man of great character, intelligence and integrity."
Born in Brooklyn, Alcindor attended the Juilliard School before serving in the Army from 1941-45. A longtime member of the New York police department, Alcindor also was a musician.
His son, Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., was born in 1947 and was known as Lew Alcindor before changing his name in 1971. Abdul-Jabbar went on to become the NBA's career scoring leader and a Hall of Famer.
Abdul-Jabbar spent 14 of his 20 NBA seasons with the Lakers, leading them to five NBA titles. He rejoined the organization this season as a special assistant on Phil Jackson's staff, working with the team's big men.
Besides his son, Alcindor also is survived by Abdul-Jabbar's three sons and two daughters.