NBA
While Suffering From Migraines, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Was the Biggest Headache for the Boston Celtics in the 1984 Finals
Mike Thomas spent 23 years on staff and 16 years as the sports editor at The Herald News in Fall River, Mass., before joining Sportscasting in 2020. Mike has a deep knowledge of and passion for the NFL and NBA, and he excels at interviewing sports celebrities to find out their Super Bowl picks. A New England Newspaper and Press Association award-winning columnist and an avid sports memorabilia collector, Mike enjoys keeping up with all the sports news and the works of former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. You can find more of Mike's work on Muck Rack.
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It was a sign of things to come for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Los Angeles Lakers center woke up the morning of Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals with yet another migraine. The pounding headaches had been a problem for the 7-foot-center for years, and this one couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The Lakers were in Boston for Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals. Abdul-Jabbar battled his way out of bed and onto the court. There, he became Boston’s biggest headache.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a force as the LA Lakers upset the Boston Celtics in Game 1
There wasn’t anything that was going to keep Kareem Abdul-Jabbar off the court for the first game of the NBA Finals against the rival Boston Celtics. He had battled migraines for the last two decades, but this was Game 1 of the 1984 NBA Finals.
According to the LA Times, he was hurting too much to attend the team breakfast and a team meeting. He did, however, manage to get on the court.
Abdul-Jabbar proved to be too much to handle for the favored Celtics. The legendary center helped LA get off to a roaring start that saw the Lakers claim a 34-22 lead after one quarter and hold a 13-point lead at halftime. The Lakers went on to post a 115-109 victory to steal homecourt advantage from the Celtics. Abdul-Jabbar led the way with 32 points on 12-for-17 shooting. He also made eight of nine free throws.
While the Lakers posted the victory, those migraines never let up throughout the series. According to The Times, Abdul-Jabbar had six migraine attacks in nine days during the series.
“What makes it so difficult is that people think you are just having a regular headache,” Abdul-Jabbar said in May 1985. “You just can’t explain them to someone who doesn’t have them.”
Abdul-Jabbar nearly missed Game 6 of the series
The Lakers outplayed the Celtics for much of the first four games, yet the series headed back to Boston tied at two games apiece. After the Celtics posted a 121-103 victory in Game 3, the Lakers faced elimination back home for Game 6.
There were serious questions about whether Abdul-Jabbar would suit up after undergoing another migraine attack. Even Lakers coach Pat Riley was unsure of his center’s availability.
“I think if he can just get into a dark, quiet room before a game, he’s better,” Riley said, per The LA Times. “But I can’t even relate to what he goes through.”
Again, Abdul-Jabbar battled through the pain and led the Lakers in scoring with 30 points in a 119-108 victory. He went 14-for-26 from the floor and played a team-high 42 minutes. He also pulled down 10 rebounds.
Abdul-Jabbar’s heroics forced a Game 7, but the Celtics prevailed 111-102. Abdul-Jabbar again led the way for LA with 29 points.
