Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer and a New York Times’ best-selling author has been named a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Abdul-Jabbar today to discuss his new role as a global Cultural Ambassador. During the meeting, Clinton reiterated the United States’ strong commitment to engaging young people worldwide and to using people-to-people diplomacy as a means to create opportunities for greater understanding.
Clinton and Abdul-Jabbar also discussed his upcoming trip to Brazil as a Cultural Ambassador and the strong relationship between the people of the United States and Brazil.
“I am excited and honored to serve my country as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State,” said Abdul-Jabbar who has focused his efforts after his NBA career on engaging youth through socially-minded projects and education. “I look forward to meeting with young people all over the world and discussing ways in which we can strengthen our understanding of one another through education, through sports, and through greater cultural tolerance.”
From January 22-28, Abdul-Jabbar will travel to Brazil to meet with underserved youth in Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. As a Cultural Ambassador, Abdul-Jabbar will lead conversations with young people on the importance of education, social and racial tolerance, cultural understanding, and using sports as a means of empowerment. In addition, he will participate in basketball clinics with young people in both cities.
