Kareem Abdul-Jabbar needles Trump: ‘I’m Michael Jordan’

PHILADELPHIA – Pro basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar needled Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump with humor Thursday and then skewered him with seriousness.

The 69-year-old NBA legend walked to the Democratic National Convention podium and deadpanned, “I’m Michael Jordan, and I’m here with Hillary.”

He then cracked a smile and told the arena he “said that because I know Donald Trump couldn’t tell the difference.”

Delegates’ confusion immediately turned to laughter and applause. Abdul-Jabbar, an outspoken Muslim, then turned serious to criticize Trump’s call for banning noncitizen Muslims from entering the United States.

Abdul-Jabbar, who was born Lew Alcindor and converted to Islam in his 20s, told the story of Humayun Khan, an army captain who was one of 14 Muslim-American soldiers to die in combat since Sept. 11, 2001.