Abdul-Jabbar studied martial arts with Bruce Lee, and appears in the Lee movie "Game of Death". He is also in the movie "Airplane!". Abdul-Jabbar has written several books. Some of them are on basketball, but he has also written a book about the Harlem Renaissance. His book was later made into a documentary movie. Abdul-Jabbar has also been an assistant coach for several NBA teams. Usually, he has helped tall players play better. Abdul-Jabbar has had leukemia since 2009. He accepted Islam after the game. He became an assistant coach after he retired.