Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, left, passes the ball to Lakers center Andrew Bynum during a practice at the team's training facility in El Segundo, Calif., in this 2006 file photo. The former NBA great has aspirations to become a head coach in the league someday. Photo by The Associated Press.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The mere mention of his name conjures images of the goggles-wearing basketball giant rising up for one of his trademark sky hooks.

It was fitting that Abdul-Jabbar used his signature shot to break Wilt Chamberlain's all-time NBA scoring record, but it was surprising that the 7-foot-2-inch center marched into history in Las Vegas.

Abdul-Jabbar was two points from tying Chamberlain's career scoring record with more than a quarter to play in an April 5, 1984, game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz at the Thomas & Mack Center, which served as Utah's home away from home for 11 games that season.

Lakers coach Pat Riley wanted to sit Abdul-Jabbar for the rest of the game so he could break the record in Los Angeles.

But Abdul-Jabbar didn't want to wait any longer to fulfill his date with destiny.

"I wanted to get it over with as soon as I could," said Abdul-Jabbar, who will be honored during the NBA's All-Star Weekend for breaking the scoring record in Las Vegas. "It wasn't a burden; it was like a challenge, though. It got to me in various ways. At times I would dream about it, being able to pass Wilt."

With the crowd of 18,332 rising in anticipation every time he touched the ball, Abdul-Jabbar took a pass from James Worthy early in the fourth quarter and dunked the ball to tie Chamberlain's record of 31,419 points.

Then, with 8:53 left, Abdul-Jabbar took a pass on the baseline from Magic Johnson, turned his long, slender frame and launched a 12-foot sky hook over Jazz center Mark Eaton. The ball dropped through the net, and Abdul-Jabbar added another chapter to his storied career.

As the crowd went crazy and photographers and Abdul-Jabbar's teammates swarmed him, the game was stopped, and NBA commissioner David Stern proclaimed, "NBA players are the greatest in the world. And Kareem, you are the greatest of them all."

The reserved, stoic Abdul-Jabbar thanked his family and fans and was removed from the game, finishing with 22 points in the Lakers' 129-115 victory.

"It was a great evening for me, to get a chance to do that," Abdul-Jabbar said. "As a kid playing the game, you dream about doing something significant, but I never had any idea I could do anything that significant. So it was a real thrill for me."

Of course, the ageless Abdul-Jabbar went on to score many more points for the Lakers, retiring with 38,387 in 1989 after 21 NBA seasons. He also has career records for minutes played, field goals made and attempted, and most All-Star Games (18) and playoff games (237) played.

Abdul-Jabbar accomplished more than perhaps any other player ever -- from leading Power Memorial High School to three New York City Catholic titles, 72 straight wins and a 96-6 record; to leading UCLA to three NCAA championships and an 88-2 mark; to winning a record six NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and six NBA championships.

Abdul-Jabbar said he's most proud of his six MVP honors.

"No one else has done that, and the MVP is about what you can do for your team. That means a lot to me," he said. "I was a team player, and I take a lot of pride in that."

Abdul-Jabbar was born in the Harlem section of Manhattan as Lew Alcindor and changed his name after converting to Islam. He said he started to develop his unstoppable sky hook when he was in elementary school.

"In my grade school, they had a lot of kids from college who would work with us, and some of them showed me the George Mikan drill, and that's how I developed how to use both my hands and footwork," he said. "By the time I left grade school, it was more or less second nature."

Abdul-Jabbar began wearing goggles in 1974 after suffering a scratched cornea for the second time in his career.

Now 60, he has worked as a special assistant coach for the Lakers since 2005. He mainly works with young center Andrew Bynum and is urging him to unveil his own version of the sky hook.

"I'm trying to get him to shoot it more, but he's kind of shy," Abdul-Jabbar said. "He wants everything to go in, but no guts, no glory. You've got to miss a few before they start dropping regularly. It might take awhile, but he's a great kid, and he makes my job easy because he's willing to work hard."

Abdul-Jabbar still hopes to land a head-coaching job in the NBA but has found opportunities hard to come by since his retirement. It has been speculated that his sullen reputation as a player has hurt his job search.

"Hope springs eternal," Abdul-Jabbar said. "You never know."

Abdul-Jabbar, a best-selling author, recently wrote his sixth book, "On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance."

"It gives people an idea of why I am who I am, and I'm happy I did it," he said. "I'm very proud of it."