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By Eric Jay Santos
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an important figure in Los Angeles Lakers history, winning five NBA championships as a player for the franchise. The 19-time All-Star played in Los Angeles for 14 years, later working as an assistant coach from 2005 to 2011.
Around a decade ago, Abdul-Jabbar offered to help train the post–Kobe Bryant era of Lakers big men. Ivica Zubac was an up-and-coming center at the time, having been drafted by the Lakers with the No. 32 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
In an interview with X&O’s Chat, Zubac revealed that Abdul-Jabbar was interested in rejoining the Lakers’ coaching staff to mentor him.
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“After a few workouts, he told me he wanted to mentor me and work for the Lakers. After that, he had a meeting with Magic, and I don’t know what happened there, but he never got a job with the Lakers. He wanted some kind of role with the team just to work with me and the big guys, but unfortunately that never happened.”
The six-time MVP was later shut out from additional coaching opportunities. He was passed over as a head coach candidate by UCLA and the Milwaukee Bucks, both previous playing destinations.
Ivica Zubac’s Progress
In 2019, the Lakers traded Zubac to the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite limited playing time with his former team, he quickly developed into a key contributor for the Clippers.
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The seven-foot center had a further breakthrough during the 2024-25 season. He averaged a career-high 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds over 80 games, earning All-Defensive Second Team honors.
This month, Zubac and Kobe Brown were traded to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks, and a second-round pick. The 28-year-old has yet to make his Pacers debut due to an ankle injury and paternity leave.
With a 15–40 record, the Pacers are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. While Indiana is headed toward the draft lottery, Zubac will have an opportunity to establish himself as one of the league’s top centers.
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