On Saturday, he made up for it with a two-touchdown performance, including one that sent the game into overtime in the final minute with what could be the catch of the year.
Entering Saturday, Higgins had just 34 catches for 436 yards, plus a number of drops, in 10 games.
Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates after a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Paycor Stadium Dec. 16, 2023, in Cincinnati. (Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
Late in the second quarter, a review of a Higgins’ reception was overturned, which led to his mother, Camilla Stewart, posting on X, formerly Twitter, “No f—in way” and “He be right in their damn face.”
An X user wrote to her that the pass was “dropped,” but Stewart was quick to clap back.
“Like ya mama dropped [your ugly a–],” she wrote.
After the user said Stewart shouldn’t get “so defensive,” Stewart replied again with a middle finger emoji.
Another X user wrote that the ball is “on the damn ground anytime it goes his way.”
Tee Higgins (5) of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Paycor Stadium Dec. 16, 2023, in Cincinnati. (Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
In a since-deleted post, a user wrote that Higgins “can’t catch a ball to save his life.”
Stewart was far from finished.
“And yo fat a– can’t catch ur breath,” she replied.
After her son’s performance, Stewart still wasn’t finished.
“My lame a– son had himself a game…come haters let’s see y’all dumb a–es in my comments. Whose first,” she wrote with a laughing emoji.
Some of her comments got much more vulgar.
Tee Higgins (5) of the Cincinnati Bengals catches the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Paycor Stadium Dec. 16, 2023, in Cincinnati. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
There was a scary moment at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis that left Michael Pittman Jr. injured.
On second down and 8 in the second quarter, Gardner Minshew dropped back to throw and was looking for Pittman on the left side.
The throw was out of Pittman’s reach, and he dove to make a catch. Before he could land safely, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Damontae Kazee laid Pittman out with a big hit.
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee (23) celebrates after a play Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.(Grace Hollars/IndyStar/USA Today Network)
Pittman lay on the turf for several moments, and numerous flags were immediately thrown.
Players all over the field dropped to a knee, not knowing Pittman’s status, and referees quickly ejected Kazee from the game.
Replays showed Kazee was able to avoid a helmet-to-helmet collision, but Pittman still took a rough hit near his head as a defenseless receiver.
After the collision, Ptttman walked off the field on his own. However, he was later ruled out for the rest of the game with a concussion.
Michael Pittman Jr. of the Indianapolis Colts catches a pass during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium Dec. 16, 2023, in Indianapolis. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
It was not the first time Kazee has put other players, and himself, in danger.
Kazee was fined close to $12,000 earlier this month for a hit on the Cincinnati Bengals’ Irv Smith. It was his fifth fine of the season, his fourth for a tackle.
In Week 7, Kazee was fined $11,806 for “impermissible use of the helmet,” an infraction he committed again the following week. Another fine was issued that week because of a hit to a defenseless receiver, according to Spotrac.
Kazee may face a steeper fine due to repeated offenses.
He was also fined in 2021 for getting into a fight during a game.
Joey Porter Jr. (24) and Damontae Kazee (23) of the Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Josh Downs (1) of the Indianapolis Colts during the first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium Dec. 16, 2023, in Indianapolis. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The 2023 edition of the Celebration Bowl featured a matchup of two prominent historically Black colleges and universities — Florida A&M and Howard University.
The Florida A&M Rattlers defeated the Howard Bison by four points in a back-and-forth thriller at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Florida A&M does have a history of winning championships. Exactly 45 years ago, the Rattlers defeated the UMass Minutemen to claim the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA championship.
Florida A&M celebrates after a play during the Cricket Celebration Bowl against Howard University at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Dec. 16, 2023.(Katie Goodale/USA Today Network)
Florida A&M entered Saturday’s game with a 10-game win streak after defeating Prairie View A&M 35-14 Dec. 2 to earn its first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title. Howard had a two-game winning streak heading into the Celebration Bowl. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) holds a 6-1 edge over opponents from the SWAC in the bowl.
The Bison got off to a strong start with an impressive 63-yard kick return. Howard’s offense capitalized on the strong field position. Running back Jarett Hunter scored a touchdown on an 8-yard run to give the Bison an early 7-0 lead.
Kamari Young (81) of the Florida A&M Rattlers runs the ball past Jamel Stewart (96) of the Howard Bison during the first quarter of the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Dec. 16, 2023, in Atlanta.(Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Florida A&M quarterback Jeremy Moussa fumbled on the following possession, and Howard recovered the ball at the 29-yard line. The Bison took advantage of another short field and increased their lead to a commanding 14-0 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Howard quarterback Quinton Williams appeared to struggle to find any type of rhythm. He finished the game with three interceptions, throwing for just 106 yards.
Florida A&M did manage to produce a pair of scoring drives in the second quarter to cut the deficit. Howard entered the locker room at halftime with a 16-10 lead.
Jeremy Moussa (8) of the Florida A&M Rattlers celebrates with teammates after beating the Howard Bison 30-26 in the Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Dec. 16, 2023, in Atlanta. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
In the fourth quarter, Howard kicker Aaron Bickerton made a 40-yard field goal to bring the Bison within five points with 7:55 left in the game.
Howard took the lead on the next drive when defensive back Dylan White intercepted Moussa’s pass and sprinted into the end zone. The Bison briefly held a 26-24 lead following the 27-yard pick-six and the extra point.
Moussa quickly bounced back and found wide receiver Jah’Marae Sheread on a flea-flicker trick play for a go-ahead touchdown. The Rattlers’ two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, which kept the score at 30-26 with 5:46 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Florida A&M linebacker Isaiah Major picked off Williams with 1:45 left to seal the victory for the Rattlers.
“You can’t win many games when you turn the ball over three times,” Williams said. “That’s on me.”
Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
Ten of the 12 teams in the conference will defect elsewhere beginning next year, leaving Washington State and Oregon State as the only teams standing.
UCLA will play its final game as a member of the conference Saturday night when it faces Boise State in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. And even though head coach Chip Kelly will be with the Bruins as they join the Big Ten next year, he wishes this all didn’t happen.
“The fact there isn’t going to be a Pac-12, that’s not right,” Kelly said.
Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins on the sideline against the California Golden Bears during the second quarter of a game at California Memorial Stadium Nov. 25, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif.(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
“It’s sad. A bunch of people couldn’t figure out how to keep this conference together, and that’s sad,” Kelly said Friday. “This conference has been together since 1915. We’re supposed to be the smart ones. I heard [Iowa head coach] Kirk Ferentz talk in front of Congress when they were talking about realignment, and he said, ‘We have to be the dumbest people in the world.’
“This is an amazing game, and we keep trying to screw it up. I’m talking about the administrators and coaches. It’s on us. … Our job is to create opportunities for student-athletes to be successful. We didn’t do it.”
Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins on the sideline against the California Golden Bears during the second quarter of a game at California Memorial Stadium Nov. 25, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif.(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Lots of rivalries are ending because of the massive realignment, but Kelly has an idea about how to keep them alive.
“You can have a 64-team conference that’s in the Power Five, and you can have a 64-team conference in the Group of Five,” Kelly suggested. “We play each other. You can have the West Coast teams, and every year we play seven games against West Coast teams, then we play the East. You can play a seven-game schedule and play four against another division opponent, so we can still keep those rivalries going.”
Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins reacts against the USC Trojans during the second quarter of a game at the Rose Bowl Nov. 19, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif. (Harry How/Getty Images)
UCLA joins USC, Washington and Oregon as teams heading to the Big Ten. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will be in the Big 12, and Cal and Stanford will join the ACC.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are both lighter in the wallet after they were critical of the officiating following their Week 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The NFL fined Reid $100,000 Sunday for “violating long-standing league rules prohibiting public criticism of game officials,” according to ESPN.
Mahomes was fined $50,000 for his criticism of the officials along with his “unsportsmanlike conduct during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against Buffalo.”
Head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes (15) of the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium Nov. 26, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
The fines stem from the end of Sunday’s loss when officials called an offensive offside penalty on Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney, negating a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter.
Mahomes was irate after Kansas City turned the ball over on downs and was held back by his teammates as he appeared to yell toward an official.
After the game, Mahomes could be heard complaining to Bills quarterback Josh Allen about the call.
When speaking with reporters after the loss, Mahomes explained what made him so upset.
“It’s tough to swallow. Not only from me and football in general, to take away greatness like that, for a guy like Travis [Kelce] to make a play like that, you want to see the guys on the field decide the game. They’re human. They make mistakes. But every week, we’re talking about something,” he said.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, left, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) shake hands after an NFL football game Dec. 10, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
“It’s the call. Just in that moment. Not for myself. To have a flag change the outcome of the game. I’ve never had offensive offsides called. If it does, they warn you. There wasn’t a warning the entire game. And then you make a call like that in the final minute? Another game, we’re talking about the refs. It’s not what we want for the NFL. It’s not what we want for football.”
Reid was upset he didn’t get a warning about Toney’s foot placement.
“Usually I get a warning before something like that happens,” he said via FOX 4 KC. “A bit embarrassing in the National Football League for that to take place. … I didn’t have a protractor out there, but a bit embarrassing.”
Mahomes backtracked a bit later in the week, saying he regretted the way he reacted.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks during a news conference after a game against the Buffalo Bills Dec. 10, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
“Obviously, you don’t ever want to react that way,” Mahomes said in an interview on 610 Sports. “I care, man. I love this game, I love my teammates. I want to go out there and put everything on the line to win.
“But, obviously, can’t do that, can’t be that way toward officials or really anybody in life. So, I probably regret acting like that. But, more than anything, I regretted how I acted toward Josh after the game because he had nothing to do with it.”
Kansas City has lost two straight games and travels to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots Sunday.
Who would’ve thought that a battle between Nick Mullens and Jake Browning would give one of the best games of the season? Well, the two backup quarterbacks put on a show in the first Saturday game of the season.
But it was the Cincinnati folk hero in Browning who got the W, as the Bengals overcame a 14-point deficit to win, 27-24, in overtime.
Cincinnati got the ball first but went three-and-out after a no-call on what could have been defensive pass interference on third down. Minnesota was across midfield in two plays, but the Vikings were unable to get the first down on back-to-back QB sneaks with just a yard to go.
Joe Mixon #28 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Paycor Stadium on December 16, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio.(Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
On 3rd and 9, Browning scrambled to the right and somehow found Tyler Boyd for the first down, and he stayed on his feet to eventually get to the Minnesota 13, and Evan McPherson drilled the chip-shot to give Cincinnati the win.
Evan McPherson #2 of the Cincinnati Bengals reacts after converting an extra point in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Paycor Stadium on December 16, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio.(Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
The first half was slow – the Bengals kicked a field goal on their first drive, and the Vikings answered back with a touchdown, but the final six drives of the half featured four punts and two interceptions, both thrown by Nick Mullens.
The second half featured much better football – the Vikings opened up the half with Mullens finding Jordan Addison for a 37-yard score, increasing their lead to 14-3. After a Jake Browning interception, Minnesota knocked down a field goal to go up 14. But the Bengals weren’t dead yet, scoring touchdowns on back-to-back drives, including a Joe Mixon score on 4th and goal from the 1 with 7:46 to go.
On the ensuing Vikings’ drive, Mullens threw a pick-six that would have given the Bengals a late lead, but it was called back due to an offsides penalty. Using the flag to their advantage, they continued to march, and Mullens scrambled to find Addison for his second score of the game, putting themselves up 24-17 with 3:48 to go.
But it was too much clock for the Bengals. With 39 seconds left, Browning threw a prayer on the run, and Tee Higgins high-pointed the ball at the 1 and reached over the pylon for the score – the PAT tied the game at 24.
Tee Higgins #5 of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Paycor Stadium on December 16, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Jeff Dean/Getty Images)
The victory did come at a price, though, as Ja’Marr Chase left the contest with an undisclosed injury. Before leaving, he had four catches for 64 yards, leading his team. Higgins scored two touchdowns, while Browning completed 29 of his 42 passes for 324 yards.
Addison led all receivers with 111 yards in the losing effort – Ty Chandler ran for 132 yards on his 23 carries, while Mullens went 26-for-33 for 303 yards.
The Bengals, now 8-6 without Burrow, are currently the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture. Minnesota, now 7-7, also is in sixth.
Tee Higgins #5 of the Cincinnati Bengals catches the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Paycor Stadium on December 16, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Cincy is back in action next Saturday in an AFC North showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 7-6. Minnesota will host the NFC North leading Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve.
BlackRock revises spot Bitcoin ETF to enable easier access for banks
BlackRock has revised its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) application to make it easier for Wall Street banks to participate by creating new shares in the fund with cash rather than just crypto. The new in-kind redemption “prepay” model will allow banking giants such as JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs to act as authorized participants for the fund, letting them circumvent restrictions that prevent them from holding Bitcoin or crypto directly on their balance sheets.
El Salvador expects to sell out Bitcoin ‘Freedom Visa’ by end of year
El Salvador’s National Bitcoin Office says its $1 million Freedom Visa program has already received hundreds of inquiries since its launch on Dec. 7 and expects it to sell out before the end of 2023. Launched by the local government in partnership with stablecoin issuer Tether, the Freedom Visa is a citizenship-by-donation program that grants a residency visa and pathway to citizenship for 1,000 people willing to make a $1 million Bitcoin or Tether donation to the country. The program is limited to 1,000 slots per calendar year.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s lawyer says FTX fraud trial was “almost impossible” to win: Report
The lawyer responsible for Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried’s criminal trial defense has admitted that the case was “almost impossible” to win from the outset. During an interview, Stanford Law School professor David Mills said he recommended the legal defense of SBF admit to the allegations of witnesses and state prosecution and convince the jury that Bankman-Fried intended to save the company. Mills also disclosed that he had agreed to lend his expertise to Bankman-Fried’s defense at the behest of the FTX CEO’s parents, and described Bankman-Fried “as the worst person I’ve ever seen do a cross-examination.”
Yearn.finance pleads arb traders to return funds after $1.4M multisig mishap
Yearn.finance is hoping arbitrage traders will return $1.4 million in funds after a multisignature scripting error resulted in a large amount of the protocol’s treasury being drained. The error occurred while Yearn was converting its yVault LP-yCurve — earned from performance fees on vault harvests — into stablecoins on the decentralized exchange CoW Swap. Yearn suffered significant slippage when it received 779,958 DAI yVault tokens from the trade, resulting in a 63% drop in the liquidity pool value.
SEC pushes deadline for decision on Invesco Galaxy spot Ethereum ETF to 2024
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed its decision on whether to approve or reject a spot Ether ETF proposed by Invesco and Galaxy Digital. The companies filed the spot ETH ETF application in September. The proposed spot crypto investment vehicle is one of many being considered by the commission, which, to date, has never approved an ETF with direct exposure to Ether, Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $42,222, Ether (ETH) at $2,250 and XRP at $0.62. The total market cap is at $1.6 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are Bonk (BONK) at 131.38%, WOO Network (WOO) at 78.34% and Helium (HNT) at 77.66%.
The top three altcoin losers of the week are Terra Classic (LUNC) at -15.84%, Sei (SEI) at -14.48% and Pepe (PEPE) at -12.10%.
‘No excuse’ not to long crypto: Arthur Hayes repeats $1M BTC price bet
Bitcoin and altcoins are a no-brainer bet in the current macro climate, Arthur Hayes says. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Dec. 14, the former CEO of exchange BitMEX said that investors have “no excuse” to short crypto.
Going long on crypto is the key to success as markets bet on the United States Federal Reserve lowering interest rates next year, Hayes argues. “At this point, there is no excuse not to be long crypto,” part of his post stated.
“How many more times must they tell you that the fiat in your pocket is a filthy piece of trash,” he wrote. Hayes further reiterated a longstanding $1 million BTC price prediction as a result of macro tides eroding the value of national currencies.
Ledger patches vulnerability after multiple DApps using connector library were compromised
The front end of multiple decentralized applications using Ledger’s connector were compromised on Dec. 14. Ledger announced that it had fixed the problem three hours after the initial reports about the attack. Protocols affected include Zapper, SushiSwap, Phantom, Balancer and Revoke.cash, stealing at least $484,000 in digital assets. The attacker utilized a phishing exploit to gain access to the computer of a former Ledger employee. The hack sparked criticism about Ledger’s security approach.
Bitcoin inscriptions added to US National Vulnerability Database
The National Vulnerability Database flagged Bitcoin’s inscriptions as a cybersecurity risk on Dec. 9, calling attention to the security flaw that enabled the development of the Ordinals Protocol in 2022. According to the database records, a datacarrier limit can be bypassed by masking data as code in some Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Knots versions. As one of its potential impacts, the vulnerability could result in large amounts of non-transactional data spamming the blockchain, potentially increasing network size and adversely affecting performance and fees.
SafeMoon falls 31% in five hours after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
The token of decentralized finance protocol SafeMoon has fallen 31% in five hours after the company behind it filed for bankruptcy. SafeMoon officially applied for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, also known as “liquidation bankruptcy,” on Dec. 14. The latest blow comes only a month after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged SafeMoon and its executives with violating securities laws in what the regulator described as “a massive fraudulent scheme.” Several former SafeMoon supporters expressed frustration on Reddit regarding the bankruptcy, alleging they were rug-pulled by the SafeMoon developers.
The National Football League has come down hard on the Philadelphia Eagles, but not on any of their players.
The league has reportedly opted to bar the team’s head of security, “Big Dom” DiSandro, from the sidelines for the remainder of the season following his skirmish in their game against the San Francisco 49ers.
DiSandro was tossed from the sidelines after getting into an altercation with Dre Greenlaw on December 3.
Ref breaks up San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw’s altercation with Philadelphia Eagles staff member Dom DiSandro during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field.(Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
DiSandro stepped in front of Greenlaw after the 49ers star linebacker suplexed DeVonta Smith out of bounds and was flagged for unnecessary roughness.
“Big Dom” seemed to have words for Greenlaw that he didn’t like, leading to the linebacker swiping at him. That’s when officials and both teams started to get more involved to break things up before it got physical.
After deliberating about the slam of Smith and swiping at DiSandro, Greenlaw was ejected from the game.
But while the Lincoln Financial Field crowd was applauding the officials’ decision to eject Greenlaw, DiSandro was also sent off the field.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Siriani and security head Dom DiSandro head to the locker room during the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles on September 14, 2023, at Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.(Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DiSandro will be able to travel with the team and “perform all other work duties” outside of being on the field. After the final four regular season games, he’ll be able to return for the playoffs.
DiSandro, known as “Big Dom” to many in the Philly community, has been a part of the Eagles’ organization since 1999 and has been seen on the sidelines as head of security for all players, coaches and staff for the team.
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) has an altercation with Philadelphia Eagles staff member Dom DiSandro during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
He directs security at the team’s training complex while being responsible for all security measures related to team travel, logistics and more. He’s also responsible for providing education to players, coaches and staff with regard to the league’s personal conduct policy.
Peer-to-peer trading platform NFT Trader suffered a security breach on Dec. 16, allowing hackers to steal millions of dollars worth of nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
NFT Trader confirmed the incident on X (formerly Twitter), saying the attack targeted old smart contracts, urging users to revoke delegations to two addresses: 0xc310e760778ecbca4c65b6c559874757a4c4ece0 and 0x13d8faF4A690f5AE52E2D2C52938d1167057B9af.
Among the NFTs stolen are at least 13 Mutant Ape Yacht Club and 37 Bored Ape tokens, as well as VeeFriends and World of Women NFTs, making up to losses of nearly $3 million, according to Revoke.cash.
The hack was followed by rumors and misinformation on social media platforms. In addition, it’s still unclear how many hackers exploited the security flaw. In a public message, one of the attackers attributed the original exploit to another user. “I came here to pick up residual garbage,” they wrote, requesting ransom payments to return the NFTs.
“At first, as usual, I came here to pick up residual garbage. At first I thought I could only get TOKEN, but eventually I found out that I could also get NFT. […] I’m a good person, the value of these nft’s is enough for a person to live a free life, but i don’t care about that. I prefer to pick up the leftover trash,” one of the attackers said.
The attacker then claimed to have limited technical skills, and proposed victims to pay a 10% bounty in Ether (ETH) in exchange for their NFTs. “My technical skills are limited, I can’t get all the affected nfts at once, and it’s costing me a lot of energy and time. […] If you want the monkey nft back, then you need to pay me a bounty, which is what I deserve,” they wrote.
In another atypical development, one of the victims said the attacker returned a rare NFT along with 31 ETH, worth nearly $70,680 at the time of writing. “And now the hacker just sent me 31 eth? What in the world is going on. Is this real life?,” the victim wrote on X.
Former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on December 3, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
It’s unknown what concert Abdul-Jabbar attended, but Morales said he would be undergoing surgery.
Morales added that the Hall of Famer was “deeply appreciative” of the help he received from the Los Angeles Fire Department and the “amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of [him].”
Abdul-Jabbar played 20 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on April 5, 1984.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talks to the media during a press conference before the Milwaukee Bucks game against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 9, 2023, at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
He won six MVP Awards, the most by any player, during his illustrious career. He also won six NBA titles, was a 19-time All-Star, and a 10-time All-NBA First Team nod.
His No. 33 is retired by both the Bucks and Lakers, and he also won three NCAA titles at UCLA. He was the first overall pick in the 1969 NBA Draft.
NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is introduced before the Dallas Mavericks game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the 2023 NBA Global Games Abu Dhabi at Etihad Arena on October 7, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, The United Arab Emirates.(Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)
In his career, he averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. His 38,387 points now rank second all-time, as LeBron James surpassed him last season.
