I remember the night I saw the 1978 movie Game of Death. It was at a drive-in theater, and when I saw the beginning of a fight between Bruce Lee and an opponent who was over seven feet tall, it took my breath away. It was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who I'd heard of, but didn't realize how big he was.
Bruce Lee had died in 1973, but his relationship with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went back to 1968, when the UCLA basketball star was known as Lew Alcindor. The NCAA banned the dunk in 1967, and Alcindor decided to perfect the skyhook instead. He sought training in martial arts to improve his basketball skills. A friend suggested he study under Bruce Lee, who Alcindor only knew as the actor who played Kato in The Green Hornet. Lee didn't know Alcindor at all, but when they met, Lee was intrigued by the possibility of learning to fight an opponent that was seven feet two inches tall. So he agreed to teach Alcindor. They became friends as well as a teacher and student, and Alcindor even babysat for Lee. Read about the martial arts star and the basketball standout who taught each other at LitHub. -via Damn Interesting