In an essay Abdul-Jabbar wrote for WebMD, the NBA's all-time leading scorer revealed how he's had prostate cancer, leukemia and heart bypass surgery to shed light on the health challenges facing Black people.

In 2009, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shared his chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosis with the world. Although years later, he beat the cancer, many people don't know that the former Los Angeles Lakers star and the NBA's career-scoring leader also battled prostate cancer, as he revealed in a new essay published on WebMD.

The obstacle in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's way is cancer. This month, the former Lakers' gentle giant, has decided to open up about his rare form of cancer. Last year he was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. This type of cancer targets the body's blood cells and can cause enlargement in several organs throughout.

76 years (April 16, 1947)Kareem Abdul-Jabbar / Age

But you may reduce your risk of prostate cancer by making healthy choices, such as exercising and eating a healthy diet. If you're concerned about your risk of prostate cancer, you may be interested in prostate cancer prevention. There's no sure way to prevent prostate cancer.

General Prostate Cancer Survival Rate According to the American Cancer Society: The relative 5-year survival rate is nearly 100% The relative 10-year survival rate is 98% The 15-year relative survival rate is 91%

There have been over 40 NBA players who have contracted different forms of cancer, and a majority survived. Of course, there are several variables, such as the type of cancer, the point when it is diagnosed, the treatment available, and so on.

How a college basketball star discovered she has a rare blood cancer. Helaina Hillyard hopes to spread awareness of the rare cancer. College athlete Helaina Hillyard discovered red dots on her skin that turned out to be rare blood cancer.

Top sports stars who defied cancer

• Lance Armstrong. In 1996, then 25-year-old US road race cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which had also spread to his brain, lungs and abdomen.
• Mario Lemieux.
• Edna Campbell.
• Jon Lester.
• Matthew Wade.
• Novlene Williams-Mills.
• Marco Russ.
• Antje Möldner-Schmidt.

Bill Russell Bill Russell holds the record for most NBA rings with 11. Here is a list of NBA players with six titles or more: Bill Russell (11 championships) Sam Jones (10)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owns the most NBA MVPs with six, followed by Michael Jordan and Bill Russell with five apiece. Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James have each won it four times, while Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone each won it three times.

There is no cure for metastatic prostate cancer, but it is often treatable for quite some time. Many people outlive their prostate cancer, even those who have advanced disease. Often, the prostate cancer grows slowly, and there are now effective treatment options that extend life even further.