10 NBA Superstars Who Switched Teams In Their Primes

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was drafted 1st overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969, a single season into the franchise's existence. The then Lew Alcindor was a basketball phenomenon. In a league that recently lost Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, he represented the next dominant big man in the NBA pantheon. He had won three NCAA Championships at UCLA from1967-1969, so the Bucks had all the faith in the world that Kareem would bring them to the Promised Land.

Their faith was well placed, as Kareem, alongside the aging Oscar Robertson, brought them their first, and only, NBA Championship in 1971, a mere two years into his soon-to-be legendary NBA career. Unfortunately, that would be the height of his success in Milwaukee. The team made the Finals one more time in 1974, but lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games.

In 1975, Kareem asked for a trade out of Milwaukee to either New York or Los Angeles, places that more properly fit his cultural desires. The Bucks granted his request and traded Kareem to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would win five NBA Championships alongside Magic Johnson.