WATCH: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Praises Muhammad Ali's Activism in MSNBC Special Clip

The video is culled from the basketball great's upcoming episode of MSNBC's "IconocLIST."

By Sameer Rao Dec 7, 2016

NBA legend and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar describes the importance of Muhammad Ali's career-threatening activism in a new clip from MSNBC's "IconocLIST."

"He came about at a time when Black Americans were supposed to be very thankful for the opportunities they got and not rock the boat," explained Abdul-Jabbar in the clip above from "IconocLIST." "His political sensitivities were absolutely on mark when he said, I believe it was, 'Ain't no Viet Cong ever called me nigger,'" he said, explaining Ali's resistance to the Vietnam War draft.

Abdul-Jabbar will discuss Ali and other idols in his episode, which airs Saturday (December 10).

The promo was released yesterday (December 6), just one week after Sports Illustrated awarded Abdul-Jabbar and fellow activist-athletes Jim Brown and Bill Russell with the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.