Abdul-Jabbar new CBS analyst for NCAA Tournament

Jet, March 3, 2003

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has found his way back to world of basball.

The Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar, 55, who coached the USBL's Oklahoma Storm to its first league championship last July then retired as head coach of the team, will join CBS Sports as an analyst during its coverage of the NCAA Tournament.

"I'm enthusiastically encouraged," said Abdul-Jabbar, who won three-straight NCAA titles at UCLA. "I will be perceptive and able to convey why things are happening on the court."

"Nobody has a more storied association with college basketball in general and the NCAA tournament in particular," CBS Sports president Sean McManus said about Abdul-Jabbar, who will work in a three-man booth with Dick Enberg and Matt Guokas.

A six-time NBA MVP, Abdul-Jabbar said he thought this tournament would be wide open with no clear favorites.

"There's a lot of parity now because all the best players are in the NBA," he said hat makes for a situation where anybody can win it. That mskes for an interesting tournament, though."