“Earl was overrated” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explains why the legendary New Yorker Earl ‘The Goat’ Manigault wouldn’t make it in the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The late New York playground legend Earl “The Goat” Manigault is regarded by many as one of the greatest basketball players never to play in the NBA. Manigault was an urban legend in Harlem, where he ruled Happy Warrior Playground with his otherworldly athleticism.
Advertisement
Legend has it that Manigault had a 50-inch vertical leap and even at just 6’1″, he was able to perform the double dunk, which was allegedly his signature move. Unfortunately, he got hooked on heroin and drug addiction destroyed his basketball career. He never made it to the NBA, but many New Yorkers claim that he would have been one of the all-time greats. Not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, though.
“Earl was overrated,” said Kareem when he was asked by host Tyler Cohen if Manigault would have been a star in the NBA. “I’m not saying that because of envy. Earl could not shoot the ball from beyond eight feet. He could leap out of the gym, but he could not shoot he ball beyond eight feet, and he wasn’t interested in passing it. You wouldn’t make it very far on any team if you don’t want to pass the ball.”
The “Goat” was more of a one-on-one player
Manigault was born three years before Abdul-Jabbar, who in his younger days was known as Lew Alcindor. While Manigault was more known as a streetball superstar in Harlem, Alcindor was tearing up the New York high school basketball scene for Power Memorial High School. Alcindor led Power to three straight New York City Catholic championships and a 71-game winning streak.
Advertisement
When Alcindor wasn’t playing for Power, he made appearances at Rucker Park and the other top playgrounds in the Big Apple so he got the chance to play against the young “Goat” and while he was impressed with his leaping and dunking ability, he did not think that Earl had a game that would translate in the pro ranks.
“I don’t think Earl would have gone far because he had to have the ball by himself.” added Kareem. “He was a one-on-one player. He didn’t understand the team game. So that’s why I’m critical of Earl. Nice guy, but he messed up his life with drugs. But tried to make up for it in the latter part of his life by being involved in community projects that told kids to stay off of drugs. I have a great deal of respect for the way he went out. He went out trying to do the right thing.”
Manigault admitted his shortcomings
The “Goat” never made it past college basketball. In fact, he played for only one semester at Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina before dropping out because he always argued with his coach. He returned to Harlem and got hooked on heroin. After doing two prison terms, Manigault tried out for the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association but did not make the team.
Advertisement
“For every Michael Jordan, there’s an Earl Manigault,” Manigault told the New York Times in their piece called A Fallen King Revisits His Realm. “We all can’t make it. Somebody has to fall. I was the one.”
It’s unclear if he would have been like Michael Jordan or Kareem. But as Abdul-Jabbar said, he went out the right way. Manigault started the “Walk Away from Drugs” tournament for kids in Harlem and spent his remaining days helping young people avoid the mistakes he made. He died of congestive heart failure in 1998 at the age of 53. Some say he was one of the best never to make it to the NBA. Kareem respectfully disagrees.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.