NBA great and social justice advocate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will deliver the 2021 Commencement address for Washington University in St. Louis.
The university plans to hold in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021 on May 20 and 21on the Danforth Campus. Due to limitations on gatherings and crowd sizes due to COVID-19, the university will host multiple, smaller ceremonies on Francis Olympic Field in place of the traditional university-wide Commencement ceremony in Brookings Quadrangle.
Abdul-Jabbar’s address to the Class of 2021, which will be video recorded in advance to accommodate the multiple ceremonies, will be shown on large screens on Francis Field for those who are attending in person and livestreamed to graduates who are studying remotely.
“I am thrilled that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, an inspiration both on and off the basketball court,will be addressing our graduates,” Chancellor Andrew D. Martin said. “A Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and a prolific author, in addition to being the highest-scoring NBA player of all time, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar has used his platform to address racial justice and social equity issues everywhere,” Martin said.
The university will award Abdul-Jabbar an honorary doctor of humanities degree during its 160th Commencement.
