Moments later, while Morales waited for her flight to Las Vegas, Abdul-Jabbar came and tapped her on the shoulder. ?I think he thought I needed help,? says Morales, who was in fact struggling with some deep issues at the time. ?Somehow he could tell. He definitely intervened and saved me from some very distressing things going on in my life. He?s very spiritual and sensitive.?
?Being that tall,? she laughs, ?is like being a giraffe in the jungle warning the other animals of oncoming danger. Because they can see and hear more than the other animals.?
Abdul-Jabbar can?t remember where he was headed that day. In a seemingly random and fairy godfather sort of way, he became Morales?s ?knight in rusty armor.? The term comes from a book, with the same title, about a knight who cares so much about the plights of those he protects that he neglects his own armor till it rusts. That is Abdul-Jabbar in a nutshell, Morales says. The giant cares more about the people around him than himself, she says, which is likely what brought him to center court in the social justice arena.
The hoops legend has experienced a fair share of unkindness over the years
?Being black, a Muslim, and 7?2? tall is the hat trick of prejudice,? says Abdul-Jabbar. ?My decision to become a political activist at the height of my basketball career created another prejudice among sports fans who prefer their players to just grin and play.?
Morales and Abdul-Jabbar spent the next few years developing their friendship. Fibromyalgia left Morales bedridden for two years.
?I wanted to die. But Kareem wouldn?t let me,? she says.
Abdul-Jabbar brought her books like Man?s Search for Meaning and The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People to read, and films like Sea Biscuit to watch. He surrounded her with positive imagery to help her deal with her struggle. Then one day, with no heralding, an idea came to Morales, riding atop a malapropism. Watching Alan Greenspan on TV, searching for purpose, she said, ?Why can?t I be like Alan Greenspan? Why can?t I be an iconomist??
The word she had been searching for was, of course, economist. But the misspeak changed her life. She went to Abdul-Jabbar with the idea that she, with a background in motivational speaking and sales and an inherent desire to help people, would help him achieve his goals. She would take him, as her slogan promises, from success to significance. Morales became Abdul-Jabbar?s greatest ally.
Which is not to say life suddenly became easy for Morales?a Jewish woman daring to step into a man?s role in the talent management industry.
?Because I had to be a strong-minded woman in an uphill battle in a male-dominated environment, it was like being against a wall in the most vicious game of dodge ball ever,? she says. ?Assertiveness is called bitchiness. Reasonable negotiation is called stubbornness. And so forth. So the success of our partnership has been very fulfilling.?
Abdul-Jabbar says his friendship and business partnership with Morales ?is kind of a bubble that is impervious? to external influences such as concern within the Jewish community about the relationship between Barack Obama, the first black president, and Israel.
?External events do not have any effect on our working relationship, but what it does have an effect on is our ability to accept certain engagements at certain times,? Morales says. ?For example, Kareem is Muslim and therefore we cannot accept any liquor endorsements because of religious beliefs. We argue over other small things, like the time I introduced him to the owner of a large pretzel chain and the first thing he said upon meeting the gentleman was, ?I really hate pretzels.? Of course the man was taken back. Not knowing what to do, he offered Kareem a free card to go and try one of his world-class pretzels.?
?Small dislikes that are unknown to each other play into our business relationship and sometimes cause conflicts,? she added. ?We differ in our political and religious beliefs, but overall we get along and look for the common ground.?
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