Basketball legend Abdul-Jabbar diagnosed leukaemia

Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been diagnosed leukaemia, which was revealed in an interview in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times.

But the all-time top scorer in the NBA said his prognosis is good and that he expects to lead a healthy life.

Abdul-Jabbar, 62, said that he has Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that produces cancerous blood cells.

The former talisman for the Los Angeles Lakers said that the disease was diagnosed last December, but that the condition can be managed by taking oral medication daily, seeing his specialist every other month and getting his blood analyzed regularly.

"The fact that you can manage the disease means that you can live your life," Abdul-Jabbar said.

Abdul-Jabbar learned of his disease when he went to the doctor after experiencing hot flashes. He said his lifelong healthy habits were responsible for the early leukaemia detection.

Abdul-Jabbar acknowledged he was scared after visiting his doctor and learning of the diagnosis. He said he was speaking up in order to shed light on the ailment.

Source: Xinhua