Laker legend Kareem Abdul Jabaar recently disclosed to People Magazine that he is living with a condition known as chronic myeloid leukemia.

Abdul Jabaar, who is currently a special teams assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers, has known about his condition for the better period of a year and decided to come out recently in an effort to provide a positive example for other cancer patients.

“I’m telling my story to encourage fellow patients to take charge of their health,” he said. “Work closely with your doctor, monitor your disease and, above all, take your medicine.”

Jabaar is currently being treated with a medicine that targets the abnormal protein which causes cancer.

The great news is, doctors expect him to live a full, productive life if nothing about his attitude toward the disease or his condition changes.

“Having lost one of my closest friends to a different, highly aggressive form of leukemia, I knew how serious my diagnosis was,” said the 62 year-old Hall of Famer. “My own life expectancy became a question mark.”