 He adopted the Arabic name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, though he did not begin using it publicly until 1971.He boycotted the 1968 Summer Olympics by deciding not to try out for the United States Men's Olympic Basketball team, who went on to easily win the gold medal.Alcindor's decision to stay home during the 1968 Games was in protest of the unequal treatment of African-Americans in the United States.