Paula Abdul

To answer the question in one word, no. Paula Abdul, the first Lakers girl was not related or married to basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"Five years ago we had this reunion with all the old Lakers, and I saw Kareem. He said, “Come here.” I sat on his lap, and he goes, “Remember when they used to think we were married? She also added that she joined the Laker girls for fun.“I joined the Laker girls for fun. There’s a lot of people in the entertainment business in the stands.” She also relived how she and the Lakers legend spoke about public opinion that they were married. Because of my name, people used to ask me if we were married all the time.” "I wouldn’t have to do much to change my name if we were married,” said Abdul to the Los Angeles Times. “I’d just tack on Jabbar to my name. "I had gone to a couple of Lakers games when they were beginning to have cheerleaders.

Carina Conti talks playing Paula Abdul when she was a Laker Girl on the hit HBO series 'Winning Time' and more.

She became a trendsetter just by following what was in her heart, so I embrace the choreography with the same kind of chutzpah and joy that I imagined she would have. The more I learned about her, the more I respect her, the more I admire her, and the more I want to be like her in a sense that she was only 18-19 when she auditioned for the Laker Girls. She didn’t get in her first time. Paula was recently on The Talk and we saw that amazing clip of you talking about how you met her by chance and her reaction to that. exceptional. The way that she worked on her singing after she was criticized is exceptional. People who are exceptional at what they do, and who believe in themselves on behalf of the fact that they are exceptional at what they do. The way that she became the head choreographer within a year of being on the team, even though she was one of the youngest members, even though she was probably the shortest member… I wish I had that kind of grit, that kind of determination, that kind of self-belief at that time, that kind of capacity for rejection. I think it would have been a very different audition if I hadn’t known because I really did my best to tailor it specifically to what I thought she might have been like at that time. Where did you begin and what was the most helpful to you? It was actually so helpful because right off the bat, I was able to start doing research to figure out how to wear my hair, what kind of outfit she might be wearing, makeup, and all of that. The actress/dancer admitted that she was initially “pretty shy” in reaching out to Paula but meeting her by chance and then getting her “vote of confidence” meant everything to her. Paula would eventually become the head choreographer of the Laker Girls and evolve into a music and dance sensation.