Abdul-Jabbar rips direction under UCLA coach Alford

Legendary UCLA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is disappointed with the direction of the program under current Bruins basketball coach Steve Alford.

Abdul-Jabbar told SiriusXM NBA Radio that the tradition is slipping and that players aren' t learning the game the way they used to under legendary coach John Wooden.

"It was real ugly, man," Abdul-Jabbar told Sirius. "You know, I have to say that. I watched them in the playoffs. You know, they don' t even know how to run the fast break. I' m not trying to sit on the sidelines and throw stones at coach Alford. He has a tough job.

"But people used to learn how to play the game at UCLA, and I don' t think that' s happening now. I think that' s a real disappointment to those of us who are a part of the tradition."

Alford is entering his third season as coach of the Bruins. His teams reached the Sweet 16 in each of his first two seasons in Westwood.

Abdul-Jabbar played three seasons (1966-69) at UCLA and was a two-time consensus National Player of the Year before enjoying a stellar NBA career.