In spite of the fact that the one and only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is more widely known for his amazing stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Hall of Fame big man still remains to be one of, if not the greatest Milwaukee Bucks player of all time. Kareem started off his career in Milwaukee, so naturally, he had a strong motivational message for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks as they face off against the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night.

Abdul-Jabbar admitted that he had made a mistake when he slept on the Bucks earlier in the playoffs, but he also revealed how delighted he is now that his former team has made it back to the Finals after what now feels like an eternity:

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For what it's worth, the last time the Bucks were in the Finals was in 1974. The last time they won a championship was three years prior, in 1971. Guess who Milwaukee's cornerstone superstar was at that time? Yup, that's right, it was none other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The Bucks have won just one championship since being founded in 1968. Right now, though, this group has an opportunity to double their championship tally some 50 years later. As Kareem stated in his message above, Giannis and Co. have a tremendous opportunity in their hands here and he, along with the entire Bucks nation, are hoping that this team makes history this year.

It is worth noting, however, that Giannis is still dealing with a lingering knee issue. He's been tagged as questionable for Game 1 on Tuesday, and it remains to be seen when he'll be able to rejoin his team on the basketball court.