Kareem Abdul-Jabbar undergoes coronary bypass surgery

Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery on Thursday.

Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery on Thursday.

UCLA Health issued a statement on Friday saying Abdul-Jabbar was admitted to the school's medical center this week with cardiovascular disease.

Richard Shemin, UCLA's chief of cardiac surgery, performed the operation and said he expects Abdul-Jabbar, 68, to make a full recovery.

In the statement, Abdul-Jabbar asks that "you keep him in your thoughts and, most importantly, cherish and live each day to its fullest."

Over 20 seasons with the Bucks and Lakers, the Hall of Fame center earned six NBA Most Valuable Player awards and holds the all-time record of 38,387 points scored. He was also a three-time National Player of the Year and NCAA champion with the Bruins.

GALLERY: CLASSIC PHOTOS OF KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR

Classic Photos of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

1965

1966

1967

1967

with John Wooden

1967

with Bill Russell and Muhammad Ali

1969

1969

with parents Cora and Ferdinand

1969

1971

1972

with Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson.

1973

1973

with Wilt Chamberlain

1974

1974

with Bill Walton

1974

1975

1979

with actors Rossie Harris (Joey) and Peter Graves (Captain Oveur) in the movie "Airplane!"

1980

1980

with Caldwell Jones

1980

with Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show"

1981

with Moses Malone

1981

with (from left) Michael Cooper, Norm Nixon, Mitch Kupchak, Paul Westhead, Jamaal Wilkes and Magic Johnson

1982

1982

with Julius Erving

1982

with Gary Coleman on "Diff'rent Strokes"

1985

with Magic Johnson

1985

with President Ronald Reagan

1986

with Hakeem Olajuwon

1987

with Charles Barkley

1988

with Pat Riley and Lakers teammates

1988

1988

with Patrick Ewing

1989

with Michael Jordan

1990

1994

with Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show"

1994

with Will Smith on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

1995

with Muggsy Bogues

1996

with Shaquille O'Neal and George Mikan

1997

with Walter Payton, Gordie Howe, Bobby Allison and Reggie Jackson

1998

with his horse Peaches

1998

with the men's varsity team at White Mountain Apache Reservation

1999

2000

with Tyrone Nesby

2005

2012

with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

2012

2013

with Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Bill Walton, Patrick Ewing and Danny Manning

2014

with President Barack Obama

2014

2015