Kareem Abdul-Jabbar undergoes quadruple bypass surgery

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is recovering after undergoing quadruple coronary bypass surgery at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

The 68-year-old former NBA and UCLA star was admitted to the hospital this week with cardiovascular disease and underwent surgery. He was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in 2008.

Dr. Richard Shemin, who performed the surgery, said Abdul-Jabbar is expected to make a full recovery.

In a statement, Abdul-Jabbar said he's looking forward to getting back to his usual activities soon. He asked people to keep him in their thoughts and to "cherish and live each day to the fullest."

Michael Cooper, who won five NBA championships with Abdul-Jabbar, spoke to his teammate Wednesday morning.

"I talked about, you know, the situation I had been through with tongue cancer and everything. I told him that I was doing great and then we kind of rehashed old times when we played and got a couple chuckles, but he sounded good," Cooper said.

Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and winner of six NBA titles, including his first with the Milwaukee Bucks and five during the Laker's "Showtime Era." He played with the Lakers though 1989.