US basketball legend goes public with cancer fight

US basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has gone public with his fight against a rare form of leukemia, urging regular doctor visits and improved health care for the poor.

Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time most valuable player who retired from the National Basketball Association in 1989 with a record in points scored and a slew of other titles, told CNN Tuesday he has been diagnosed with a blood cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia.

The 62-year-old said he first learned of his condition in December 2008 after suffering unusual hot flashes, and has been coping well with treatment.

- I'm doing very well - he said. - But you have to find a specialist that understands your condition. You have to get your blood checked regularly. And you have to take your medication.

- If you do that, you can manage this particular form of leukemia and live a very productive life with minimal intrusion into the things that you love to do - he said.

Abdul-Jabbar, who has become a spokesman for the company that makes the drugs that are treating his leukemia, also urged people to "see a doctor regularly, go for regular checkups... get regular bloodwork done.

- I think someone in my position who gets public attention can do a lot of good because a lot of people are faced with this condition and they think it's a death sentence - he told CNN.

- I know, for myself, I had a very good friend who died just three or four years ago from a different type of leukemia. But when that happened, it was devastating, and I thought I had the same thing and that I had months or weeks to live. -

According to the National Cancer Institute, about 4,800 people are diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia in the United States each year.

Abdul-Jabbar also pressed for the US government to take better care of its poor, who often cannot afford treatment, a key issue among US lawmakers who are grappling with President Barack Obama's drive to reform the healthcare system.

- We have the best technology in the world. We're supposed to be the can-do nation. And our health care system really fails so many people, especially poor people, you know, people who don't have the means to go to private doctors - he said.

- I think we should change that. I think it's absolutely crucial and certainly, it's a just and noble cause to make health care available to everyone. -