Growing up, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was hailed for his athletic ability by anyone who saw him set foot on a basketball court. But it was the middle school teacher who encouraged him to embrace his intelligence that he remembers—some 60 years later—as setting him on the path to success.

In addition to his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, the 7’2”, 19-time NBA All-Star has a lifetime of advocacy work behind him, the wisdom of which Abdul-Jabbar has brought to WE Day events across Canada and the United States, most recently in Vancouver.

“The essence of what I have to say is that knowledge is power,” he says. “If you use your education in a way that makes sense, you can achieve a lot.” Abdul-Jabbar is a walking testament to his own words. The all-time leading scorer in NBA history, the New York native is also a bestselling author, a cultural ambassador for the United States and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama. He even founded his own non-profit, called the Skyhook Foundation, which helps bring educational STEM opportunities to underserved communities.

A true believer in the power of education, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shares the motivation behind his advocacy work, and why we should all be thanking the teachers in our lives.