Basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced this morning that he has a rare form of cancer.

The all-star player, who has also had numerous television and movie roles, was diagnosed last year with a rare type of blood cancer known as Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. He has not spoken about his battle publicly until now, and hopes to inspire others as new treatments are available to patients with the disease.

The type of cancer Kareem faces affects the blood and bone marrow. Until recently, diagnosis often meant only years or a few months to live.

Kareem is being treated with a medicine that specifically targets this type of cancer. He is breaking his silence to team up with world-leading research and resource centers to spread the word to others who suffer from the disease.

Kareem is encouraging fellow patients and families to visit www.CMLAlliance.com for disease education, treatment information, testing and reimbursement support.