Conversation so far:
Did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar change religions at some point?
converted to Islam.
Did he change his name at the same time?
converted to Islam and became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means "the noble one, servant of the Almighty.
What was his religion prior to that?
CANNOTANSWER.
Why did he convert to islam?
"latching on to something that was part of my heritage, because many of the slaves who were brought here were Muslims.

Question: Did anyone influence his decision to convert?
Self-contained rewrite: Did anyone influence Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's decision to convert?