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.

Question: Why did he convert to islam?
Self-contained rewrite: Why did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar convert to islam?