After spending years making headlines as one of the top players in the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is returning to acting for an appearance on iZombie.The former center for the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks will guest star in an episode of the fifth and final season of The CW series as an undead city councilman named Zed. With the show's Seattle setting now walled off from the outside world, Abdul-Jabbar's Zed clashes with is human counterparts on the council over the municipal rights of zombies. Series star Rose McIver tweeted a photo of herself on set with the basketball player, confirming his casting.

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The guest star appearance is not Abdul-Jabbar's first foray into acting. Between seasons of playing for the NBA in the 1970s and early 1980s, the actor appeared in 1979's Game of Death where he memorably fought friend and former martial arts instructor Bruce Lee in the film's climactic showdown. Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar appeared as the co-pilot in the classic 1980 comedy Airplane!. The actor's most recent performance was as a version of himself last year in an episode of the BET mockumentary series The Comedy Get Down.

Now as a civic-minded zombie, Abdul-Jabbar will be facing his greatest opponent yet: Partisan politics.

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Based on the Vertigo comic book series by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred of the same name, iZombie was developed for television by Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright. The series stars Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, and Rahul Kohli. It will return on The CW for its fifth and final season sometime in early 2019.

(via The Hollywood Reporter)