Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is being treated for a rare form of Leukemia, but his prognosis is encouraging.

Abdul-Jabbar admitted on Monday that he was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia.

"You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle," the Hall of Famer said of what doctors told him.

He is taking an oral medication for the disease and wants to bring awareness to the rare form of blood cancer similar to the way former teammate Magic Johnson has for HIV.

"I've never been a person to share my private life. But I can help save lives," Abdul-Jabbar said. "It's incumbent on someone like me to talk about this."