Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s turn on the all-athletes edition of Dancing with the Stars got off to a rocky start on Friday.
The 70-year-old former basketball star — who spent 20 seasons playing for Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA — got sick during the first press day for the long-running ABC dancing competition show, vomiting backstage before meeting the press.
A rep for the athlete told PEOPLE exclusively that Abdul-Jabbar “ate something that didn’t agree with him and got a little stomach bug,” adding “he is just fine now and looking forward to competing on the show.”
Abdul-Jabbar appeared in the 8 a.m. hour of ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday, where the cast for DWTS: Athletes was revealed for the first time.
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The show, which premieres later this month, will see 10 teams of athletes and pro dancers going head–to-head for the coveted Mirrorball trophy in a shortened four-week season.
Among the athletes joining Abdul-Jabbar? Former Olympic ice skaters Tonya Harding, Adam Rippon and Mirai Nagasu; Olympic snowboarder Jamie Anderson and luger Chris Mazdzer; Notre Dame’s national championship hero Arike Ogunbowale; former pro softball player Jennie Finch Daigle; retired professional baseball outfielder Johnny Damon; and Washington Redskins’ cornerback Josh Norman.
Abdul-Jabbar will team up with the show’s reigning champion Lindsay Arnold, who won last season with Jordan Fisher.
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At a towering 7’2″, Abdul-Jabbar still holds the record as the leading point scorer in basketball.
After retiring from basketball in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar has become an advocate for social justice issues and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2016.
Back in December 2008, Abdul-Jabbar was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia after experiencing hot flashes and sweats. As he told PEOPLE in 2009, his blood work revealed a “sky high” white blood cell count. He was then prescribed medication for the blood disease, on which he said he is expected to have a regular lifespan.
Later on Friday, Abdul-Jabbar appeared to be in good spirits as he celebrated his new DWTS gig.
“Don’t know if you guys heard but it’s true… I will be Dancing with the Stars,” he wrote, captioning a photo of he and Arnold, 24, taken from their GMA appearance. “I hope you will all support me as I take this journey.”
Season 26 of Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday, April 30 (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.
- With reporting by BRIANNE TRACY
