Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time scoring leader, retired after the 1988-89 season, but said Saturday he is thinking of returning to basketball. A bid for his services has come from the Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association team in northern Illinois.

"He sounds serious about a comeback and he wants to do everything he can to support Earvin Johnson," Lightning GM Tom Kayser said. "Kareem may not be in the kind of shape he needs to be in to compete immediately in the NBA. At 44, I think he can get to the NBA, but he needs time to get back in shape. We think Rockford would be an ideal place for him to begin his comeback."