She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 before rising to prominence in the 1980. Abdul was discovered by The Jacksons, after a few of the band members had watched her while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game. “My only problem was how to tell the Jacksons how to dance,” Abdul later recalled. Her six number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 tie her with Diana Ross for seventh among the female solo performers who have topped the chart.