Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- Thanks, Donald Trump ... You Made My Point (VIDEO)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had to be cringing when Donald Trump got the crowd howling at Wednesday night's Republican debate -- because he tells TMZ Sports there's no way they're ever settling their beef.

Hours before the debate, we got Kareem at LAX, and brought up his blood feud with The Donald. You'll recall ... it started with Kareem's column calling Trump a "bully" who was bad for the country. Trump fired back that the Lakers legend "doesn't have a clue" -- and was generally hated during his playing days.

Now, 2 weeks later, the hate is as strong as ever. Kareem told us, Trump's personal jabs at him should be a warning to America.