Kareem Abdul Jabbar Net Worth

Kareem Abdul Jabbar is a retired American Professional Basketball player. Kareem retired from professional basketball in 1989. His career lasted for over 20 years and within these years, he won several awards which includes winning the NBA Championship 6 times. He is regarded as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

What Is Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s Net Worth?

What is Kareem Abdul’s Net Worth? As of January 2023, Kareem Abdul’s net worth was estimated at $25 million. He has accumulated this net worth from not just playing basketball but also being an actor, producer and best-selling author.

Moving on in this article, we will be looking at Abdul’s earnings overview, his life before becoming a basketball star, his career at the NBA and his personal life as well. We shall also look at his investments and how he spends his money. All these and more you will get if you continue reading.

Earnings Overview

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a net worth of $25 million as of 2023. Despite being highly acclaimed, he played when top athletes received comparable pay to those signed for the veteran minimum today. Additionally, salaries were kept differently than now.

Of Abdul-Jabbar’s earnings, only four years are disclosed, all during the last five seasons of his career. During those four years, Abdul-Jabbar earned approximately $8.5 million from the LA Lakers. Although the amount could be today, said to be way too small for someone of his substance but it was a lot of money then.

Although it may appear modest, he was one of the top-earning players in the league at that time. Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar earns a significant amount from book royalties and acting gigs.

Moreover, Kareem was a coaching assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers between 1998-1999. The typical yearly salary for an NBA assistant coach in the US is approximately $40,000.

Given Kareem’s prominent status, he may have earned more. Regardless, Kareem did receive some compensation for his one-year role as an assistant coach.

Abdul-Jabbar has endorsement deals with Adidas, AT&T, Nestle, and NBA2K. It can be estimated that Kareem has earned over $2 million from these endorsement deals.

Jabbar also has endorsement deals with some notable companies like Adidas, Nestle, NBA2K and AT & T. It is estimated that he has earned over $2 million from these endorsement deals.

He amassed over $30,000 from his deal with Adidas. That was a lot of money then and only a few NBA players had such a juicy opportunity.

It is also worthy of note that Abdul-Jabbar is a best-selling author. Some of his books include Giant Steps, Kareem, Black Profiles in Courage, A Season on the Reservation, and Brothers in Arms.

No doubt these publications have also contributed to Kareem’s net worth. Abdul is also an actor who has featured in many hit movies.

These movies include “Airplane” (1980), Bruce Lee’s 2000 hit movie “A Warrior’s Journey“, “Be Water” (2020), Slam Dunk Ernest (1995), “Forget Paris” (1995), “Game of Death” (1978) etc.

Early Life

Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. (as was his birth name before conversion to Islam and taking up the name Kareem Abdul Jabbar), was born on April 16th, 1947 in New York City.

He is the only son of his parent, Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr, and Cora. He was an abnormally large baby, and in 8th grade, he reached a height of 6’8 inches.

His size aided him in excelling in basketball at a young age, allowing him to throw a dunk at the age of 12. When entering high school, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s athletic skills emerged.

He made a significant impact as a player on multiple New York City Championship-winning teams at Power Memorial Academy. He was dubbed “the tower from the power” due to his attendance at Power Memorial Academy.

Throughout his high school basketball career, he broke numerous records.

Career

Abdul-Jabbar’s basketball career started at the Power Memorial High School, New York City then moved on to College and finally NBA. Let us look at these stages in his career and his accomplishments all along.

1. High School/College Basketball Journey

Abdul-Jabba(then Lewis Alcindor) played for the Parochial High School Power Memorial. Jabbar’s team won 71 games in a row and were three times New York Catholic Champions.

Later, Kareem moved on to play for the University of California Los Angeles. His performance in high school caught the fancy of the then-assistant coach of the institution who recruited him immediately after he completed high school.

During his college basketball days, Jabbar played in three consecutive national championships, winning eighty-eight games with only two losses.

Before he started playing for the Varsity team, he had played for the freshman team. At that time, the freshman team had for the first time beat a UCLA team.

That was Abdul-Jabbar’s debut game in the Bruins freshman team and he played alongside Lucius Allen and Lynn Shackelford. The team clinched a 15-point  win over the UCLA varsity that was ranked top 1 in the preseason ranking.

Kareem alone scored 31 points and 21 rebounds in the match. It was the highest to have ever been scored by a freshman player.

Moving on to the UCLA varsity team the next season, Abdul broke Gail Goodrich’s record for the most number of points scored in a single match. He scored 29 points per game and went ahead to lead the team to the championship.

When he left the freshman team, Dunk was banned because it was believed that he was unstoppable with it.

In 2007, ESPN named Kareem Abdul Jabbar the greatest college basketball player ever. He kept the centre position like no one else.

2. NBA

In 1979 at the age of 22, Abdul-Jabbar was drafted into the NBA as the first overall pick, by the Milwaukee Bucks.

His first Season at the Bucks was a great success. He scored an average of 28 points per game and 14.5 rebounds.

This earned him the rookie of the year title. Other titles won during his stay with the Bucks include the Most Valuable Player title which he won thrice and the first person in NBA to win the MVP title in two consecutive years.

In 1971, the Bucks won the championship. That same year, he was named the top scorer and that was the same year he officially dropped his Christian name to adopt his now Islamic name.

Four years later, Abdul-Jabbar left the Bucks for the LA Lakers after gathering an average of 2,822 points(average of 34 points per game).

Abdul-Jabbar’s early years at the LA Lakers weren’t that Rosy. The team, despite playing well, kept being knocked out in the playoffs.

However, things took a dramatic turn in 1979 when the legendary Magic Johnson joined the team. With the combo of Magic and Jabbar, the team went on to win five championship titles.

Abdul-Jabbar’s career began to decline in his 80s. He had sight issues and even had to do yoga to keep fit.

Nonetheless, he was named the MVP for the finals series against the Celtics in 1985. At that time, he was aged 38 years and 54 days, becoming the oldest player to achieve such a feat.

In 1989 at 42 and with a total of 20 seasons played, Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement from professional basketball at the end of the season. At his time of retirement, he held the record for the most games played by a single player.

At the time of his retirement, NBA stats show that Kareem had a total of 38,387 points in 1,560 games played. His stats show 24.6ppg, 11.2rpg and 3.6apg

Awards：

• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1995
• 6-time NBA champion, 1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988
• 10 NBA Finals appearances, 1971, 1974, 1980, 1982–1985, 1987–1989
• 19-time NBA All-Star, 1970–1977, 1979–1989
• 2-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player: 1971, 1985

15-time All-NBA selection:

• First Team: 1971–1974, 1976–1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986
• Second Team: 1970, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985
• 11-time All-Defensive selection:
• First Team: 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981
• Second Team: 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1984

NBA All-Rookie selection:

• First Team: 1970
• NBA Rookie of the Year, 1970
• 6-time The Sporting News Most Valuable Player, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980
• Ranked #7 by SLAM Magazine’s Top 50 Players of All-time
• Selected in 1996 as one of the “50 Greatest Players in NBA History”
• Selected in 1996 as a member of one of the “Top 10 Teams in NBA History”
• 1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers
• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, 2007
• Three-time NCAA champion, 1967, 1968, and 1969
• Most Outstanding Player in NCAA Tournament 1967, 1968, 1969

3. A Career In Writing and Entertainment

Aside from his exceptional basketball career, Abdul-Jabbar has also succeeded as a writer with multiple New York Times bestsellers. Some of his notable works include “Black Profiles of Courage,” “Kareem,” “Giant Steps,” “Brothers in Arms,” “A Season on the Reservation,” and “On the Shoulders of Giants,” which was adapted into a documentary film.

Abdul-Jabbar has also made numerous appearances on films and television shows such as”Scrubs,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and “The Colbert Report,” always portraying himself.

He has even contributed his writing talent to the show Veronica Mars. He has also appeared in Bruce Lee’s Game of Death and Airplane.

4. Coaching Career

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar believed coaching would be his next step after retiring, but fame hindered any opportunities. Despite being known as a quiet person, who rarely spoke to the media and was rumored to be an introvert, Abdul-Jabbar was able to contribute to coaching as an assistant coach for the Seattle Supersonics and Los Angeles Clippers.

He also served as head coach for the now-defunct Oklahoma Storm and led them to a championship. However, he hoped to become head coach at Columbia University, but that didn’t happen.

Abdul-Jabbar then became a scout for the New York Knicks and later worked as an assistant coach for the Lakers between 2005-2011.

3 Key Factors to Success From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Life Lessons)

Let’s delve into the insightful lessons we can gain from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s experiences.

1. Teamwork is Vital

To achieve success in any aspect of life, it is crucial to possess the ability to collaborate effectively within a team. Equally significant is the capability to function harmoniously as a cohesive unit. Even when you possess exceptional talent like Kareem, it is imperative to have strong leadership skills when surrounded by admirers.

2. A Career Is Never As Important As A Family

Being skilled at your job brings both financial and personal fulfillment. Your expertise in solving work-related problems earns you recognition and compensation.

However, the chaos of family life offers a different kind of challenge with less structure and reward. Young professionals often prioritize work over family, claiming they do it for their loved ones.

But this is a false excuse. Embracing the chaos and finding joy in the small victories of family life is crucial.

Abdul-Jabbar learned this lesson after a particularly memorable game against the Celtics, where he basked in the glory of the win and the crowd cheers. But as soon as he returned home and his son greeted him, all of that faded into the background.

3. Take Your Time To Judge

Judging others is an instinct rooted in our ancient need to assess potential threats. However, people often misjudge, especially celebrities.

By doing so, we miss out on getting to know great people. The satisfaction of judging others is temporary, but the regret for being mean-spirited is long-lasting.

Personal Life

After Kareem Abdul-Jabbar converted to Islam in 1971, he changed his name from Alcindor. His new name was given to him by Hamas, Abdul Khaalis, which means “the noble one, servant of the Almighty.”

He met his wife, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, at a Lakers game while he was in his senior year at UCLA. They married in 1971 and had three children, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr., who played basketball at Western Kentucky.

In 1978, Kareem divorced Habiba and had two other sons with Cheryl Pistono. In 2009, Kareem announced he had been diagnosed with cancer of the blood and bone marrow but stated it could be managed with oral medications, and he didn’t believe it would stop him from living an everyday life.

How Does Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Spend His Money?

The LA Lakers legend spends his money on a couple of things. Some of the things he spends money on include;

1. House and Cars

Kareem owned a beautiful home on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The house was built especially for him on 3 acres of land.

The house is 5,912 square feet, large enough to accommodate the 7′ 1″ tall star.

In 2013, Kareem put up the house for sale for $5.9 million and in 2015, he sold it for 4.8 million.

The NBA Hall of Famer currently lives in a $1.5 million mansion in LA. The house has three bedrooms, a library, a piano, a living room and a chef’s kitchen.

Kareem also boasts of a collection of cars. The actual number of cars he owns is uncertain but the few outstanding ones include a 1948 Packard Super 8 convertible ($55,000), a Volkswagen Atlas SUV ($40,000) and a Mercedes Sedan.

2. Vacation

The former Bucks legend enjoys some time off as much as he enjoys playing basketball. He takes a vacation now and then.

The most recent one was in 2022 when he linked up with his former teammates at the Maui Hawaii beach. The players included James Worthy, Michael Cooper, A.C. Green and Byron Scott. Their head coach, Pat Riley was also there.

3. Charity

Abdul-Jabbar is also a practising Muslim who understands the importance of charity. He has been a part of many fundraising events for charity.

The six-time NBA champion is the owner of Skyhook Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides books, films and educational materials to children.

Summary

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar boasts multiple talents. His basketball skills have earned him recognition as one of the all-time great NBA players, having set and shattered records.

Additionally, Abdul-Jabbar excels as an actor and entrepreneur. Abdul-Jabbar has also written books, including Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. It is said that after 33 years, he will reunite with Showtime Lakers in Hawaii.

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