Kareem Abdul-Jabbar raised $2.8 million to help a youth education program in 2019.
During his playing days, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an absolute force to be reckoned with. There were hardly any players better than him in his position in the NBA at the time.
Kareem won six MVP awards in his career, which obviously puts him at tier one in our MVP award winners rankings. Apart from that, Abdul-Jabbar also won six NBA Championships.
But above all that, Kareem always made a name for himself with his off-the-court work.
Back in 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers legend proved that once again when he sold his four NBA rings, three MVP awards, and other memorabilia to raise $2.8 million for a youth education program.
“When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room, or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple,” Kareem said, as per ESPN. “Sell it all. Looking back on what I have done with my life, instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating celebrating something I did a long time ago, I’d rather look into the delighted face of a child holding their first caterpillar and think about what I might be doing for their future. That’s a history that has no price”
Abdul-Jabbar further explained that he is on a solid financial path in his life, and over the years, has grown less attached to those items.
“Since my life is still happening and ever-evolving, I am less personally attached to those items than I am to my desire to create new history for myself — and futures for others,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “Much of the proceeds from my auction will go to support my charity, the Skyhook Foundation, whose mission is to ‘give kids a shot that can’t be blocked.'”
The motivation behind Kareem’s gesture was to make sure that the economically challenged children from certain schools could spend five days in the Angeles National Forest.
It is one of those things that will go down in the biography of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He will forever be known as an NBA champion, civil rights activist, and the master of the unstoppable sky-hook.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Greatest Achievements In The NBA
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will turn 76 years old this year. He may have retired from the NBA for a long time, but his achievements in the league will be forever remembered by the fans. Speaking of which, let’s take a look at what Kareem won in the NBA:
– 6x NBA Championships
– 6x NBA MVPs
– 2x NBA Finals MVPs
– 2x Scoring Champion
– 4x Block Champion
– 1969-70 Rookie Of The Year
– 1975-76 Rebounds Champion
– 15x All-NBA
– 11x All-Defensive
– 19x NBA All-Star
Combining these achievements in the league, it was no surprise that Kareem was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as well. As of now, Kareem has made the occasional appearance on NBA shows to talk about basketball. Otherwise, he revealed his feelings through his writing.
Credit: MSN.com