NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will sell much of his memorabilia at auction and give much of the proceeds to charity. Abdul-Jabbar, a civil rights icon in addition to being the leading scorer in NBA history, is constantly reinventing himself. He’s a social commentator and a prolific writer for The Hollywood Reporter, as well as being the author of multiple books — including detective mysteries. Recently taking a look at his trophy case, the superstar gazed at the “sparkle of jewels” and made a decision to sell it, “sell it all.”
[Becoming Kareem]
“The choice is pretty simple,” Abdul-Jabbar writes on his blog. “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.” Abdul-Jabbar’s foundation contributes to educating young chirldern, especially in the STEM category: science, tech, engineering and math.
[The Abdul-Jabbar memorabilia auction is being held here.]
The 19-time NBA All-Star added: “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. 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 auction will include four championship rings and a pair of Abdul-Jabbar’s famous goggles, too. The auction has already drawn bids of over $90,000 for championship rings with the entire lot expected to easily exceed $1 million.
