Who is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a former American professional basketball player. He is popularly known for being a six-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 19-time NBA All-Star. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is often considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. on April 19, 1947, in Harlem, New York City, New York, the United States. He was originally famous as Lew Alcindor but changed his name upon converting to Islam. As of August 2022, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is 75 years old.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s parents
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s parents are Cora Lillian (mother) and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr (father). He is the only child of his parents. His mother, Cora Lillian was a department store price checker while his father, Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr. was a transit police officer and a jazz musician. Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr. was born on October 9, 1919, and he passed away on December 9, 2005, at the age of 86. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s mother, Cora Lillian, is also late. She died in 1997 at the age of 79 after a long battle with an undisclosed illness.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s siblings
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar does not have any siblings as he is the only child of his parents.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s marriage and wedding
As of the time of publishing this article, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been married and divorced once. Abdul-Jabbar and his ex-wife Habiba Abdul-Jabbar got married in 1971 and divorced in 1977. The NBA star later started dating Cheryl Pistono.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s girlfriends
List of women Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has dated:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar married Habiba Abdul-Jabbar in 1971.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dated Cheryl Pistono in 1979.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dated Pam Grier in 1971.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had an encounter with Heather Hunter. The time of their affair is not known.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Habiba Abdul-Jabbar’s marriage
Habiba Abdul-Jabbar was born Janice Brown in New York to Catholic parents. She was formerly a Christian but converted to the Islamic faith upon her marriage to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Following her marriage to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Janice Brown changed her name to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar.
Habiba Abdul-Jabbar is an American fashion designer. She got married to NBA superstar, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on May 28, 1971. During their marriage, Kareem and Habiba Abdul-Jabbar had three children. Abdul-Jabbar and Habiba were said to have met in college.
Habiba Abdul-Jabbar’s marriage to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a very rough beginning. Despite converting to her husband’s faith, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar’s parents were not allowed to enter the mosque where this daughter’s marriage ceremony was taking place due to their Catholic faith. As a result, they were understandably upset. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reportedly felt terrible about the incident. At that time, he was a newly converted Muslim and was unaware that his in-laws had not been granted entry into the mosque. This caused a rift between Kareem and his wife’s parents. According to reports, the parties later reconciled albeit after a long time. To appreciate them, Abdul-Jabbar would make sure to say, “Hi to Moms and Pops in New York” whenever he was on camera.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Habiba reportedly separated in December 1973. However, they continued to have children together despite their separation. They were officially divorced by 1977. Despite their separation, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar gave birth to Kareem’s second daughter, Sultana Abdul-Jabbar, in 1979. Habiba Abdul-Jabbar later went on to marry a man called Herbert and they have a son called Sean.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Cheryl Pistono’s relationship
Cheryl Pistono is originally from LaSalle, Illinois. However, she left her family when she was just sixteen years old. She later turned to Buddhism and then met Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1977. At first, Cheryl did not know who Abdul-Jabbar was.
She said:
“I had no interest in him because I never liked the people who were into the sports mentality, and despite everything else, he obviously was. He expected me to fall over him. Women always had . . . all I could think of was to not hurt him.”
During their relationship, Abdul-Jabbar was vocal about how Pistono had a huge positive impact on his life. They were together until 1984 and they have a son called Amir together. After splitting from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Cheryl Pistono married Steven Jenkins and they have a child together. However, Pistono and Abdul-Jabbar seem to have maintained a good relationship.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s children
As of August 2022, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a total of five children. Three of his children are from his first marriage to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar (born Janice Brown). One is from his relationship with Cheryl Pistono and he has another son whose mother is currently unknown.
List of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s children
- Habiba Alcindor
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr.
- Sultana Abdul-Jabbar
- Amir Abdul-Jabbar
- Adam Abdul-Jabbar
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s children
a. Habiba Alcindor
Habiba Alcindor (born Habiba Abdul-Jabbar) was born on May 15, 1972, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his ex-wife Habiba Abdul-Jabbar. She is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s first child. Habiba Alcindor currently works as a media specialist, director and screenwriter for the Los Angeles Lakers-based series, “Gold Rush.” She is currently 50 years old.
b. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr. was born on August 23, 1976, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Habiba Abdul-Jabbar in Los Angeles, California, the United States. He is an American actor and basketball player. He is currently 46 years old.
c. Sultana Abdul-Jabbar
Sultana Abdul-Jabbar was born to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Habiba Abdul-Jabbar in April 1979. She is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s second daughter and youngest child from his marriage to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar. She is currently 43 years old.
d. Amir Abdul-Jabbar
Amir Abdul-Jabbar was born in 1981 to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Pistono. As of 2022, he is 41 years old. Amir is now an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in the Swedish method of neurosurgery. Amir Abdul-Jabbar received his M. D. from the University of California at San Francisco in 2012.
e. Adam Abdul-Jabbar
Adam Abdul-Jabbar was born in 1992 to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a lady reportedly known as Julye Olds. In 2021, he was sentenced to six months in prison after stabbing his neighbour with a hunting knife. Adam Abdul-Jabbar was convicted after pleading guilty to three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a knife or dagger and inflicting serious harm on the victim. The victim suffered a skull fracture after being stabbed in the back of his head. Adam Abdul-Jabbar is currently 30 years old.
