One of the greatest basketball players of all time is still Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Although he has enjoyed popularity while playing, few people are familiar with his personal life.
It was a true joy to witness the six-time NBA champion play. He was a vital component of the Showtime Lakers, who won five championships with his assistance.
He rose to become the league’s all-time leading scorer throughout the course of his 20-year career. LeBron James is getting closer to breaking the record, which has stood since 1989, and may do so before the 2022–23 NBA season is over.
If LeBron James exceeds Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time NBA scoring chart, Abdul-Jabbar claims LeBron deserves “any and all accolades.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s wife Habiba Abdul-Jabbar
Prior to meeting Kareem, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, whose maiden name is Janice Brown, was a devout Christian. Because of the NBA legend, she decided to convert to Islam, and after doing so, she was given the name Habiba. She was supposedly in college when the couple first started dating.
She has succeeded in maintaining a low profile over the years, although it has been challenging because of her relationship with Kareem. Little is known about Habiba other than the fact that she is the NBA player’s wife.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar divorces his wife
Kareem struggled to adjust to family life after getting married, which was the main reason for their divorce. They were separated in 1973, even though the divorce was formalized in 1978.
On May 28, 1971, Kareem and Habiba were united in marriage. Their union did not begin happily since Habiba’s parents’ Catholic faith prevented them from attending the wedding ceremony at the mosque.
Kareem was a recent convert to Islam at the time, and it is said that he was unaware of what had taken place until after the ritual. Habiba’s parents were naturally furious because they had come all the way from New York to Washington, D.C., just to see their daughter’s wedding.
Early in the marriage, the circumstance led to a schism, and Kareem spent years attempting to mend it. Every time he went on national television, he made sure to give a shout-out to “Moms and Pops in New York.”
Kareem’s migraines, which he suffered as a result of unrest in the Muslim community, were a significant contributing factor in their divorce. In a rival attack, he lost a friend and six family members of his tutor Khalifa Hamaas Abdul Khaalis.
The legendary LA Lakers player was also a target, but he managed to evade capture. After Khaalis and his Hanafi organization exacted retribution by kidnapping 132 individuals and held them captive for 38 hours in 1977, the Jewish Defense League also put his life in danger.
Even though they kept having children until 1979, Kareem has not lived with his wife since 1973. He apparently had Cheryl Pistono’s ear more than any of his professors or acquaintances at the time he began dating her. She allegedly persuaded him to divorce Habiba, and the breakup became final in 1978.