In early February 2023, King James dethroned Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBAs all-time leading scorer, ending Kareem’s four-decade reign. Kareem wrote on his substack that he was happy that Lebron won and that he’d held the record for so long. The Lakers legend wrote that his priority social activism, writing, and family, especially his three grandkids:
“If I had a choice of having my scoring record remain intact for another hundred years or spend one afternoon with my grandchidren, I’d be on the floor in seconds stacking Legos and eating Uncrustables.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not married and has five children from previous relationships
Kareem is not married or dating. As far as we can tell, the 75-year-old NBA legend is single.
He has five children from three previous relationships. In 1971, Kareem met Janice, who converted to Islam, adopting the name Habiba. The decision impacted her relationship with her Christian parents but brought her closer to Kareem, who’d also converted to Islam.
The couple’s first child, Habiba Alcindor, arrived in May 1972. The pair later welcomed Kareem Jr. and Sultana. They separated in 1973 and had an on-and-off relationship until their divorce in 1978. Kareem and his ex-wife remained close, raising their children into adulthood.
Kareem divorced Habiba due to Cheryl Pistono’s influence. The couple met in 1977, two months before the start of the 1977-78 season. Pistono told Sports Illustrated that he had no interest in Kareem, but his persistence wore her down. She said:
“He expected me to fall all over him. Women always had, but one day he brought me a rose from his garden. He was serious as hell! I thought, oh, I’ve got to get this person to laugh. All I could think of was to not hurt him.”
Kareem said Pistono had a greater sway on his decisions than his teammates, teachers, and coaches. In 1984, the couple welcomed a son named Amir, who became an orthopedic surgeon, helping Kareem overcome his chronic myeloid leukemia diagnosis. Pistono and Kareem split in 1985.
Kareem welcomed Adam Abdul-Jabbar with his then-girlfriend Julie Olds. Julie and Kareem broke up after Adam’s birth. The Orange County Register reports that Adams spent time in jail in 2021 on three counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Kareem has yet to marry again since his divorce from Habiba.