Kareem Abdul Jabbar is one of the best basketball players of all time. By the time he retired in 1989, he was the highest-scoring player in the league with 38, 387 points. He lost the record in 2022 after LeBron James surpassed him.
Nonetheless, he played for 21 seasons, during which he made a substantial amount of money. He’s since evolved and created other streams of income. How much is Kareem Abdul Jabbar worth now?
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Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s Career Earnings
Kareem only played for two teams during his illustrious NBA career. He was drafted as the number pick in 1969 by the Milwaukee Bucks and played for them for six years. Later, he then joined the Los Angeles Lakers, whom he represented for the rest of his career (1975 to 1989). He won his first National Basketball Association (NBA) ring with the Bucks and the other five with the Lakers.
Kareem played at a time when players didn’t receive contracts and NBA salaries weren’t announced publicly. That said, NBA players today are paid way more than did during Kareem’s time. Four years after he retired, Kareem’s earnings were made public. The center was paid over $8.5 million in his four years with the Lakers.
By today’s standards, that’s a small amount, but at the time, he was one of the highest-paid basketballers in the league.
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Coaching Career
Kareem took up coaching after his career in basketball. He coached in the now-defunct United States Basketball League (USBL). He also worked as an assistant coach for the Seattle Supersonics and the Los Angeles Clippers. Again, his pay wasn’t disclosed.
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Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s Film Career
Before he left basketball, Kareem tried his hand at acting. He debuted in a Bruce Lee film, Game of Death. His next was Airplane, and then he went on and appeared in other films like:
- Troop Beverly Hills
- Forget Paris
- Full House
- Living Single
- Different Strokes
- 21 Jump Street
- New Girl
- Man From Atlantis!
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- In Living Colour
His earnings in these films remain undisclosed.
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Other Works by Kareem Abdul Jabbar
The former basketball player has engaged in numerous things. He’s written a couple of books:
- Giant Steps. An Autobiography of Kareem Abdul Jabbar
- Kareem, with Mignon McCarthy
- Becoming Kareem
- On The Shoulders With Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance
- A Season on the Reservation: My Sojourn with the White Mountain Apaches
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointed Jabbar was nominated as the cultural ambassador for the United States.
Barack Obama appointed him to the President’s Council of Fitness, Sport, and Nutrition.
What does this mean for his net worth? As of 2023, Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s net worth is estimated at $25 million. His works in media as a columnist, author, and narrator have significantly contributed to this.
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Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s Endorsement Deals
In 1976, Kareem was the first basketball player to land an endorsement deal with sportswear brand Adidas. It was worth $25 000. His other deals include brands like AT&T, Nestle, and NBA2K. His total earnings from these deals are estimated to be $2 million.
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Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s House
Kareem Abdul Jabbar has a fine taste when it comes to real estate. Currently, he’s thought to live in Manhattan. At least, that’s what Google Search suggests. That said, he’s owned insanely beautiful properties.
He had a mansion in Hawaii that he sold for $5.9 million. The house featured three bedrooms, a 50-foot pool, high ceilings and hardwood floors, and an irresistible view.
In 2016, Jabbar sold his house in Marina Bay, California, for $2.9 million. The house consists of private gardening, mahogany floors, a library, and a master suite, among other features.
Kareem has done well for himself. Even before he retired, he opened doors for many other opportunities, enabling him to have a bigger net worth than he did previously. He is an excellent example for the current players to develop more skills and use their platforms wisely.
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