Young Abdul-Jabbar faced a tough decision between two women for a life partner. Still, ultimately, his mentor’s choice led him to marry Habiba Abdul-Jabbar despite complications at their wedding.
LeBron James has just broken the record for most regular-season minutes played in NBA history, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Highlights
- A young Abdul-Jabbar found himself conflicted between two women and wasn’t sure which to choose as his partner.
- The mentor’s choice didn’t match Abdul-Jabbar’s preference, as he went for Habiba Abdul-Jabbar.
- Habiba’s Catholic parents were not allowed into the mosque for the ceremony because of their religion.
After playing 34 minutes in the Lakers’ game against Sacramento on December 19, LeBron’s total reached 57,471 minutes, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 57,446 minutes, set when he retired after the 1988-1989 season.
Well, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA Team selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team pick.
He won six NBA championships as a player and two more as an assistant coach.
Many basketball legends like Pat Riley, Isiah Thomas, and Julius Erving have called him the greatest player ever.
Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s First Wife Converted To Islam To Marry Him
Over time, the 7’2″ Hall of Famer has evolved dramatically, both in his mindset and spirituality, far from the young basketball sensation growing up in Harlem.
At the age of 24, after converting to Islam, a young Abdul-Jabbar found himself conflicted between two women and wasn’t sure which one to choose as his partner.
He sought guidance and turned to his Islamic mentor, Hamaas Abdul-Khaalis, for advice.
In an unusual move, he gave his mentor the authority to choose his wife for him.
However, the mentor’s choice didn’t match Abdul-Jabbar’s preference, as he went for Habiba Abdul-Jabbar.
Habiba, born Janice Brown, was a Christian before meeting Kareem.
She converted to Islam because of him and took the name Habiba after her conversion.
The couple is said to have started their relationship while she was in college.
Habiba Abdul-Jabbar Parents Weren’t Allowed To Attend Their Daughter’s Wedding With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem and Habiba married on May 28, 1971, but their wedding didn’t go smoothly.
Habiba’s Catholic parents were not allowed into the mosque for the ceremony because of their religion.
At that time, Kareem had just converted to Islam and didn’t know about the situation until after the wedding.
Habiba’s parents were understandably upset, especially since they had traveled from New York to Washington, D.C., to see their daughter get married.
This caused tension in their marriage, and Kareem tried to make up for it by often mentioning “Moms and Pops in New York” during national TV appearances.
Another major issue in their marriage was Kareem’s health. He began suffering from migraines, partly due to the stress caused by turmoil in the Muslim community.
He lost close family members and friends when a rival group attacked his mentor’s family.
Kareem himself was also targeted but managed to avoid harm. In 1977, the Jewish Defense League threatened his life after his mentor’s group took hostages in a revenge attack.
By 1973, Kareem and Habiba were no longer living together, though they still had children until 1979.
During this period, Kareem started a relationship with Cheryl Pistono, who strongly influenced him.
After seven years of marriage, the former all-time leading scorer, Abdul-Jabbar, divorced his wife, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar.
During their time together, the couple had three children: Habiba Alcindor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr., and Sultana Abdul-Jabbar.
Their relationship had been troubled for much of their marriage, and they eventually separated in 1973. However, their divorce wasn’t finalized until 1978.
Additional Information
- He was born in Harlem, New York City, to Cora Lillian, a department store price checker, and Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr., a transit police officer and jazz musician.
- He grew up in the Dyckman Street projects in the Inwood area of Upper Manhattan, moving there with his family at 3 in 1950.
- Even as a child, he was extremely tall—by age nine, he was already 5 feet 8 inches tall.
