By Terel Miles on October 12, 2022

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Net Worth 2022 – Income, Salary, Career, Bio (Updated)

Net Worth	$20 Million
Born	April 16, 1947
Age	75 Years Old
Place of Birth	Harlem, New York, United States
Profession	Professional Basketball Player, Actor, Author
Education	University of California, Los Angeles

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player who has a net worth of $20 million dollars.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career first got started with the Milwaukee Bucks when he was drafted first overall pick in the 1969 NBA Draft. Prior to the start of his NBA career, Kareem played college basketball (NCAA) for UCLA.

Sports Illustrated once described him as ”The New Superstar”, after scoring 56 points in his college debut game. In his first season, he led the team to a National Championship with a 30-0 record.

He led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) during the Los Angeles Lakers ”showtime era”, and is widely considered as one of the greatest basketball players of all time!

Table of Contents

Early Life and Education

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.) was born April 16, 1947 in Harlem, New York, United States. He is the son of Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., a transit police officer and jazz musician. His mother, Cora Lillian, was a department store price checker.

He was abnormally tall for his age growing up, and was often made fun of for his height. By nine years old, he was 5 ft 8 (1.73m), and by eighth grade he grew to an astonishing 6 ft 8 (2.03m).

He attended Power Memorial Academy, where he took great interest in the sport of basketball. It became clear that he was destined for greatness, as he began breaking high school basketball records off the bat and led his team to 3 straight championships. He earned the nickname, ”The Tower from Power.”

College Career

In 1965, Kareem made his college debut for UCLA’s varsity-freshman exhibition game. The freshman team would take the dub, thanks to Abdul-Jabbar’s electric performance clocking in 31 points and 21 rebounds.

He received national acclamation from Sports Illustrated and college basketball fans during his debut in 1966 as a sophomore. He averaged 29 points per game and led the team to a National Championship with a 30-0 undefeated record.

During his college tenure, he was a three time National Player of the Year (1967-1969), three time First-Team All-American (1967-1969), and three time NCAA Champion (1967-1969). He would be honoured as the Most Outstanding Player in three NCAA tournaments and became the first Naismith College Player of the Year (1969).

In 1968, he would participate in the ”Game of the Century”, a match between the UCLA Bruins and the Houston Cougars that was televised and watched by more than 50 thousand fans. Kareem ended up losing the game by one basket, although they would beat them during the NCAA tournament.

Below we will go into more detail about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Net Worth, career highlights and his time as a professional basketball player!

NBA Career

Kareem began his professional basketball career with the Milwaukee Bucks, drafted first overall in the 1969 NBA draft.

He would earned $1 Million USD upon entering the draft, and the Bucks placed second in the Eastern Conference with a 56-26 record.

Kareem’s first season as a professional basketball player he averaged 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game. Instantly, he became a critically acclaimed star and won NBA Rookie of the Year.

The following year, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired All-Star Oscar Robertson, leading the team to their first NBA title. Kareem led the league in total points (2,596), and was awarded league MVP and NBA Finals MVP.

In 1975, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Abdul-Jabbar, subsequently having a monster season averaging 27.7 points, 16.9 rebounds and 4.12 blocked shots. That season he earned his fourth MVP award and following up the next season with his fifth.

Turning Point

In 1979, the Lakers selected basketball legend Magic Johnson with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. This new addition would be the beginning of the Lakers ”showtime era” of the 1980’s, in which the Los Angeles Lakers appeared in 8 NBA Finals, winning 5 NBA titles.

In 1980, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 33.4 points in 5 games, before spraining his ankle. However, Magic would picked up where he left off helping to clinch their first NBA title together.

Two years later, they would win their second NBA title with Abdul-Jabbar averaging 20.4 points in 14 playoff games.

In 1985, he won his second NBA Finals MVP award, becoming the oldest person to win this award at 38 years old. During the season, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 25.7 points, 9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. This was a special season, as it ended the Boston Celtics streak of 8 straight championship wins against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would win his last two NBA titles in back to back years, defeating the Boston Celtics in 1987 and the Detroit Pistons in 1988. At the time of his retirement, he was the all-time record holder for most points (38,387), most field goals made (15,837), and most minutes played (57,446).

We will share some of Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s career highlights below!

Career Highlights

6x NBA Champion (1971,1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
2x NBA Final’s MVP (1971, 1985)
6x NBA Most Valuable Player (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Net Worth

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a variety of revenue sources. We will list some of them below…

NBA Career Earnings
NBA Coaching Earnings
Endorsements
Real Estate
Book Sales
Acting

Best Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Quotes

“You can’t win unless you learn how to lose.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“I think that the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“Fundamental preparation is always effective. Work on those parts of your game that are fundamentally weak.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“Jackie Robinson, as an athlete and as someone who was trying to make a stand for equality, he was exemplary.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“I tell kids to pursue their basketball dreams, but I tell them to not let that be their only dream.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“A lot of young players don’t really know much about the history of the game, and a lot of them are missing out on what the game is all about, especially the whole concept sportsmanship and teamwork.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Awards and Nominations:

Rookie of the Year (1970)
6× NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
6× NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)
6× Sporting News NBA MVP (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)
2× Finals MVP (1971, 1985)
Sports Illustrated Magazine’s “Sportsman of the Year” (1985)
Elected to the NBA 35th Anniversary Team
One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)
Elected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021)
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (May 15, 1995)
2× Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year (1967, 1969)
2× Oscar Robertson Trophy winner (1967, 1968)
2× UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1967, 1969)
3× Consensus first-team All-American (1967–1969)
3× NCAA champion (1967–1969)
3× NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (1967–1969)
Naismith College Player of the Year (1969)
3× First-team All-Pac-8 (1967–1969)
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2007)

Summary

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player, Actor, and Author.

Abdul-Jabbar attended Power Memorial Academy, where he took great interest in the sport of basketball. He played 20 seasons in the NBA, and went on to win 6 NBA titles, 2 NBA Finals MVPs, and 6 NBA Most Valuable Player awards.

He is widely considered as one of the greatest professional basketball players of all time, with an estimated net worth of $20 million dollars.