Does Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have a wife? Looking at the LA Lakers legend's relationship history through the years
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is best known for being the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, but not many know much about his personal life, particularly his wife.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s wife, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, was originally born Janice Brown in New York, US. Habiba was born to Christian parents, but her birthdate is unconfirmed. Kareem and Habiba were said to have met in college.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s wife later converted to Islam when she and Kareem got married. This is when she changed her name to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar. The two got married on May 28th, 1971. Habiba was a fashion designer at the time while Kareem was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Their marriage got off to a rocky start though as Kareem was talked into getting married to Habiba by his religious leader even though he had feelings for another woman. It was also claimed that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s wife’s parents were not allowed to attend their wedding because they were not Muslims.
The wedding was held at a mosque and since her parents were Christians, they could not even enter the mosque. This caused a strong grudge between Habiba's parents and Kareem. Habiba’s parents had even traveled all the way from New York to Washington to attend the wedding. However, Kareem and Habiba’s parents were eventually able to resolve their issues.
Kareem and Habiba would go on to have three children during their time together named Habiba, Sultana, and Kareem Jr. Unfortunately, their relationship did not last very long.
Why did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s wife separate from him?
Despite still being married, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s wife lived separately from Kareem just two years after their marriage, starting in 1973. Habiba was still pregnant with their second child at the time and had one more child with him after that. However, she eventually divorced him in 1978 after just seven years of marriage.
Potential reasons that have been speculated for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s wife divorcing him include her not liking the company that Kareem kept. This involves his alleged involvement with gangs. It also includes Kareem’s involvement with another woman, Cheryl Pistono, who he later had a son named Amir with.
Cheryl Pistono and Kareem later got engaged to each other as well but didn’t ever get married and eventually broke up. As of today, Kareem is not remarried.
Despite Abdul-Jabbar’s wife separating from him, they have reportedly always kept in touch with each other. Together, they have successfully raised their children who are all now grown up. Their first daughter, Habiba, is reportedly a journalist. Meanwhile, their son, Kareem Jr., followed in his father’s footsteps as a basketball player.