Kareem Abdul-Jabbar donated his NBA legacy for $2.8 million and donated it all to children in need

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, an award-winning former basketball player, is a beautiful human being. In 2019, he proved that nothing else matters over humanity when the NBA champion decided to sell his four championship rings, three MVP awards, and other memorabilia for $2.8 million. But what's more interesting is that Abdul-Jabbar didn't spend any of that money on himself; rather, he used it to help support a youth education program, Fadeaway World reported in 2023.

While the whole world has always praised Abdul-Jabbar for the selfless act, he refuses to take any credit. In fact, he said it was a very simple choice that he made between saving something materialistic and helping the youth. "When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple. Sell it all," Abdul-Jabbar said, speaking on his decision to auction off his valuables. He said every time he looks back on his life, he realizes materialistic things don't motivate him; rather, it's the people who make him happy. "That's a history that has no price," Abdul-Jabbar added. The sportsman also clarified that he wasn't selling all his valuables to overcome financial burden; it was purely for the youth, he explained.

"Since my life is still happening and ever-evolving, I am less personally attached to those items than I am to my desire to create new history for myself —and futures for others. Much of the proceeds from my auction will go to support my charity, the Skyhook Foundation, whose mission is to 'give kids a shot that can't be blocked,'" he added. The six-time NBA champion said his inspiration for doing it was to let underprivileged kids spend five days at Angeles National Forest to learn the basics of science, technology, and engineering. This wasn't the first time Abdul-Jabbar had done something so inspirational. The 78-year-old athlete has always openly supported causes that need public attention. From standing up to discrimination against women, Native Americans, the LGBTQ+ community, and religious intolerance to raising his unapologetic political opinions, Abdul-Jabbar has never shied away from saying what's right. Notably, he had once donated 900 pairs of safety goggles to UCLA Health amid the coronavirus pandemic. "I want to thank the doctors and nurses at UCLA for all that they are doing. You guys are awesome, risking your lives to help the public," he said in a video message recorded for UCLA Health's website.

Meanwhile, reacting to Abdul-Jabbar's beautiful gesture, u/ttcole1997 commented, "You are a hero on and off the basketball court and a wonderful human being. Thank you for being an example of what most should strive to be." Similarly, u/jmgbklyn wrote, "This is a prime example of what a human being can be. We need more like him, and others — myself included — should try to be more like him each day." u/intelligent_hair3109 wrote, "I was privileged to meet him. Late eighties or early 1990s. He had a book come out. Such a gracious, kind, lovely human. All of the employees got to meet him. Gentle Giant. Living his life to do good — that's a hero."

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