Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced that he is auctioning off four of his five championship rings that he won during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Abdul-Jabbar will sell his rings from 1980, 1985, 1987 and 1988 in an effort to raise more money for his foundation.
As reported by Tania Ganguli of the LA Times, Abdul-Jabbar spoke to the crowd about his fundraising desires:
“'One of the reasons I’m here is to mention my auction,' Abdul-Jabbar said after a news conference announcing this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame finalists. ‘I have a charity where we send kids to camp to learn about STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Math]. I’m gonna auction off all my stuff.'”
Each ring has a minimum bid of $60,000 in the auction, which also includes other memorabilia such as practice jerseys and All-Star rings.
Abdul-Jabbar played his first six NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, winning a title in the 1970-71 season and winning the MVP under his old name of Lew Alcindor.
After being traded to the Lakers in 1975, Abdul-Jabbar teamed up with then-rookie point guard Magic Johnson to win his second championship in 1980.
The Lakers would go on to win three more titles in the decade, with Abdul-Jabbar retiring after the 1989-89 season.
Kareem revolutionized the game with an unstoppable sky hook. Along with the scoring record, he holds the record for most All-Star appearances (19) and Most Valuable Player awards (six).
Despite going through his own financial crisis in the 1980s, Abdul-Jabbar insisted that he is not currently experiencing financial hardship.
Rather, he hopes that the money raised in selling the items will have a more tangible impact on future generations.
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