The legacy of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continues through his children: Habiba Jr., Kareem Jr., Sultana, Amir, and Adam. In the 1970s, the Hall of Famer and his then-wife Habiba Sr. welcomed three children: Habiba Jr., Kareem Jr., and Sultana.
During this time, their father was excelling in his basketball career, often away from home. Following in his father’s footsteps, Kareem Jr. pursued basketball in college.
After Kareem Sr. divorced Habiba Sr., he entered a relationship with Cheryl Pistono, with whom he had his son, Amir. Later, after his breakup with Pistono, he dated Julye Olds, and they had another son, Adam.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar instilled important values in his children, emphasizing education and following their instincts throughout their lives
Kareem Sr. has frequently shared the key lessons he aimed to instill in his children.
“The very first thing [I told them] is be educated,” he expressed in a 2012 interview with the Harvard Business Review. “My youngest is in college now, and the other four all have their degrees. And then I’ve just told them to follow their hearts, their instincts.”
Here’s a closer look at the lives of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s children: Habiba Jr., Kareem Jr., Sultana, Amir, and Adam.
Habiba Alcindor, 52, is the firstborn child of Kareem Sr. and Habiba Sr., having been born on May 15, 1972. Named after her mother, she changed her last name from Abdul-Jabbar to Alcindor to honor her heritage.
In a 2022 interview with Bjorn Pink, Habiba Jr. shared how her father’s focus on basketball meant he was often absent during her childhood. Although she is the daughter of a famous athlete, she prefers to downplay his identity to forge her own path.
“I’m so used to downplaying who my dad is … I guess a lot of people will know me for a long time before knowing who my dad is,” she reflected, noting that she and her siblings have inherited their father’s “mysterious and enigmatic” nature.
Her website describes her as a “writer, producer, dramatist, director, and social justice activist.” She has contributed to several media outlets, including the Huffington Post and The Nation.
In 2018, she made her debut as a director and producer with the short film Gold Rush, which draws inspiration from her family’s experiences, focusing on a fictional NBA player and his children.
The premiere in Los Angeles was attended by her parents and siblings, with her mother organizing the event and her father giving the film a positive review, which she deemed a success.
During her interview with Pink, Habiba Jr. mentioned that she is working on developing Gold Rush into a series. Since April 2022, she has served as an executive assistant at the nonprofit Children’s Aid, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr., now 48, was born on August 23, 1976.
In the mid-1990s, he followed his father’s example and played college basketball at both Valparaiso University and Western Kentucky University. After college, he played for the L.A. Stars in the American Basketball Association and participated in the Lakers’ Summer League in 2003.
Transitioning into acting, Kareem Jr. appeared in shows such as Nick Cannon Presents: Short Circuitz and Half & Half, even portraying his father in a 2008 episode of The Sarah Silverman Program.
Sultana Abdul-Jabbar, 45, is the couple’s third child, born in April 1979. After her parents’ divorce, she lived with her mother and two older siblings. While she generally stays out of the public eye, she has made occasional appearances to support her father.
In 2014, she was seen courtside at an L.A. Lakers game alongside her father and Zac Efron, and she has also been featured on her sister’s blog. Amir Abdul-Jabbar, the son of Kareem Sr. and his former girlfriend Pistono, has established a successful medical career.
He earned his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, in 2012, and after completing his residency at Louisiana State University in 2017, he became an orthopedic and spinal surgeon in Issaquah, Washington, working with Swedish Health Services.
When Kareem Sr. was diagnosed with leukemia in 2008, Amir, then a third-year medical student, was invaluable in helping his father understand the treatment process.
“He was a real great source for me … being a doctor, he understood what was happening and gave me a realistic viewpoint on it,” Kareem Sr. shared with PEOPLE at the time. Amir enjoys activities such as cycling, yoga, and camping when he isn’t working, as noted on his bio with Providence.org.
Lastly, Adam Abdul-Jabbar, born on September 24, 1991, is the youngest of Kareem Sr.’s children. His parents named him after Adam Clayton Powell, the first Black American elected to Congress from New York. Adam has made public appearances alongside his father, such as on Full House in 1995 and competing with him on Celebrity Family Feud in 2017.
However, in 2021, Adam faced legal issues and was sentenced to 180 days in jail after pleading guilty to stabbing a neighbor during a dispute over trash cans, which left the victim with serious injuries. His charges included three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of carrying a dirk or dagger.
