Bucks and Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2019 taught the world that true success is not measured by material possessions when he auctioned four of his championship rings and three MVP trophies to support youth education.
The money raised from the auction of the rings and other memorabilia went to his Skyhook Foundation, which supports young people interested in STEM fields.
According to ESPN some of the championship rings had initial prices of $60,000. Trophies and jerseys from previous games were also for sale to the highest bidder.
“It’s quite easy to make the decision to give kids the chance to transform their lives rather than stashing a championship ring or trophy in a room. Sell it all,” Jabbar declared.
The NBA legend continued, “I’d rather look into the happy face of a child holding their first caterpillar and consider what I might be doing for their future than to stare at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating celebrating something I did a long time ago.”
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“I am less personally attached to those items than I am to my desire to create a new history for myself and futures for others because my life is still happening and ever-evolving,” Jabbar remarked.
“A large portion of the money raised from my auction will go toward the Skyhook Foundation, my charity, whose goal is to give kids a shot that can’t be blocked. We accomplish this by taking students from schools that face financial difficulties to the Angeles National Forest, where they spend five days taking in the natural beauty and learning the fundamentals of science, technology, and engineering.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks.