What was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's ex-wife's birth name and why did she change it to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was married to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar from 1971 to 1978. The couple met at a LA Lakers game when Kareem was still playing for UCLA as Lew Alcindor and she was known as Janice Brown.

When Kareem converted to Islam in 1971, her wife did the same despite being born in a Catholic household. They had three children together, daughters Habiba and Sultana, and son Kareem Jr.

The couple divorced in 1978, with Kareem fathering two more sons after his first marriage. He had son named Amir with Cheryl Pistono, and another one named Adam, who appeared in an episode on the television show Full House. Adam was arrested in a stabbing incident in 2021 and was sentenced to six months in prison.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar met Habiba Abdul-Jabbar through his friend Cliff Anderson. Habiba was still in high school back then and was actually dating Anderson. But when the two broke up, Kareem swooped in and invited her to watch him play at UCLA.

"I invited her to come see UCLA play and she said okay," Kareem revealed in an interview (h/t Buzz Nigeria). "I started calling her and we began going out."

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watched LeBron James break his record

LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was present at Crypto.com Arena when LeBron James broke his scoring record on Tuesday night. James hit a fadeaway jumpshot to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar, who has held the record since 1984.

Abdul-Jabbar was caught on camera looking a little down during the game as James inched into his record. The two legends of the game might not have the best relationship, but they came together when the record was broken in the final seconds of the third quarter.

The game was paused to give James a standing ovation and a video tribute. Abdul-Jabbar joined him on center court and congratulated the man who broke his longtime record.

James and Abdul-Jabbar have had a contentious relationship. Abdul-Jabbar has criticized James several times for his on-court celebrations and off-court decisions. Nevertheless, it was great to see the two legends hug it out in the end despite their differences.