The youngest child of legendary basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his ex-wife, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, is Sultana Abdul-Jabbar. Her well-known father, who is currently a writer and social activist, is a constant presence in her life.
Sultana, one of the five children of Abdul-Jabbar, is a very private person. Here is all we know about her, excluding her father’s illustrious NBA career records.
- Full Name: Sultana Abdul-Jabbar
- Date of Birth: April 1979
- Age:43-year-old
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California
- Parents: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(Father), Habiba Abdul-Jabbar(Mother)
- Siblings: Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr., Amir Abdul-Jabbar, Adam Abdul-Jabbar
- Nationality: American
- Ethnicity: African-American
Things You Didn’t Know About Sultana Abdul-Jabbar
1. Who Is Sultana Abdul-Jabbar?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sultana’s illustrious father, and her mother, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, welcomed Sultana into the world in April 1979 in Los Angeles, California. She was raised in a Muslim home, which is how the 43-year-old got her Arabic name, which means “Strength or authority.”
Since her father was developing his basketball career, Habiba and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr. were the only constants in her life as a child.
2. She traces her ancestry back to the Yoruba people.
Sultana is of Yoruba ancestry, based on her family history. In an interview, her father stated that his ancestors originated as Yoruba in present-day Nigeria. Additionally, they were taken from their home during the lengthy slave trade.
Sultana’s ancestors ended up borrowing the name Alcindor from the Frenchman who served as their slave master. According to legend, this French plantation owner brought her ancestors from Trinidad to the United States.
As a result, even though her father, Kareem, later changed his name to Abdul-Jabbar after converting to Islam, the name Alcindor persisted.
3. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a senior at UCLA, his parents met.
When Sultana had excellent prospects for an NBA career, his father and mother started dating. While her father was in his senior year, they first connected at a Lakers game.
They already knew each other through a mutual friend, but Kareem went right away to ask her to a UCLA game. They grew close after she agreed, and soon after that, they began dating.
4. Before getting married, Sultana’s mother and father converted to Islam.
Her father only became a Muslim when he was 24 years old. According to the legend, he had been exposed to the religion earlier, and because he was fascinated with Malcolm X, it was simple for him to convert.
More specifically, his attachment to his black ancestry and his conclusion that the majority of African slaves were Muslims added to the focus on his past.
According to the teachings of his spiritual leader, Hamas Abdul Khaalis, the founder of the Hanafi Movement, his conversion also made marriage appealing. He chose the former after taking this new turn and rejecting the notion of converting to Islam.
He chose Sultana’s mother as his wife among other options, as suggested by Hamaas. Habiba decided to convert to her boyfriend’s faith in the process.
In general, Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, who was born Janice Brown, became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, while her mother was given the name Habiba by her Hamaas.
5. The grandparents of Sultana Abdul-Jabbar did not attend the wedding of her parents.
On May 28, 1971, by Islamic law, her parents wed after her parent’s conversion to Islam. On a happy day in the lives of her father and his wife, it is noted that her grandparents, Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Sr. and Cora Lillian, were not present.
According to some reports, Kareem’s parents were not permitted to attend the wedding because they are Christians. Yet other sources contend that Kareem’s parents were unable to attend because he was unaware that Islamic weddings took place at night.
Sultana’s father didn’t correct his mistake of having his parents miss his wedding until it was too late. According to some sources, it took him a decade to repair the relationship. Fortunately, this was completed before his father’s tragic passing in 2005 at the age of 86.
6. When her mother was still carrying her, her father divorced her.
Most people think that her parent’s marriage ended after seven years. Her mother and father had previously divorced in 1973. They were still married at the time, but they moved into separate homes and began living separately.
Then, on the advice of his then-girlfriend Cheryl Piston, her father filed for divorce in 1978. In a surprising turn of events, her mother was three months pregnant at the time the now-retired basketball player requested a divorce.
However, their divorce wasn’t legally finalized until 1983.
7. She is one of Kareem Abdul-three Jabbar’s children.
Five children were born to Kareem through various relationships. Sultana and her two siblings were the oldest three of her father’s five children. The oldest of her two children from her parents’ union is Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr.
Habiba changed her last name to that of her family, Alcindor, and is pursuing a career as an activist, writer, director, and producer. Abdul-Jabbar Jr., Sultana’s older brother, continued their father’s basketball playing career. He did, however, only perform for a short while before departing to pursue a career in acting.
Her father had other children from other relationships in addition to her and her siblings through their shared marriage.
Amir Abdul-Jabbar and Adam Abdul-Jabbar are her two younger brothers. While Adam is an actor, her younger brother Amir is an orthopedic surgeon. Adam, her brother, was 30 years old and had run-ins with the law. The most serious incident occurred in 2020 when he stabbed his neighbor for thrashing someone. He received a sentence of 180 days of house arrest and two years of probation as a result.
8. The NBA Career of Sultana Abdul-Father Jabbar Was Successful
Before retiring in 1989, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar competed in the NBA for 20 seasons. At the height of his fame, he set several records and changed some NBA regulations.
Kareem demonstrated his talent on the court throughout, from his use of goggles due to a scratched cornea to the Alcindor rule. The Alcindor rule was put in place in 1967 to lessen the dominance of players with a height advantage like Kareem. The 7-foot 2-inch center switched from dunks to perfecting a good hook shot over the following ten years.
As it stands, his exceptional play helped his last 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and 6 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. He guided the Lakers to five NBA championships during that span and won one with the Bucks.
9. Her father is an activist and writer.
The 75-year-old father of Sultana is well known for his activism and writing. After penning his autobiography Giant Steps in 1983, he continued writing books and making contributions to columns.
The illustrious basketball player is frequently contrasted with other NBA legends, including Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. His racial and religious activism has increased his appeal.
10. What is Sultana Abdul-Jabbar doing right now?
Sultana keeps a low profile, so people continue to wonder where she is. Currently, Kareem Abdul-daughter Jabbar has not disclosed any information about her romantic relationships or current activities. She might, however, be leading a fascinating life away from the lens of the camera.
Given that Sultana Abdul-Jabar is his third child from his marriage to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar, she plays a significant role in Kareem Abdul-life’s. Jabbar’s Despite her father’s incredible basketball-playing resume, the famous daughter avoided the spotlight.