Know the reasons behind the separation and divorce of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with wife, Janice Brown!

Updated On March 18, 2024 | Published By: shahid | In Affair , Divorce

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 76 is a former basketball player of the USA. He played twenty seasons for the NBA from 1969 to 1989. Moreover, he was a basketball coach from 1997 to 2011. Not many people know about his relationships and marriage.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his relationship history

American former professional basketball player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 76 has a wonderful playing career. He played for Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. He won several titles for his great achievements in NBA. After retirement, he took to coaching new recruits and served as a coach with several basketball teams from 1998 to 2011.

As regards his relationships, the seven feet two inches tall athlete was dating Pam Grier in 1971. After they separated, he struck a relationship with Janice Brown. Janice was a Christian from New York. While Kareem was a Muslim convert. Janice converted to Islam after marriage and adopted the name of Habiba Abdul-Jabbar. The couple dated for some time before exchanging wedding vows on 28 May 1971.

Their first child was born in 1972, daughter Habiba. The married life did not go well and the two separated in December 1973. Later, in 1976, Janice gave birth to son Kareem Jr. and in 1979 to daughter Sultana. The father of both these kids was Kareem. But the couple divorced in 1978.

The reasons for the divorce

Janice and Kareem did not have a happy married life despite bearing children together. It is said that the problems started right from the day of the marriage. On the wedding day, Janice’s parents were not allowed inside the Washington DC mosque for their daughter’s wedding ceremony. This was because they were non-Muslims and this act offended them. It created a rift between the two families.

Kareem also felt bad about it but could do nothing because he was unaware of this aspect of the mosque and Muslim culture since he was a new Muslim convert. This insult and emotional trauma took a long time to heal.

Another reason that led to the divorce was the ill-health of Kareem. He suffered from migraines. These were precipitated when Kareem’s close associates were killed by a rival gang. Added on to this was his extramarital affair with girlfriend, Cheryl Pistono whom he started publicly dating in 1979. Cheryl pressed Kareem to divorce Janice with whom he was not on really good terms.

Kareem’s other girlfriends

Cheryl had a strong impact on the life of Kareem. She was his guide and friend. Her influence on his life was greater than that of his other friends, coaches, relatives, teachers, or teammates. Cheryl gave birth to his child, son Amir.

Kareem also had a romantic encounter with American rapper and painter, Heather Hunter. The former Los Angeles Lakers basketball player has a fifth child. This child is son Adam and the baby mama was his another girlfriend, Julye Olds.

Thus, Kareem had five children in total with three women. Currently, he seems to be single and has not been seen in public with any new woman. But it is not known whether he is dating someone secretly.

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