Habiba Abdul-Jabbar: First Wife of NBA Player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Who is Habiba Abdul-Jabbar?
Habiba Abdul-Jabbar is a fashion designer and the ex-wife of former legendary American NBA basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. She went to California State University, Los Angeles, to pursue her degree. Habiba completed her education and graduated from there.
She is very engaged in fashion designing and making clothes, so she owns a clothing line brand named Tutu Glam. The company makes glamorous and festive tutu skirts.
Her birth name is Janice Brown, and her parents are from New York. However, after her marriage, she shifted to her then-husband, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s house in Washington, D.C.
Quick Facts
| Birth Name | Janice Brown |
| As Known As | Habiba Abdul-Jabbar |
| Birthday | October 1950 |
| Age | 72 years old |
| Birthplace | Newyork, USA |
| Currently residing | Washington, D.C., USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Parents | N/A |
| Marital status | Divorced |
| Spouse | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Children | Habiba Alcindor Sultana Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr. |
| Education | The University of California, Los Angeles |
| Profession | Fashion designer |
| Net worth | Under review |
| Social media | Not Active |
Early Life and Childhood
Habiba Abdul-Jabbar was born Janice Brown into a Catholic family in the United States of America in October 1950, making her 72 years old in 2023.
She was grown up with her family in New York. Janice belongs to the Caucasian ethnicity and Christian community, but later on, after marriage, she switched to the Islam community.
She changed her to Habiba Abdul-Jabbar from Janice Brown after her marriage to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means beloved.
Habiba Abdul-Jabbar Physical Appearance
Habiba is around 5ft and 3 inches in height and about 52-55 kg. She has got short curly hair with dark brown hair color. She has an oval-shaped face, a beautiful smile, and shining light brown eyes. Being a fashion designer, her sense of humor towards fashion is quite stylish.
Habiba and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Relationship
As Habiba and her husband, Kareem, were in the same university, they met during a game by the LA Lakers. Their first meeting at UCLA attached them closely to maintain a relationship. They were madly in love, though he was senior to her.
They started taking things seriously and decided to get engaged. Finally, after their efforts and dedication towards each other, they married on 28th May 1971 in a mosque wearing a Muslim custom.
It was declared that he didn’t invite his parents to their wedding as they weren’t Muslim. Her parents came from New York to attend their daughter’s marriage but refused to enter the mosque as they belonged to a Catholic family. Their marriage blossomed for years as she learned to cook and serve his favorite dish. She even knew the Islamic prayer despite being Christian.
After their marriage, he went to study the Arabic Language at Harvard in 1972. During that time, Habiba gave birth to their first child. She gave birth to a daughter whose name is Habiba Alcindor.
Due to different criteria and ups and downs, they divorced. She took her daughter and shifted to Washington, D.C. Kareem used to meet her sometimes after their divorce.
Despite their divorce, they continued to have children. As a result, Habiba gave birth to two children, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr., who was born in 1976, and the other one is Sultana Abdul-Jabbar, born in 1979. And now, Habiba’s eldest daughter, Habiba Alcindor, works as a journalist, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr. follows his father’s footsteps and makes his career in basketball.
Habiba and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Divorce
Habiba and Kareem married in 1971 but lived together only for specific years of marriage. They were not living together since 1973.
There are believed to be mainly two reasons for their divorce. One of the reasons is Kareem’s migraines, and another reason behind the divorce is Cheryl Pistono. The reason behind Kareem’s migraines was due to fear of being the next target of a murderer.
Rival black Muslims murdered seven members of a group called the Hanafi in a house that was bought by Kareem for them in Washington, D.C. Because of that, Kareem kept a bodyguard for several weeks. The victims were relatives of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Muslim mentor, Khalifa Hamaas Abdul Khalis.
In 1977, as revenge, the Hanafi group and his mentor Abdul Khaalis invaded three buildings in Washington D.C., including the national headquarters of B’nai B’rith, where they kept 132 hostages for 38 long hours. So for their children’s safety, Habiba divorced him.
Cheryl Pistono was Kareem’s girlfriend at that time. She was the one who convinced Kareem to divorce his wife, Habiba. Cheryl had a more significant impact on Kareem’s life than any other person in his life, more than a teacher, a friend, and even his wife. Cheryl and Kareem had a son, Amir Abdul-Jabbar, during their relationship.
Habiba Abdul-Jabbar Net Worth
Being a hardworking company owner in a clothing line and dedicated to her work, she had earned enough for herself and fulfilled her family’s desires. However, Habiba Abdul-Jabbar’s net worth is still under review.
Despite this, her husband, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, earned a net worth of USD 20 million as an NBA player.
FAQs
What were the reasons behind their divorce?
Kareem confessed that he married Habiba according to his religious teacher’s will. He also admitted that no other girl except his ex-girlfriend, Cheryl Pistono had more impact on his life. It was claimed that they were living apart after a couple of years. Habiba was three months pregnant with her second child when they lived apart. And the second reason that appeared was that Kareem was engaged in gang rivalries, so to protect herself and her children with such issues, they divorced. They officially got divorced in March 1978 in civil court.
Who is Habiba’s second husband?
After her divorce from the former NBA player, she got second marriage to Mr. Herbert in 1986. She had one child with him named Sean Herbert.
Did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar get married after the divorce?
As he had an affair with his ex-girlfriend, Cheryl Piston, he remarried her and was blessed with a baby boy named Amir Abdul-Jabbar. Julie Ods claimed that she has a son from her relationship with Kareem, Adam Abdul-Jabbar. He came to the attention of the public for negative reasons. He was arrested for stabbing his neighbor in 2020. After that incident, he felt guilty for his mistake and was prisoned for six months.
How Kareem Abdul-Jabbar house was get destroyed?
Kareem’s house by destroyed by fire in 1983. During that incident, his valuable assets, including his cherished jazz LP collection of more than 3000 albums, were lost. But fortunately, his admirers sent him those albums, which were quite inspiring.
Did Kareem change his religion?
Kareem was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor. At age 21, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which means ‘noble one, servant of the Almighty.’
