Kareem Selling His Rings; Says He's Got Money

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is perhaps the greatest big man in basketball history, has put four of his NBA championship rings up for auction.

Minimum bid is $60,000.

Kareem says he doesn’t need the money. He offered the following explanation on his website.

"“My sports memorabilia also have a history. My history. My life. And, oddly, since my life is still happening and ever-evolving, I am less personally attached to those items than I am to my desire to create new history for myself—and futures for others. Much of the proceeds from my auction will go to support my charity, the Skyhook Foundation, whose mission is to “give kids a shot that can’t be blocked.” We do this by sending children from economically challenged schools to five days in the Angeles National Forest to experience the wonders of nature and learn the basics about science, technology, and engineering. Camp Skyhook is an immersive hands-on experience that takes kids out of school for 5 days and 4 nights. They go from auditory learning to utilizing all of their senses in the great outdoors. Our hope is not just to get them out of the city to commune with the outdoors, but to stimulate an interest in the sciences that might lead them to fulfilling careers. So, when it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room, or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple. Sell it all. Looking back on what I have done with my life, instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating celebrating something I did a long time ago, I’d rather look into the delighted face of a child holding their first caterpillar and think about what I might be doing for their future. That’s a history that has no price. Finally, having worked with Ken Goldin in the past, and seen the track record of success of Goldin Auctions, I have no doubt the auction will be successful and many collectors throughout the World will be adding prized possessions to their collections.”"

Kareem’s going to spend some time looking at caterpillars, it sounds like, and won’t have much use for his jewelry.

Up for auction are rings from Lakers championships in 1980, 1985, 1987 and 1988. Kareem also won championships in 1971 (Milwaukee Bucks) and 1982 (Lakers).