Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s collection of memorabilia from his Hall of Fame career fetched nearly $3 million at auction on Sunday.
Abdul-Jabbar put up 234 lots of memorabilia — including four of his six NBA championship rings — up for sale through Goldin Auctions with “much of the proceeds” going to his Skyhook Foundation charity to help kids learn about science, technology, engineering and math.
The items sold for $2,947,872.25.
The rings commemorating the Los Angeles Lakers‘ titles in the 1980s, which had starting bids of $60,000 to 65,000, accounted for four of the top five highest sales at the auction’s close. Abdul-Jabbar’s 1987 ring sold for the most, at $398,937.50, followed by his ring from 1985 ($343,700). His 1980 and 1988 rings went for $245,500 each.
The other highest-priced item, a signed ball from his final regular-season NBA game in 1989, sold for $270,050.
Also selling for six figures were three of Abdul-Jabbar’s six MVP trophies — from 1972, 1974 and 1976 — which sold for over $120,000 each.
“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,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote last year about why he’s auctioning off valuables from his sports history.
“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.”
Abdul-Jabbar, 71, wrote that he’s “on a solid financial path” and was not selling the items due to money trouble.
Only nine of the lots failed to sell — mostly plaques and proclamations that had been presented to Abdul-Jabbar well after his playing career, as well as the key to the city of Beckley, West Virginia.