Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sold almost $3 million in memorabilia including NBA Finals rings and MVP trophies at an auction on Sunday, according to ESPN.
“Much of the proceeds” collected will go toward his Skyhook Foundation, which helps educate kids in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects, the outlet reported.
“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 in a blog post in September.
He auctioned off 243 lots. The highest bid went to the 1987 NBA Finals ring with the Los Angeles Lakers, which went for $398,937.50.
A signed ball from his final regular season game fetched $270,050.
In total, the items brought in $2,947,872.25, according to ESPN.
Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time NBA leader in points scored. Over his 20-year NBA career, he won six championships, was a six-time MVP and was named to the ALL-NBA team 15 times.
His 1972, 1974 and 1976 NBA MVP trophies sold for more than $120,000 apiece, according to ESPN.
The Skyhook Foundation helps teach STEM subjects to kids in under-served communities, the website reads. Curriculum was developed by UCLA and NASA.
It warns that more than 90 percent of children who aren’t engaged with STEM programs by fifth grade lose interest.
“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,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote in the blog post.
“That’s a history that has no price.”
