Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a $5 million motivation to help the Los Angeles Lakers win against the Boston Celtics.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics undoubtedly have the most iconic rivalry in NBA history, which spans over decades.
Almost every era in the league has witnessed phenomenal competition between the two franchises. The rivalry arguably peaked during the 1980s.
At the time, the Lakers were led by the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson while the Celtics had Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and more.
Jerry West used $5 million to motivate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Looking back at the 1987 NBA Finals, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had already turned 40 years old. Evidently, he was no longer the player he once was.
By then, Kareem had helped the Lakers win three NBA Championships, but it was obvious that Magic Johnson was the primary superstar on the team in 1987.
However, Jerry West, the Lakers’ general manager, knew that the team needed Kareem’s heroics to beat the Celtics in 1987. Well, West apparently offered a $5 million incentive to KAJ if he played well, as revealed by Leonard Armato, Abdul-Jabbar’s agent.
“Jerry West calls me on the phone and says, ‘Look, the series is tied 1-1 and I think we can win this series, but Kareem has to step up and he’s got to play monster basketball.’ He said, ‘If he does, I’ll give him the biggest contract in the history of the NBA.
“I talked to our owner, Jerry Buss, and he said, ‘If Kareem steps up the rest of the series, we will give him the biggest contract anyone’s ever been awarded in NBA history,'” Armato said.
Abdul-Jabbar stepped up and earned the biggest NBA contract
Considering Abdul-Jabbar was already in the twilight years of his career during the 1987 NBA Finals, earning a huge contract meant immense financial security for the Lakers legend.
“Guess what he did? He looked up and smiled at me, looked me in the eye for the first time. He goes, ‘Yeah?’ and I said, ‘Yeah!’ All of a sudden, I knew I had him,” Armato revealed.
Well, Abdul-Jabbar did seemingly step up his game, including a 32-point Game 6 performance to help the Lakers register a 4-2 win over the Celtics.
West and the Lakers ownership stuck to their word as Abdul-Jabbar made $5 million over the final two seasons of his career in the league.
