Some of you may not recognize this elderly gentleman, and if you're one of them, then allow us to introduce you to basketball royalty, and a true trailblazer in the NBA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played professional basketball during a time when Muslim players were practically unheard of - especially Americans who had converted to the religion. He overcame prejudice and protest to become a legend of the sport both as a player and, for years afterward, a coach.
As a man who's led a colorful and interesting life, and seen a lot of basketball and the world in general, Abdul-Jabbar has a lot to say, and as a gifted communicator, he's found entertaining and inspiring ways to say it. So far, he's been the author or the co-author of fifteen books, one of which is a 'Sherlock Holmes' style mystery featuring the great detective's brother Mycroft. In one of Barack Obama's final acts as President of the United States, he awarded Abdul-Jabbar the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.