Onetime Beverly Crest home of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar lists for rent

A contemporary compound once owned by legendary Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has come to market in Beverly Hills as a $40,000-a-month lease.

Abdul-Jabbar purchased the residence, sited on a private knoll in Beverly Crest with views from downtown L.A. to Westwood to the ocean, in November 1992 for $2.265 million. The basketball great would later expand the home “by nearly 3,000 square feet, adding a gym, a squash court and guest quarters,” according to a 1996 report in The Times.

In 1999, after taking a position as assistant basketball coach at Alchesay High School on the Fort Alchesay High School Apache Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona, he put the home on the market for $3.8 million. Abdul-Jabbar relisted the home the following year for $3.5 million, according to The Times, and it eventually went for $2.695 million in the summer of 2001.

A long driveway leads to modern residence, which sports 20-foot-high ceilings and extra-tall doorways designed to accommodate the previous owner’s 7-foot-2 frame. Among features is an office, a library and an entertainer’s living room with walls of glass and a modern gas fireplace.

The master suite has a sauna, a steam shower and a massage area. An additional guest suite doubles as a writer’s studio. In all, the home counts five bedrooms and six bathrooms in approximately 6,200 square feet of living space.

Outdoors, the landscaped grounds center on a pool, with sprawling views of the Los Angeles cityscape and Santa Monica mountains.

Public records show that the home last sold for slightly more than $6.5 million in 2005. Last year, it was offered for lease for as much as $45,000 a month. Drew Fenton and Tyrone McKillen of Hilton & Hyland currently hold the listing.

One of the greatest to ever play the game, Abdul-Jabbar notched 19 All-Star appearances, six MVP awards and six titles across 20 seasons with Milwaukee and Los Angeles. The 1995 Hall of Fame inductee is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history with 38,387 career points.

Earlier this year, a Hawaiian retreat built for the Hall of Fame center came to market at $5.9 million. Found above Secret Beach in Kilauea, the island getaway also features vaulted interiors, exotic hardwoods and a lagoon-style pool, as well as a tennis court given to Abdul-Jabbar by the Lakers as a retirement gift.

Twitter: @NJLeitereg