By CoinWeek News Staff ….
On Thursday, April 5, the United States Mint announced that basketball star, philanthropist and well-known coin collector Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be leaving the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). Citing personal obligations, the six-time NBA champion and arguably one of the greatest basketball players of all time will stay a member of the committee until a replacement can be seated.
Mr. Abdul-Jabbar has served on the CCAC since January of 2017 as a representative of the general public.
He was officially welcomed to the committee at the February 15, 2017 meeting, where the CCAC discussed design themes for the Office of Strategic Services Congressional Gold Medal and the five 2019 America the Beautiful Quarters program coin reverses. Abdul-Jabbar also attended the meetings held March 21, June 21 and October 18, but missed the ones on September 19 and October 25. He has been absent completely so far this year, having missed the January 16 and March 13 meetings.
Besides the OSS medal and 2019 America the Beautiful quarters, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar has influenced the ultimate designs of the 2018 World War I Armed Forces silver medals, the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal, the 2019 and 2020 Native American $1 coins, and the 2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary commemorative coin program.
“It has been an honor to have Mr. Abdul-Jabbar on the CCAC this past year,” Mint Acting Deputy Director David Croft said in Thursday’s press release. “We appreciate his work in reviewing the projects that went before the committee during his tenure.”
To fill the upcoming vacancy, a public request for nominations “pursuant to United States Code, Title 31, section 5135 (b)” likely will be issued at a later date. Membership on the CCAC as a representative of the general public is limited to four years, though individuals can be renominated at the end of their term. The remaining members of the 11-member committee include Erik Jansen, Donald Scarinci, Heidi Wastweet, Mike Moran, Jeanne Stevens-Sollmann, Robert Hoge, Tom Uram, Dr. Herman Viola, Dennis Tucker and Chairman Mary Lannin. Of this group, Jansen and Stevens-Sollman are also public representatives.
