Amir Abdur-Rahim showed promise as a college basketball coach before his unfortunate passing in October 2024 from an undisclosed illness.
In what was a 13-year journey, serving as an assistant at Murray State, Charleston, Texas A&M, and Georgia, Abdur-Rahim worked his coaching chops before eventually earning the Kennesaw State head coach position.
Meet Amir Abdul-Rahim’s NBA All-Star brother Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Abdur-Rahim was hired by South Florida a year after leading the Owls to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2023, leading the Bulls to their first-ever AP poll ranking and an American Athletic Conference regular season title.
Their tournament hopes were shattered after an AAC tournament semifinal upset loss to UAB, and they would lose to VCU in the second round of the NIT, the last game Abdur-Rahim ever coached.
Abdur-Rahim was the one of thirteen children born to Aminah and William Abdur-Rahim. The second eldest, Shareef, made a name for himself in the NBA.
Off the jump, Shareef made an impression, winning Mr. Georgia Basketball his junior and senior seasons of high school. From there, he attended California, where the 6’9” forward averaged 21.1 points and 8.4 rebounds, earning Pac-10 Player of the Year honors in his 1996 freshman season.
Shareef was selected third overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1996, behind Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby. He made an immediate impact, earning NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in 1997. He had his best season in Vancouver in 1998-99, when he averaged a career-high 23 points and 3.4 assists per game.
The following season, he would average his only double-double, with 20.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
In 2000, Shareef was picked up as a replacement for the injured Grant Hill on the 2000 USA Men’s Olympic basketball team. The team went undefeated and easily won a gold medal.
Shareef and a first-round pick were traded to his hometown Atlanta Hawks in 2001, in exchange for Brevin Knight, Lorenzen Wright, and Pau Gasol. Abdur-Rahim contributed a career-high 50-point game in his 2001-02 campaign, receiving his first and only NBA All-Star selection.
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Shareef played in Atlanta until 2004, when he was sent, along with Theo Ratliff and Dan Dickau to the Portland Trail Blazers for Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person. In 2005, he signed with the Sacramento Kings as a free agent, making his only playoff appearance in 2006.
The No. 8 seed Kings lost to the No. 1 San Antonio Spurs in six games. Shareef retired in 2008.
After his retirement, Shareef took up an assistant coach position with the Kings, working his way up to an assistant general manager position in 2010. By 2018, Shareef was named the president of the NBA G League, a position he still holds to this day.
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