Zaid Abdul-Aziz (born Donald A. Smith; April 7, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player. He was known as Don Smith until he changed his name to Zaid Abdul-Aziz in 1976 after he converted to Islam.[1]
 Abdul-Aziz with the Iowa State Cyclones during the 1967–68 season | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 7, 1946 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | John Jay (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College | Iowa State (1965–1968) |
| NBA draft | 1968: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
| Selected by the Cincinnati Royals | |
| Playing career | 1968–1978 |
| Position | Power forward / center |
| Number | 21, 16, 35, 6, 54, 27 |
| Career history | |
| 1968–1969 | Cincinnati Royals |
| 1969–1970 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1970–1972 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1972–1975 | Houston Rockets |
| 1976 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1976–1977 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1978 | Boston Celtics |
| 1978 | Houston Rockets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 4,557 (9.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,065 (8.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 601 (1.2 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Abdul-Aziz starred for the Iowa State Cyclones in college basketball before he was selected by the Cincinnati Royals as the fifth overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft. He played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Royals, Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Houston Rockets, Buffalo Braves, and Boston Celtics. Abdul-Aziz was nicknamed "The Kangaroo".
Playing career
editAbdul-Aziz played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones from 1965 to 1968.[2] He was selected as the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1968 and was a three-time first-team All-Big Eight Conference selection.[2][3] Abdul-Aziz was chosen by the Cincinnati Royals as the fifth overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft and traded to the Milwaukee Bucks during his rookie season.[2] He was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for Lucius Allen and Bob Boozer in 1970.[2] Abdul-Aziz initially disputed the trade and planned to sue the NBA but instead flourished with the SuperSonics.[2] He enjoyed a career-best season as he averaged 13.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game during the 1971–72 season until he was sidelined with pericarditis.[2]
Abdul-Aziz converted to Islam during his time with the SuperSonics.[1] On September 18, 1972, his contract was bought by the Houston Rockets.[4] Abdul-Aziz had been the team's starting center prior to the 1974–75 season.[1][5] The Muslim holy month of Ramadan coincided with a Rockets training camp where Abdul-Aziz entered an anemic-like state due to his fasting.[1] He found himself unable to play and told the team's general manager that he was quitting the team.[1] Abdul-Aziz's father convinced him to return but he lost his position in the Rockets' line-up and never again played as a starting center in the NBA.[1] Abdul-Aziz played his final three years as a backup on various teams before he announced his retirement in 1978 at the age of 32.[1]
Later career
editAbdul-Aziz coached the Saudi Arabia national basketball team.[2] He was an investor in the Seattle Smashers of the International Volleyball Association in 1978 and 1979.[6]
Abdul-Aziz studied chemical dependency at Seattle University and earned a state licence.[2] He worked as a drug and alcohol counselor in Seattle after his playing career.[2]
NBA career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | Cincinnati | 20 | – | 5.4 | .419 | – | .286 | 1.6 | .2 | – | – | 1.9 |
| 1968–69 | Milwaukee | 29 | – | 28.9 | .363 | – | .642 | 13.0 | 1.1 | – | – | 11.0 |
| 1969–70 | Milwaukee | 80 | – | 20.5 | .434 | – | .643 | 7.5 | .8 | – | – | 7.4 |
| 1970–71 | Seattle | 61 | – | 20.9 | .441 | – | .739 | 7.7 | .7 | – | – | 10.9 |
| 1971–72 | Seattle | 58 | – | 30.7 | .429 | – | .720 | 11.3 | 2.1 | – | – | 13.8 |
| 1972–73 | Houston | 48 | – | 18.8 | .397 | – | .735 | 6.3 | 1.1 | – | – | 8.7 |
| 1973–74 | Houston | 79 | – | 31.1 | .459 | – | .804 | 11.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 10.9 |
| 1974–75 | Houston | 65 | – | 22.3 | .437 | – | .783 | 7.5 | 1.3 | .6 | 1.1 | 9.7 |
| 1975–76 | Seattle | 27 | – | 8.3 | .467 | – | .552 | 2.8 | .6 | .3 | .6 | 3.2 |
| 1976–77 | Buffalo | 22 | – | 8.9 | .338 | – | .767 | 4.1 | .3 | .1 | .4 | 3.8 |
| 1977–78 | Boston | 2 | – | 12.0 | .231 | – | .667 | 7.5 | 1.5 | .5 | .5 | 4.0 |
| 1977–78 | Houston | 14 | – | 9.6 | 426 | – | .750 | 2.5 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 3.9 |
| Career | 505 | – | 21.8 | .428 | – | .728 | 8.0 | 1.2 | .6 | 1.0 | 9.0 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Milwaukee | 7 | – | 11.7 | .579 | – | .800 | 3.7 | 0.6 | – | – | 4.3 |
| 1975 | Houston | 6 | – | 11.3 | .387 | – | .400 | 2.8 | 0.5 | – | – | 4.3 |
| 1976 | Seattle | 5 | – | 12.0 | .700 | – | .727 | 4.2 | 0.4 | – | – | 7.2 |
| Career | 18 | – | 11.7 | .529 | – | .500 | 3.6 | 0.5 | – | – | 5.1 | |
Personal life
editAs of 2011, Abdul-Aziz lived in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle with his Moroccan-born wife.[2] He has five children from two marriages.[2] Abdul-Aziz's son, Yusef Smith, played college basketball for the Seattle Pacific Falcons and professionally in Brazil.[2]
Abdul-Aziz was raised Catholic. He credits his religious awakening to a Milwaukee Bucks practice session where he was approached by teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and failed to explain a gold cross that he was wearing around his neck when questioned. Abdul-Aziz went to a Milwaukee library to learn about religions and borrowed a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Quran and Torah. Abdul-Aziz stated: "everything pointed me to Islam. So the next year I became a Muslim."[7]
In 2006, Abdul-Aziz published a memoir, Darkness to Sunlight, which tells the stories of his basketball career, personal challenges, and spiritual journey.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Burton, Austin (April 2, 2014). "Zaid Abdul-Aziz and the challenge of being a Muslim athlete". Seattle Times. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Raley, Dan (March 19, 2011). "Where Are They Now? Ex-Sonic Zaid Abdul-Aziz". Seattle P-I. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ "Centennial Moments: Zaid Abdul-Aziz". Iowa State Cyclones. December 19, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Sports News in Brief". The New York Times. September 19, 1972. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Rogers, Thomas (December 28, 1974). "Abdul-Aziz, Center For Rockets, Retires". The New York Knicks. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Raley, Dan (March 23, 2011). "Where Are They Now? IVA venture undermined by Olympic boycott of '80". Seattle P-I. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Burton, Austin L. (April 3, 2014). "Former NBA star Zaid Abdul-Aziz found sunlight after darkness". Ummah Sports. Retrieved December 22, 2022.