Shabazz Nagee Muhammad (born November 13, 1992) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

Beirut Club Beirut Club () is a basketball team based in Beirut, Lebanon, who plays in the Lebanese Basketball League (LBL), the top-flight of basketball in Lebanon. Home games of the club are played in the Stade Nouhad Naufal. The club was first promoted t ...

of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB). Currently, the leag ...

(LBL). He played one season of

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for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

before being selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Muhammad went to Bishop Gorman High School, where he was named Mr. Basketball USA and Naismith Prep Player of the Year in his senior year. He was one of the top rated college basketball recruits in the class of 2012. In his only season with UCLA, he earned All-American honors and was named to the all-conference first team in the Pac-12; he was also voted Pac-12 co-Freshman of the Year.

Early life

Muhammad was born in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

to Ron Holmes and Faye Muhammad. Ron Holmes was a standout, four-year starting point guard for the

USC Trojans men's basketball The USC Trojans men's basketball program is a college basketball team that competes in the Pac-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, representing the University of Southern California. The Trojans' Hea ...

program in the 1980s. He played under the names of Ronald Muhammad, Ron Shabazz and Rashad Muhammad but settled on Ron Holmes after never finishing his religious conversion to Islam. Muhammad's mother, Faye, was a point guard and track star at Long Beach State. Shabazz Muhammad is the second of three children. His older sister

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

is a professional tennis player, and his younger brother Rashad played basketball in high school. When Muhammad was six years old, he was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.

High school career

Muhammad attended high school in

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Statistical Area i ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

at Bishop Gorman High School, a Catholic high school with a $12,000 annual tuition that possessed a competitive athletics program. He became one of the few freshman to make their varsity basketball team. In his junior year, Muhammad led Bishop Gorman averaging 25.1 points and 7.7 rebounds for the season. Muhammad was also named the 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of

. Muhammad was the 2011–12 high school diary keeper for

SLAM Magazine ''Slam'' is an American basketball magazine in circulation since 1994. History ''Slam'' was launched in 1994 as a basketball magazine that combined the sport with hip hop culture at a time when the genre was becoming increasingly popular. It w ...

. Muhammad played in the 2012 McDonald's All-American game, where he led the West team to a 106–102 victory over the East team, and was named the MVP of the game with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Muhammad also participated in and won the 2012 Powerade Jam Fest Dunk Contest. He was rated as the No. 2 player in the class of 2012 in the

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and the He ...

100, the No. 2 player by Scout.com, and the No. 1 player by Rivals.com. CBS college basketball analyst Greg Anthony called Muhammad a "once-in-a-generation talent."

College career

Boasting scholarship offers from scores of basketball programs, Muhammad's final list of schools was

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, and

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

. On April 11, 2012, Muhammad announced he would attend UCLA. Muhammad was declared ineligible to play hours prior to UCLA's

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season opener against

Indiana State Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

due to alleged violations involving the NCAA's amateurism rules surrounding unofficial university visits. The NCAA ruled he had received benefits for travel expenses and lodging from family friend Benjamin Lincoln, who had befriended Muhammad's father when Muhammad was in seventh grade, during unofficial visits to Duke and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

. After missing three games and an appeal by UCLA, he was reinstated, and his family was required to repay approximately $1,600. Days before his reinstatement, several media outlets reported the boyfriend of the NCAA's lead investigator boasted publicly that the NCAA would find him ineligible eight days after the investigation commenced. The NCAA subsequently fired the investigator that was involved in the case. Muhammad scored 15 points off the bench in his debut in a 78–70 loss to Georgetown in the semifinals of the Legends Classic. He became a starter in the next game against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, and he scored a game-high 21 points in a 60–56 win in the Classic's consolation game. Muhammad would then get a college-high 27 points, including a game-winning three pointer, in a 97–95 overtime victory against No. 7

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He scored a game-high 23 points in an 84–73 road win over No. 6

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

. Muhammad received national recognition, earning second-team All-American honors from ''

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'' and a Freshman All-American selection by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). He was also named to the All-Pac-12 first team, and was voted the Pac-12 co-Freshman of the Year along with Jahii Carson of Arizona State. Muhammad finished the season averaging 17.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game. He shot 44.3% from the floor and made 71.1% of his free throws. While his scoring ability was unquestionable, he was not the flashy offensive player that was expected upon his signing. Muhammad struggled in the postseason, shooting 39.7 percent (23-for-58) and averaging 15.3 points in four games. He was 0-for-10 on three-point field goals. During the season, he focused on shooting and rarely passed the ball. He was also a weak defensive player, though he did show improvement.

Professional career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2013–2018)

2013–14 season

On April 16, 2013, Muhammad

declared In the sport of cricket, a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture occurs when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings without batting. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 15 of the ''Laws of ...

he would enter the 2013 NBA draft. While he began his college career projected as a top-three draft pick, his stock fell to being viewed as a back-end lottery pick. Muhammad was drafted 14th overall by the Utah Jazz; afterwards, his draft rights were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with the 21st pick, Gorgui Dieng, in exchange for the ninth pick, Trey Burke. While attending the NBA's rookie transition program in August before the season, Muhammad was sent home due to a rules violation. On January 5, 2014, Muhammad was assigned to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. In four games with Iowa, he averaged 24.5 points, shot 57.1% from the field, and had 9.8 rebounds per game. He played in the D-League Showcase, and was named to the All-Showcase Team. On January 13, he was recalled by the Timberwolves. On February 8, with three teammates out injured, Muhammad scored 12 points in a 117–110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. After playing sparingly for the Wolves most of the season, it was his first game playing over 10 minutes. On February 25, Muhammad played a season-high 24 minutes and scored a season-high 20 points in a 110–101 win over the Phoenix Suns; he scored 10 points while playing the entire fourth quarter, and also had five of his six rebounds during that time. On April 5, he sprained the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of his right knee against the Miami Heat, which forced him to miss the remainder of the season. He averaged 3.9 points per game for the season.

2014–15 season

During the offseason, Muhammad lost weight and tuned his offensive game, and he enjoyed an improved season in 2014–15 before suffering injuries. On December 30, 2014, Muhammad scored a then career-high 30 points in a 100–94 loss to Utah. On January 9, 2015, he missed the fourth quarter against the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

after suffering a strained external oblique. The injury sidelined him for a month after he had been performing well, averaging 16.9 points and 4.9 rebounds over his previous 20 games. Despite the injury, Muhammad was selected to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge during the

2015 NBA All-Star Weekend The 2015 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 15, 2015, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014–15 season. It was the 64th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Madison S ...

. On February 21, 2015, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after requiring surgery for a torn ligament in his middle finger.

2015–16 season

Muhammad was able to stay healthy throughout 2015–16, playing in all 82 games. He saw his minutes dip slightly, as he managed 20.5 minutes per game compared to 22.8 mpg in 2014–15. As a result, Muhammad's scoring fell by three points per game and his three-point shooting fell almost all the way back to his rookie season level—he was taking threes at a higher rate in 2015–16 than in his first two seasons combined. He finished with an average of 10.5 points per game and even set a career high during the season with 35 points on April 5 in a 124–117 overtime win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. While his offense remained steady, Muhammad's defense was considered statistically poor. Among 462 qualified players in 2015–16, Muhammad ranked 461st in ESPN's "Defensive Real Plus-Minus" statistic, ahead of only J.J. Barea.

2016–17 season

Muhammad continued to struggle on the defensive end in 2016–17, which made it difficult for him to earn the confidence of coach Tom Thibodeau over the first two months of the season. He broke out on December 30, 2016, scoring 22 points in 18 minutes off the bench against the

. He scored 10 first-quarter points against the Bucks and hit his first four three-pointers of the game to help lead the Timberwolves to a 116–99 win.

2017–18 season

On September 15, 2017, Muhammad re-signed with the Timberwolves. On February 23, 2018, he played his final game of the season for Minnesota, logging four points in three minutes during a 102–120 loss to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...

. On March 1, he was waived by the Timberwolves. Muhammad reportedly requested to leave the franchise a month earlier.

Milwaukee Bucks (2018)

On March 4, 2018, Muhammad signed with the

. On April 9, he scored a season-high 22 points in a 102–86 win over the Orlando Magic. During the offseason, he re-signed with the Bucks on a training-camp deal. He was waived in the preseason on October 11, 2018, after playing in two exhibition games.

Shanxi Brave Dragons (2018–2019)

On October 12, 2018, Muhammad signed with the Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. On October 27, 2018, Muhammad made his debut for Shanxi, contributed twenty six points, thirteen rebounds, three assists, and one steal in a 92–98 loss to the Tianjin Golden Lions. On January 5, 2019, Muhammad scored 60 points to go along with 15 rebounds in a 118–127 loss to the Guangsha Lions.

Shenzhen Aviators (2019)

On August 15, 2019, Muhammad signed with the Shenzhen Aviators of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Grand Rapids Gold (2021)

In November 2021, Muhammad signed with the Meralco Bolts of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

. However, he canceled his trip to the Philippines because of a 'family emergency'. On December 19, 2021, Muhammad signed with the Grand Rapids Gold of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. However, he was waived on December 22.

San Miguel Beermen (2022)

In February 2022, Muhammad joined the San Miguel Beermen of the

(PBA) for the 2021 PBA Governors' Cup as a replacement for Orlando Johnson. On March 5, 2022, Muhammad recorded 57 points and 19 rebounds as he helped the Beermen come back from 26 points down in a 115–110 win against the Meralco Bolts.

Beirut Club (2023–present)

On February 25, 2023, Muhammad signed with

of the

(LBL).

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

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, 38 , , 13 , , 22.8 , , .489 , , .392 , , .717 , , 4.1 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 13.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 0 , , 20.5 , , .465 , , .289 , , .764 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , .1 , , 10.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 1 , , 19.4 , , .482 , , .338 , , .774 , , 2.8 , , .4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 9.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 32 , , 2 , , 9.4 , , .388 , , .211 , , .710 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

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Playoffs

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, 4 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .450 , , .800 , , .600 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 4 , , 0 , , 7.3 , , .450 , , .800 , , .600 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.3

International

, - , align="left" , 2018–19 , align="left" , Shanxi Loongs , CBA , 41 , , 31.9 , , .518 , , .311 , , .811 , , 11.2 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .8 , , 29.8 , - , align="left" , 2019–20 , align="left" , Shenzhen Aviators , CBA , 10 , , 29.9 , , .561 , , .419 , , .759 , , 9.3 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , 23.5

College

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, 32 , , 30 , , 30.8 , , .443 , , .377 , , .711 , , 5.2 , , .8 , , .7 , , .1 , , 17.9

Personal life

Muhammad's uncle, Stephone Paige, played nine seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL) with 377 career receptions. His aunt, Robin Holmes, was a four-year starter for Cal State Fullerton. On March 22, 2013, it was revealed in a report from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' that Muhammad was actually born exactly one year earlier than his thought-to-be birthday of November 13, 1993. A copy of his birth certificate on file with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shows that he was born at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center exactly one year earlier, which made him 20 years old at the time. ''Los Angeles Times'' assumes that this was to make Muhammed look better "competing against younger, smaller athletes, particularly in the fast-growing years of early adolescence", and compared the case to that of baseball's Danny Almonte. Although Muhammad's father said the younger age in UCLA's media guide was "a mistake", numerous sources online show that Muhammad had been passing himself off as younger for years.

Awards and honors

High school

*Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year (2011) * Naismith Prep Player of the Year (2012) * Mr. Basketball USA (2012) * Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award winner (2012) *

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...

MVP (2012) *

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburge ...

team selection (2012) * Jordan Brand Classic High School All-American team selection (2012) *First-team ''Parade'' All-American (2012) * Nike Hoop Summit (2012) *Nike Hoop Summit all-time leading scorer (2012) * Powerade Slam Dunk Contest winner (2012)

College

*Second-team All-American –

TSN TSN may refer to: Science and technology * Translin, DNA binding protein involved in microRNA function * Taxonomic serial number, a stable and unique taxonomic serial number issued by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System * The Science Netwo ...

(

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

) *First-team All-Pac-12 (

) * Freshman All-American (2013) * Pac-12 co-Freshman of the Year (2013)

NBA

* Rising Stars Challenge (2015)

References

External links

UCLA Bruins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad, Shabazz 1992 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players Age controversies All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players Basketball players from Long Beach, California Basketball players from Nevada Bishop Gorman High School alumni Grand Rapids Gold players Iowa Energy players McDonald's High School All-Americans Milwaukee Bucks players Minnesota Timberwolves players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philippine Basketball Association imports San Miguel Beermen players Shanxi Loongs players Shenzhen Leopards players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Las Vegas UCLA Bruins men's basketball players Utah Jazz draft picks