Zaid Abdul-Aziz (born Donald A. Smith; April 7, 1946) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was known as Don Smith until he changed his name to Zaid Abdul-Aziz in 1976 after he converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. Abdul-Aziz starred for the

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's an ...

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

before he was selected by the

Cincinnati Royals The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

as the fifth overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft. He played ten seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) as a member of the Royals,

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 ...

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

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 Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

, and

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. Abdul-Aziz was nicknamed "The Kangaroo".

Playing career

Abdul-Aziz played

for the

from 1965 to 1968. He was selected as the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1968 and was a three-time first-team All-

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

selection. Abdul-Aziz was chosen by the

as the fifth overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft and traded to the

during his rookie season. He was traded to the

for

Lucius Allen Lucius Oliver Allen, Jr. (born September 26, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player. He is one of only a select few players to have won at least one state championship, collegiate national championship, and NBA championship. ...

and

Bob Boozer Robert Louis Boozer (April 26, 1937 – May 19, 2012) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Boozer won a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics and won an NBA Championship as a member of the ...

in 1970. Abdul-Aziz initially disputed the trade and planned to sue the NBA but instead flourished with the SuperSonics. 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 Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, the fibrous sac surrounding the heart. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp chest pain, which may also be felt in the shoulders, neck, or back. The pain is typically less severe when sit ...

. Abdul-Aziz converted to Islam during his time with the SuperSonics. On September 18, 1972, his contract was bought by the

. Abdul-Aziz had been the team's starting

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

prior to the 1974–75 season. The Muslim holy month of

Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...

coincided with a Rockets training camp where Abdul-Aziz entered an anemic-like state due to his fasting. He found himself unable to play and told the team's general manager that he was quitting the team. 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. 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.

Later career

Abdul-Aziz coached the Saudi Arabia national basketball team. He was an investor in the Seattle Smashers of the

International Volleyball Association The International Volleyball Association was a short lived co-ed professional volleyball league in the United States from 1975 to 1980. Like other major sports leagues in the United States, it had two geographic divisions. However, its teams wer ...

in 1978 and 1979. Abdul-Aziz studied chemical dependency at

Seattle University Seattle University (SeattleU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington. Seattle University is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate prog ...

and earned a state licence. He worked as a drug and alcohol counselor in Seattle after his playing career.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1968–69 , align="left" ,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, 20 , , – , , 5.4 , , .419 , , – , , .286 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , – , , – , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , 1968–69 , 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. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 29 , , – , , 28.9 , , .363 , , – , , .642 , , 13.0 , , 1.1 , , – , , – , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

, 80 , , – , , 20.5 , , .434 , , – , , .643 , , 7.5 , , .8 , , – , , – , , 7.4 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, 61 , , – , , 20.9 , , .441 , , – , , .739 , , 7.7 , , .7 , , – , , – , , 10.9 , - , align="left" , 1971–72 , align="left" ,

, 58 , , – , , 30.7 , , .429 , , – , , .720 , , 11.3 , , 2.1 , , – , , – , , 13.8 , - , align="left" , 1972–73 , align="left" ,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 48 , , – , , 18.8 , , .397 , , – , , .735 , , 6.3 , , 1.1 , , – , , – , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" ,

, 79 , , – , , 31.1 , , .459 , , – , , .804 , , 11.7 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , 10.9 , - , align="left" , 1974–75 , align="left" ,

, 65 , , – , , 22.3 , , .437 , , – , , .783 , , 7.5 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 9.7 , - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

, 27 , , – , , 8.3 , , .467 , , – , , .552 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .3 , , .6 , , 3.2 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" , Buffalo , 22 , , – , , 8.9 , , .338 , , – , , .767 , , 4.1 , , .3 , , .1 , , .4 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" ,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 2 , , – , , 12.0 , , .231 , , – , , .667 , , 7.5 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , 1977–78 , align="left" ,

, 14 , , – , , 9.6 , , 426 , , – , , .750 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .1 , , .1 , , 3.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 505 , , – , , 21.8 , , .428 , , – , , .728 , , 8.0 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 9.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

, align="left" ,

, 7 , , – , , 11.7 , , .579 , , – , , .800 , , 3.7 , , 0.6 , , – , , – , , 4.3 , - , align="left" ,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, align="left" ,

, 6 , , – , , 11.3 , , .387 , , – , , .400 , , 2.8 , , 0.5 , , – , , – , , 4.3 , - , align="left" ,

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , – , , 12.0 , , .700 , , – , , .727 , , 4.2 , , 0.4 , , – , , – , , 7.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 18 , , – , , 11.7 , , .529 , , – , , .500 , , 3.6 , , 0.5 , , – , , – , , 5.1

Personal life

As of 2011, Abdul-Aziz lived in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle with his Moroccan-born wife. He has five children from two marriages. Abdul-Aziz's son, Yusef Smith, played

for the

Seattle Pacific Falcons The Seattle Pacific Falcons (also SPU Falcons) are the 12 varsity athletic teams that represent Seattle Pacific University, located in Seattle, Washington, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Falcons compete as members of the Great No ...

and professionally in Brazil. Abdul-Aziz was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He credits his religious awakening to a

practice session where he was approached by teammate

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

and failed to explain a gold

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

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 The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

and

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

. Abdul-Aziz stated: "everything pointed me to Islam. So the next year I became a Muslim." In 2006, Abdul-Aziz published a memoir, ''Darkness to Sunlight'', which tells the stories of his basketball career, personal challenges, and spiritual journey.

References

External links

Career statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdul-Aziz, Zaid 1946 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American Muslims African-American Muslims Basketball players from New York City Boston Celtics players Buffalo Braves players Centers (basketball) Cincinnati Royals draft picks Cincinnati Royals players Converts to Islam Houston Rockets players Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball players Milwaukee Bucks players Power forwards (basketball) Seattle SuperSonics players Sportspeople from Brooklyn 20th-century African-American people