Muslim Basketball Players in the NBA
As we enter the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and Kyrie Irving’s recent braking of the fast during an NBA game, we thought it would be interesting to compile a list of current and former Muslim basketball players in the NBA.
As Islam is one of the world’s largest religions, Muslims are often well-represented in various sports leagues around the world. From Mohamed Salah of Liverpool to Khabib Nurmagomedov of both the UFC and MMA, Muslim athletes have made significant impacts on the world of sports and continue to do so to this day.
What is Islam?
Before jumping into the list of former and current basketball players who are Muslim, it is important to understand what a Muslim is and what Islam is. Islam is a monotheistic religion which is centered around the Quran, or the Muslim holy book, which is considered by Muslims to be the verbatim word of God.
As the world’s second-largest religion with over 2-billion followers, Muslims believe in a merciful, all-powerful, and omnipotent God who has guided humanity through prophets, revealed scriptures, and natural signs and miracles.
As such, Muslims also believe that Muhammed was the last and final prophet sent to humanity.
A follower of Islam is thus titled a Muslim and Muslims are expected, amongst other things, to take an oath declaring their belief in Islam, offer daily prayers, give frequently to charity, complete the fast in the month of Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Perhaps one of the most most famous Muslim basketball players to ever play in the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. and converted to Islam in 1971 at the age of 24. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is most famous for his skyhook, which he utilized to establish himself as one of the league’s top scorers.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in the NBA for 20 seasons, playing for both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his time, he was named a six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member.
Kareem-Abdul Jabbar is widely considered the best center to have played in the NBA and at the time of his retirement he was the NBA’s all-time leader in points, games played, minutes, field goals made, field goals attempted, and career wins.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Another famous Muslim basketball player to play in the NBA, Hakeem Olajuwon, nicknamed “the Dream”, played the center position for the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors. He led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.
Hakeem Olajuwon is considered another great center to play in the league and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. He was born in Lagos, Nigeria and traveled to the University of Houston to play under head coach Guy Lewis.
At the University of Houston, Olajuwon would help his team reach the Final Four three times before being selected with the first overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA draft, a draft that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton.
Shaquille O’Neal
Yet another center, Shaquille O’Neal is one of the best centers to have played in the NBA. Shaquille O’Neal was raised by a Baptist mother and Muslim stepfather and has identified as Muslim, although he has also stated, “I’m Muslim, I’m Jewish, I’m Buddhist, I’m everybody ’cause I’m a people person.”
Commonly referred to as Shaq, O’Neal is widely regarded as on of the greatest NBA centers. In his 19-year NBA career, he played for a total of six teams and is a four-time NBA champion. After playing college basketball at LSU, Shaquille O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.
In his career in the NBA, O’Neal won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award in the 1999-2000 season, the 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star Game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections.
Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Wallace played for the University of North Carolina before declaring for the NBA draft in 1995, where he played 16 seasons. Wallace was originally selected by the Washington Bullets, now the Washington Wizards, with the fourth pick in the draft.
Although Wallace would be traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and then the Atlanta Hawks, he made his biggest impact with the Detroit Pistons. With the Pistons, Wallace would win the NBA championship in the 2004 season and reach the NBA Finals again the following season.
Kyrie Irving
A player who often faces much criticism, Irving is one of the most prolific and adept basketball players in the league. currently playing for the Brooklyn Nets, Irving would be named Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Kyrie Irving played college basketball for famed program Duke and would win the Most Valuable Player Award in the NBA in the 2014 All-Star Game. In the 2016 NBA Finals, Irving would make the championship-winning three-point field goal to complete the Cavaliers’ comeback against the Golden State Warriors.
Kenneth Faried
Kenneth Faried last played for the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. Nicknamed “The Manimal” due to his fierce hustling on the court, he attended Morehead State University for four years and was twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year. Upon finishing his collegiate career, he was the NCAA all-time rebounder with 1,673 rebounds and was selected 22nd overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Julius Shareef Abdur-Rahim is currently the president of the NBA G League, he was also a director of player personnel for the Sacramento Kings and the general manager of the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ minor-league affiliate.
In the NBA, Shareef Abdur-Rahim played both the forward and center positions. He attended the University of California, Berkeley for just one year and declared himself eligible for the NBA’s 1996 draft.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim is one of the most devout Muslims to have played in the NBA. As the second eldest of a twelve children family, he credits his parents for their guiding influence on him as a youth, often reminding him, “remember how you came on all your accomplishments and stay humble.”
Dion Waiters
Having last played for the Los Angeles Laker, Dion Waiters played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and was selected fourth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2012 NBA draft. In addition to playing for the Lakers, and winning a championship with the team, he also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat.
Dennis Schröder
Dennis Schröder is a Muslim basketball player from Germany who last played in the NBA for the Houston Rockets. Having previously played for SG Braunschweig and Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany, he would play his first five seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks and an additional two-seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Enes Kanter
Enes Kanter is a free agent in the NBA who last played for the Boston Celtics. Born in Switzerland to Turkish parents, Kanter was raised Muslim and is a devout follower of Islam. And although he was born in Switzerland, he was raised with his family in Turkey.
As a teenager, Kanter and his family moved from Turkey to the United States. However, due to a contract he had signed with Nike, he was unable to play high school basketball. Similarly, although he committed to playing for the University of Kentucky, the NCAA deemed him ineligible because he received approximately $33,000 from his old Turkish team in excess benefits.
With these setbacks, Kanter declared himself eligible for the NBA draft and was selected third overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2011 NBA draft.
Jusuf Nurkić
Jusuf Nurkić, nicknamed “The Bosnian Beast”, is a Bosnian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers. Listed as standing in at 6’11”, Jusuf Nurkić is a Muslim basketball player who also represents the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team internationally.
Playing the center position, Nurkić was drafted to the NBA by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
Prior to entering the NBA, Nurkić was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and started playing basketball at the age of 14. In 2012, he began professional play in Croatia and had a standout season, where he averaged 18.8 points and 11 rebounds.
A mere two years later, Nurkić would be nominated for the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year Award and would declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.
Ömer Aşık
Ömer Aşık is another Turkish Muslim basketball player who last played for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. Officially listed at 7’2″, Ömer Aşık was widely sought after in many of the top Euroleague teams at just the age of 19.
Gaining global recognition while playing for the Turkish national team as the starting center, he would be nicknamed “The Turkish Hammer” and “Asik the Destroyer” for his defensive abilities.
After gaining global recognition with the Turkish national team, Ömer Aşık opted to join the NBA, where he was selected 36th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2008 NBA draft. However, he was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls in a three-team deal.
Gorgui Dieng
Gorgui Dieng is another Muslim basketball player who currently plays for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. He is a Senegalese basketball player and played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals.
Dieng was selected 21st overall in the 2013 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz and immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the night of the draft. Having spent seven years with the Timberwolves, he would again be traded to the Memphis Grizzlies before joining the Spurs as a free agent and then the Atlanta Hawks.
Growing up in Senegal, Dieng attended the Sports for Education and Economic Development (SEEDS) Academy and was invited to the Basketball Without Borders camp in South Africa in 2009. He was named the MVP of the camp and raised his international basketball profile.
After taking just six months to learn English, Dieng did well on the SAT’s and was heavily recruited by some of the top NCAA Division I programs. However, he opted to attend Louisville, where assistant coach Walter McCarty, who had extensive experience in the NBA, was able to help him adjust and train to enter the league.
Al-Farouq Aminu
Al-Farouq Aminu is a Nigerian-American basketball player who last played for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA and plays for the Nigeria national basketball team. Having attended Norcross High School in Georgia, he was a top college recruit and ranked #7 overall.
Committing to play for Wake Forest over Georgia Tech, he was a unanimous selection for the ACC All-Freshman Team and posted 10 double-doubles as a freshman. However, after just one year with Wake Forest, he would declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.
Al-Farouq Aminu would be selected with the eight overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2010 NBA draft.
Salah Mejri
Salah Mejri is a Tunisian basketball player who currently plays for the Beirut Club. In addition, he represents the Tunisian national basketball team. Standing in at 7’2″, he had a successful career in Europe and opted to play for the NBA, joining the Dallas Mavericks as a 29 year old rookie.
However, he remained in the NBA for just four years before returning to play with Real Madrid in 2019.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Born on January 3, 1995, Hollis-Jefferson was raised in Chester, Pennsylvania to a single mother who worked two jobs to keep the family fed. His older brother, Rahlir, was also a professional basketball player.
Hollis-Jefferson took a strong interest in basketball at the age of 12 and honed in on his defensive abilities. Before entering the NBA, he was a player for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association.
Hollis-Jefferson is a devout Muslim and recently spoke out against on the Muslim immigration ban.