Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (born September 1, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

. Abdur-Rahkman played high school basketball for

Allentown Central Catholic High School Allentown Central Catholic High School (ACCHS), often referred to as Central Catholic or Central, is a private, parochial school located at 301 N. 4th Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The school is managed by the Diocese of Allentown, and pred ...

in his hometown of

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

, where he was a four-time

Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. (PIAA) is one of the governing bodies of Secondary school, high school and middle school athletics for Pennsylvania. PIAA's main office is located in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harri ...

(PIAA) Class AAA All-State selection. In college, he set the Michigan record for career games played (144). As a college senior, he was a 2018 All Big Ten honorable mention honoree by both the coaches and the media. He was part of the 2016–17 Wolverines team that reached the sweet sixteen round of the

2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 20 ...

and the 2017–18 team that reached the

Championship Game A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world championships, and ...

of the

2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2017–18 seas ...

. He was a member of

Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament The Big Ten men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1998. The winner of the tournament is designated the Big Ten Tournament Champion, a ...

champions in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Early life

Abdur-Rahkman was born on September 1, 1994, in

to Dawud and Tammy Abdur-Rahkman. He has a sister, Nailah, and a brother, Shahad. Dawud was an assistant men's basketball coach at

Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German pat ...

. Shahad played college basketball at

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU) is a public university in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of ten state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). History What today is East ...

. Abdur-Rahkman was a four-time PIAA Class AAA All-State selection—first team (2013, 2014), second team (2011, 2012)—for

. Dawud became the head men's basketball coach at

Lehigh Carbon Community College Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), often pronounced "L-tri-C," is an American public community college with a main campus in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The college also maintains sate ...

in 2017. Abdur-Rahkman received over 30 scholarship offers, mostly from second tier programs. As a result, he waited until the late signing period of his senior season in hopes of getting the attention of a major program. Former college basketball coach Dave Rooney had been a friend of

John Beilein John Patrick Beilein ( ; born February 5, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach who currently serves as a college basketball analyst for the Big Ten Network. Before being hired by the Big Ten Network, Beilein served as the head coac ...

when the two were both young coaches and recommended that Beilein consider Abdur-Rahkman. In addition to his scholarship offers, Abdur-Rahkman also had serious interest from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, Pitt and

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

and was expected to land at one of those schools had Michigan not made him an offer.

College career

The

2013–14 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team The 2013–14 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the 47th consecutive year a ...

had been outright champions of 2013–14 Big Ten Conference and reached the elite eight round of the

2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2013-14 ...

, but lost three players to the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The ...

Nik Stauskas Nikolas Tomas Stauskas (born October 7, 1993) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A shooting guard, Stauskas played two seasons of college basketball for the Mi ...

Mitch McGary Mitchell Neil William McGary (born June 6, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player. A native of Chesterton, Indiana, McGary declared for the NBA draft after completing his sophomore season for the 2013–14 Michigan Wolverines ...

and

Glenn Robinson III Glenn Alann ‘Tre’ Robinson III (born January 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Seoul Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He was drafted 40th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2014 N ...

Freshman season

Abdur-Rahkman matriculated to the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

where he became roommates with

Aubrey Dawkins Aubrey Lafell Dawkins (born May 8, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Würzburg Baskets of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the UCF Knights, transferring to UCF after completing his sophomore seaso ...

. He made his NCAA debut for Michigan against on November 15 along with 6 other true freshmen and a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

freshman, but was held scoreless. He scored his first

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

on December 9 in a loss to

Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school (teachers' ...

. On January 17, 2015, in his first career start (in place of Spike Albrecht), Abdur-Rahkman made the

three point shot A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or triple) is a Field goal (basketball), field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, ...

that provided the margin of victory against Northwestern. On January 27 against

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, Abdur-Rahkman moved into the starting lineup when

Derrick Walton Derrick Walton Jr. (born April 3, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and sp ...

went down with an injury. Walton remained sidelined for the rest of the season. On February 1, Abdur-Rahkman posted a career-high 18 points in the

rivalry game Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a university or college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry, whic ...

against

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

, but Michigan lost in

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

. On March 12, Abdur-Rahkman tallied 15 points and a career-high eight

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

against

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

in the second round of the

2015 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament The 2015 Big Ten men's basketball tournament was held from March 11 through March 15 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. This was the eighteenth annual Big Ten tournament and was the first tournament to feature 14 teams of the expanded Big T ...

to help Michigan extend its streak of opening round wins in the tournament to nine.

Sophomore season

On January 7, 2016, Abdur-Rahkman scored a career-high 25 points against

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

. On January 12 with leading scorer Caris LeVert sidelined, Abdur-Rahkman started as Michigan defeated #3

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

70–67. Abdur-Rahkman posted a game-high four assists. On March 16 in the First Four rounds of the

2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 20 ...

, Michigan defeated

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

, 67–62, behind a team-high 16 points from Abdur-Rahkman, his fifth consecutive double digit performance. He started in 25 games and was one of four Wolverines to play in all 36 games for the 2015-16 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team.

Junior season

As a junior, he was a regular starter for the Wolverines, starting 37 of the 38 games he played. On December 17, Michigan defeated

Maryland Eastern Shore The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula that Ma ...

98–49 as Abdur-Rahkman recorded a career-high 10 assists. During the 2016–17 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season, Abdur Rahkman had a 53.4%

field goal percentage Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Although three-point field goal percentage is often calculated separately, three-point field goals are included in the gene ...

, including 48.9% on three point field goals, which was second in the conference. The team won the

2017 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament The 2017 Big Ten men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference held from March 8 through March 12, 2017 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. It was the first Big Ten men's basketball t ...

and reached the sweet sixteen round of the

. Rahkman averaged 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals in the Big Ten tournament, including 17 points in Michigan's opening game against

on March 9.

Senior season

On December 2, Michigan defeated

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

69–55 in its Big Ten conference opener as Abdur Rahkman posted a career-high 11 rebounds. Abdur-Rahkman's first career

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

(17 points and 10 rebounds), helped Michigan defeat

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

59–52 on December 12. 2017. On January 15, 2018, Abdur-Rahkman scored his 1,000th point on a pair of game-winning free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining in a 68–67 win against

. On January 25, Abdur-Rahkman posted a then career-high 26 points in an 88–92 loss to (#3 AP Poll/#3 Coaches Poll)

. On February 3 against

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, Abdur-Rahkman posted 17 points, including a three-point play with 3.8 seconds remaining, to give Michigan a 76–73 overtime victory. On his senior day on February 18, Abdur-Rahkman led Michigan (with 17 points) to a 74–62 victory over (#8 AP Poll/#9 Coaches Poll)

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

. Prior to the game Michigan honored seniors Abdur-Rahkman,

Duncan Robinson Duncan McBryde Robinson (born April 22, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the NCAA Division III Williams College Ephs and then ...

, graduate student Jaaron Simmons and undergraduate student assistant Austin Hatch. On February 24, Abdur-Rahkman posted a career-high 28 points in an 85–61 victory over Maryland in the regular season finale. Following the 2017–18 Big Ten Conference men's basketball regular season, Abdur-Rahkman ranked second nationally with a 5.0 assists/turnover ratio and was named an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media. On March 2, Michigan defeated

77–58 in the quarterfinals of the

2018 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament The 2018 Big Ten men's basketball tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference of the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was held from February 28 through March 4, 2018 at Madison Squar ...

. Michigan was led by Abdur-Rahkman with 21 points (5–5 three point shots), who became the second player in the history of the

to be perfect on at least 5 three-point shots in a single game. In the March 4, 2018 Big Ten tournament championship game against

, Abdur-Rahkman scored 15 points to help lead Michigan to their second consecutive Big Ten tournament championship. He was named the All-tournament team. Rahkman averaged 15.0 points per game, shot 64.7% (11–17) on three-point shots and had a 5.5:1 assist-to-turnover ration during the tournament. Abdur-Rahkman, who posted a game-high 12 points (along with Moritz Wagner), was the main ballhandler on a set play from the defensive baseline with 3.6 seconds left in the

second-round game against (#21 AP Poll/#19 Coaches Poll)

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

on March 17, 2018, and got the assist by setting up Jordan Poole for a

buzzer beater In timed sports, a buzzer beater is a successful shot made as the clock expires at the end of a period or at the end of the game, leaving zero seconds remaining. A buzzer sounds whenever a game clock expires, hence the name "buzzer beater." In b ...

three point shot resulting in a 64–63 win and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. Abdur-Rahkman, who averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the first four games of the NCAA tournament, was joined by Charles Matthews and Wagner on the West Region All-tournament team. On April 2, Michigan lost to (#2 Coaches Poll/#2 AP Poll) Villanova 62–79 in the National Championship Game. Michigan was led by Abdur-Rahkman with 23 points, who finished his collegiate career as Michigan's all-time leader in games played with 144 games. Since the team reached the championship games of both the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA Tournament, Rahkman shares the Michigan (and NCAA) single-season games played record (41) with teammates Robinson,

Jon Teske Jon Teske (born May 4, 1997) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball, Michigan Wolverines. He was part of the 2017–18 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball ...

, Zavier Simpson and Matthews. Members of the 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies also played 41 games (an NCAA record). Rahkman is the only Wolverine to have played in 13 Big Ten men's basketball tournament games. Zavier Simpson surpassed Abdur-Rahkman for the career games played record.

Professional career

Prior to the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

, Abdur-Rahkman was only able to work out with one team due to a broken foot, ultimately going undrafted. On October 4, 2018, he signed with the

Canton Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since 2024, the team plays its home games at Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland, thoug ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. He posted 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in the season opener on November 3 against the

Wisconsin Herd The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena. History On June 29, 2016, it was anno ...

. On June 7, 2021, he has signed with

Legia Warszawa Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning a record 15 champions titles, a record 2 ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

. On July 20, 2022, he has signed with

Victoria Libertas Pesaro Victoria Libertas (also known as "VL" or in Italian ''Vuelle''), full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professiona ...

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA). On June 28, 2023, he signed with Darüşşafaka Lassa of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL). On June 21, 2024, he signed with

of the Spanish

References

External links

ESPN profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdur Rahkman, Muhammad Ali 1994 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen African-American Muslims Allentown Central Catholic High School alumni American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Poland American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from Pennsylvania Bilbao Basket players Canton Charge players Darüşşafaka Basketbol players Legia Warsaw (basketball) players Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players Muslims from Pennsylvania Point guards Sportspeople from Allentown, Pennsylvania Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro players