"[I'm still] like that kid shooting baskets by himself at midnight, simply for the love of the game."--Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Throughout his basketball career Shareef Abdur-Rahim has been a bear of a player. In college he played for the California Golden Bears, where he became the first freshman to win the Pacific-10 (Pac-10) Player of the Year Award. After one season of college ball he joined the Vancouver Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and has become one of the league's bright young stars. A devout Muslim (a person who practices the Islam religion), Abdur-Rahim has proved that you can be a great basketball player and a nice person.

Growing Up

Noble Servant

Shareef Abdur-Rahim was born December 11, 1976. His name means "noble servant of the Most Merciful One." Abdur-Rahim's father, William, is a Muslim prayer leader at the Masjid Al-Muminum (Mosque of the Believers) in Atlanta, Georgia...