Tariq Abdul-Wahad

2025-08-27T14:31:18Z

93.177.69.235: /* Early life and college years */

{{Short description|French basketball coach and player (born 1974)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Tariq Abdul-Wahad
| image = Tariq Abdul-Wahad_2.jpg
| width =
| caption = Abdul-Wahad in 2007
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|11|03}}
| birth_place = [[Maisons-Alfort]], [[Val-de-Marne]], France
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 6
| weight_lb = 223
| high_school = Aristide Briand ([[Évreux]], France)
| college = [[Michigan Wolverines men's basketball|Michigan]] (1993–1994)<br />[[San Jose State Spartans men's basketball|San Jose State]] (1995–1997)
| draft_round = 1
| draft_pick = 11
| draft_year = 1997
| draft_team = [[Sacramento Kings]]
| career_start = 1997
| career_end = 2003
| career_position = [[Shooting guard]] / [[small forward]]
| career_number = 9
| coach_start = 2011
| coach_end = 2016
| years1 = {{nbay|1997|start}}–{{nbay|1998|end}}
| team1 = [[Sacramento Kings]]
| years2 = {{nbay|1999|full=y}}
| team2 = [[Orlando Magic]]
| years3 = 2000–{{nbay|2001|end}}
| team3 = [[Denver Nuggets]]
| years4 = 2002–{{nbay|2002|end}}
| team4 = [[Dallas Mavericks]]
| cyears1 = 2011–2012
| cteam1 = [[Cal State Monterey Bay Otters|Cal State Monterey Bay]] (women's assistant)
| cyears2 = 2012–2016
| cteam2 = [[Lincoln High School (San Jose, California)|Lincoln HS]]
| highlights =
* First-team All-[[Western Athletic Conference|WAC]] (1997)
| stats_league = NBA
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 1,830 (7.8 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value = 776 (3.3 rpg)
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 266 (1.1 apg)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | {{FRA}} }}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Basketball]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship|European U-18 Championship]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1992 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship|1992 Hungary]]|[[France national under-18 basketball team|U-18 Team]]}}
}}

'''Tariq Abdul-Wahad''' (born '''Olivier Michael Saint-Jean'''; November 3, 1974) is a French [[basketball]] coach and former player. As Olivier Saint-Jean, he played [[college basketball]] for the [[Michigan Wolverines men's basketball|Michigan Wolverines]] and [[San Jose State Spartans men's basketball|San Jose State Spartans]]. In 1997, the [[Sacramento Kings]] selected Saint-Jean in the first round of the [[1997 NBA draft|NBA draft]] as the 11th overall pick, and Saint-Jean converted to Islam and changed his name to Tariq Abdul-Wahad. From 1997 to 2003, Abdul-Wahad played in the NBA for the Kings, [[Orlando Magic]], [[Denver Nuggets]], and [[Dallas Mavericks]]. He was the first player to be raised in France and play in the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]].

==Early life and college years==
Olivier Saint-Jean was born in [[Maisons-Alfort]] near Paris.<ref name="WSQ"/> His mother George Goudet was a professional basketball player.<ref name="his canvas">{{cite magazine|last=Wertheim|first=L. Jon|title=The Court Is His Canvas|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1018598/index.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130410171652/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1018598/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 10, 2013|magazine=Sports Illustrated|accessdate=March 8, 2013|date=March 20, 2000}}</ref> His step-father Quinis Brower was a former [[Hofstra Pride men's basketball|Hofstra University]] and pro basketball player who was drafted by the [[American Basketball Association|ABA]]'s [[New York Nets]] before a professional career in France, playing with the club team [[Limoges CSP|Limoges]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Basketball Recruiting - Brower Has Offer|url=https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/brower-has-offer|access-date=2020-08-14|website=basketballrecruiting.rivals.com|date=30 August 2002|archive-date=2025-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125062516/https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/brower-has-offer|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Etienne Brower - Men's Basketball|url=https://umassathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/etienne-brower/431|access-date=2020-08-14|website=University of Massachusetts Athletics|language=en}}</ref>

After graduating from Lycee Aristide Briand in 1993, Abdul-Wahad first played [[college basketball]] for two years at [[Michigan Wolverines men's basketball|Michigan]] and transferred to [[San José State University|San Jose State]] in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tariq Abdul-Wahad|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/abdulta01.html|publisher=basketball-reference.com|accessdate=March 8, 2013}}</ref> Abdul-Wahad was part of the [[1995–96 San Jose State Spartans men's basketball team|San Jose State team]] that won the 1996 [[Big West Conference men's basketball tournament]] and made the [[1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA Tournament]] despite a 13–16 record.<ref name="WSQ"/>

Then as a senior with [[San Jose State Spartans|SJSU]], Abdul-Wahad ranked as the seventh-leading scorer in the country, averaging 23.8 points.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smyth Jr. |first=Steve |date=June 26, 1997 |title=Saint-Jean, Knight, Gray Taken in 1st |work=Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA) |pages=D01}}</ref> His No. 3 jersey was retired by San Jose State in 2002; however, the banner hanging in [[the Event Center Arena]] refers to him as Olivier Saint-Jean, the name he used while in college. He changed his name to Tariq Abdul-Wahad after converting to [[Islam]] in 1997.<ref name="his canvas"/>

==Professional career==
Abdul-Wahad's peak year as a pro was with the Sacramento Kings in the lockout-shortened [[1998–99 NBA season|1999 NBA season]], when he was a starter for the team. They pushed the [[Utah Jazz]] to the brink of elimination but lost in the fifth and final game of the series.

He was known as a defensive specialist, but his playing time was restricted in later seasons due to injuries. He only played in 236 out of a possible 624 games between [[1997–98 NBA season|1997]] and [[2004–05 NBA season|2005]]. In the whole [[2003–04 NBA season|2003–04]] and [[2004–05 NBA season|2004–05]] seasons Abdul-Wahad was on the [[Dallas Mavericks]]' roster on injured reserve, as he was permanently unable to play. He was released by Mavericks on 28 September 2005, during training camp prior to the [[2005–06 NBA season|2005–06 season]]. In November 2006 Italian team [[Fortitudo Bologna|Climamio Bologna]] invited Abdul-Wahad to a try out, but he was not signed.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927090707/http://www.24sec.net/article.asp?index=3760 Tariq Abdul-Wahad leaves Bologna]</ref>

==NBA career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend}}

=== Regular season ===

{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" | [[1997–98 NBA season|1997–98]]
| align="left" | [[1997–98 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]
| '''59''' || 16 || 16.3 || .403 || .211 || .672 || 2.0 || .9 || .6 || .2 || 6.4
|-
| align="left" | [[1998–99 NBA season|1998–99]]
| align="left" | [[1998–99 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]
| 49 || '''49''' || 24.6 || .435 || .286 || .691 || 3.8 || 1.0 || 1.0 || .3 || 9.3
|-
| align="left" | [[1999–2000 NBA season|1999–00]]
| align="left" | [[1999–2000 Orlando Magic season|Orlando]]
| 46 || 46 || '''26.2''' || .433 || .095 || '''.762''' || '''5.2''' || 1.6 || '''1.2''' || .3 || '''12.2'''
|-
| align="left" | [[1999–2000 NBA season|1999–00]]
| align="left" | [[1999–2000 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]]
| 15 || 10 || 24.9 || .389 || '''.500''' || .738 || 3.5 || '''1.7''' || .4 || '''.8''' || 8.9
|-
| align="left" | [[2000–01 NBA season|2000–01]]
| align="left" | [[2000–01 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]]
| 29 || 12 || 14.5 || .387 || .400 || .583 || 2.0 || .8 || .5 || .4 || 3.8
|-
| align="left" | [[2001–02 NBA season|2001–02]]
| align="left" | [[2001–02 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]]
| 20 || 12 || 20.9 || .379 || '''.500''' || .750 || 3.9 || 1.1 || .9 || .5 || 6.8
|-
| align="left" | [[2001–02 NBA season|2001–02]]
| align="left" | [[2001–02 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| 4 || 0 || 6.0 || .000 || – || .000 || 1.5 || .5 || .5 || .3 || .0
|-
| align="left" | [[2002–03 NBA season|2002–03]]
| align="left" | [[2002–03 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| 14 || 0 || 14.6 || '''.466''' || .000 || .500 || 2.9 || 1.5 || .4 || .2 || 4.1
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 236 || 145 || 20.4 || .417 || .237 || .703 || 3.3 || 1.1 || .8 || .4 || 7.8
|}

=== Playoffs ===

{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" | [[1999 NBA Playoffs|1999]]
| align="left" | [[1998–99 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]
| 5 || '''5''' || '''19.8''' || '''.455''' || .000 || .813 || '''3.8''' || .8 || '''.8''' || '''.8''' || '''8.6'''
|-
| align="left" | [[2003 NBA Playoffs|2003]]
| align="left" | [[2002–03 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| '''8''' || 0 || 9.9 || .300 || .000 || '''.875''' || 2.8 || '''.9''' || .0 || .0 || 3.1
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 13 || 5 || 13.7 || .381 || .000 || .833 || 3.2 || .8 || .3 || .3 || 5.2
|}

==National team career==
Abdul-Wahad (as Oliver Saint Jean) played for the [[France men's national under-18 basketball team]] at the [[1992 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship]] where his team won gold.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/cid//sid/2343/_/1992_U18_European_Championship_Men/index.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090928040513/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/event/p/cid/sid/2343/_/1992_U18_European_Championship_Men/index.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = September 28, 2009| title = 1992 European Championship for Junior Men}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/500379/sid/2343/tid/282/tid2//_/1992_European_Championship_for_Junior_Men/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115022244/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/500379/sid/2343/tid/282/tid2//_/1992_European_Championship_for_Junior_Men/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 15, 2015|title = Oliver Saint Jean profile, European Championship for Junior Men 1992}}</ref> As a senior player for France, he won the silver medal in the 2000 Olympic game in Sydney losing against the US in the final.

==Post-playing years==
In 2005, Abdul-Wahad played the part of King Negus of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in the video play ''Mercy to Mankind: Part 1, The Prophecy Fulfilled'', sponsored by the MAS ([[Muslim American Society]]) Youth Chapter, Dallas, Texas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mercy to Mankind: Prophecy Fulfilled| website=Amazon |url=
https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Mankind-Part-Prophecy-Fulfilled/dp/B002G0NI1U/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1371525201&sr=8-6&keywords=Mercy+to+mankind}}</ref>

Abdul-Wahad finished his [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in [[art history]] at [[San Jose State University]] in 2008 and enrolled in the [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] program at San Jose State afterwards.<ref name="WSQ">{{cite web|title=Art, Hoops and Business: Nothing But Net|url=http://www.sjsu.edu/wsq/archive/winter09/sports/|work=Washington Square|publisher=San Jose State University|accessdate=March 8, 2013|date=Winter 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tariq Abdul-Wahad|url=http://www.sjsuspartans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/080508aaa.html|publisher=San Jose State Athletics|accessdate=June 27, 2015|date=August 5, 2008}}</ref> He later started a clothing business in Brazil with a friend and a television production company in France.<ref name="WSQ"/><ref name="returns to SJ"/>

On July 21, 2011, the Division II [[California State University, Monterey Bay|Cal State Monterey Bay]] Otters women's basketball team hired Abdul-Wahad as an assistant coach.<ref>[http://otterathletics.com/news/2011/7/20/WBB_0720110526.aspx Tariq Abdul–Wahad Joins Women's Basketball Staff]</ref>

Abdul-Wahad became head varsity boys' basketball coach at [[Lincoln High School (San Jose, California)|Lincoln High School]] of [[San Jose, California]] in 2012.<ref name="returns to SJ">{{cite web|author=Brown, Daniel|title=Flying Frenchman, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, returns to San Jose as coach|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/sjsu-spartans/ci_22313301/flying-frenchman-tariq-abdul-wahad-returns-san-jose|work=San Jose Mercury News|date=January 5, 2013}}</ref>

Abdul-Wahad unsuccessfully pushed for the Israeli national team to be banned from participating in his home country's 2024 Paris Summer Olympics (https://www.jpost.com/international/article-808502).

==Notes==
<references/>

==External links==
*{{Basketballstats |nba= 1505 |bbr= a/abdulta01 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040416174030/http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tariq_abdul-wahad/bio.html NBA bio]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151115022244/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/500379/sid/2343/tid/282/tid2//_/1992_European_Championship_for_Junior_Men/index.html fiba.com Profile]

{{1997 NBA draft}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdul-Wahad, Tariq}}
[[Category:1974 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from California]]
[[Category:Black French sportspeople]]
[[Category:Cal State Monterey Bay Otters women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Converts to Islam]]
[[Category:Dallas Mavericks players]]
[[Category:Denver Nuggets players]]
[[Category:French expatriate basketball people in the United States]]
[[Category:French Guianan basketball players]]
[[Category:French men's basketball players]]
[[Category:French Muslims]]
[[Category:French people of French Guianan descent]]
[[Category:High school basketball coaches in California]]
[[Category:Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players]]
[[Category:NBA players from France]]
[[Category:Orlando Magic players]]
[[Category:People from Maisons-Alfort]]
[[Category:Sacramento Kings draft picks]]
[[Category:Sacramento Kings players]]
[[Category:San Jose State Spartans men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Shooting guards]]
[[Category:Small forwards]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Évreux]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Val-de-Marne]]

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Tariq Abdul-Wahad