Zaid Abdul-Aziz (born Donald A. Smith on April 7, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player. Donald Smith changed his name to Zaid Abdul-Aziz in 1976 after he converted to Islam.[1] The 6'9" Abdul-Aziz starred at Iowa State University before being drafted by the NBA's Cincinnati Royals in 1968. He played ten seasons in the league as a member of the Royals, Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Houston Rockets, Buffalo Braves, and Boston Celtics. Nicknamed "The Kangaroo", he had his finest season in 1971–1972, when he averaged 13.8 points and 11.3 rebounds for Seattle. He retired in 1978 with career totals of 4,557 points and 4,065 rebounds.
![]() Abdul-Aziz in his final year at Iowa State | |
Personal information | |
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Born | (1946-04-07) April 7, 1946 (age 76) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | John Jay (Brooklyn, New York) |
College | Iowa State (1965–1968) |
NBA draft | 1968 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall |
Selected by the Cincinnati Royals | |
Playing career | 1968–1978 |
Position | Power forward / Center |
Number | 21, 16, 35, 6, 54, 27 |
Career history | |
1968–1969 | Cincinnati Royals |
1969–1970 | Milwaukee Bucks |
1970–1972 | Seattle SuperSonics |
1972–1975 | Houston Rockets |
1976 | Seattle SuperSonics |
1976–1977 | Buffalo Braves |
1978 | Boston Celtics |
1978 | Houston Rockets |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 4,557 (9.0 ppg) |
Rebounds | 4,065 (8.0 rpg) |
Assists | 601 (1.2 apg) |
Stats ![]() | |
Stats ![]() | |
In 2006, Zaid Abdul-Aziz published a memoir, Darkness to Sunlight, which tells the stories of his basketball career, personal challenges, and spiritual journey. Abdul-Aziz is now a drug and alcohol counselor in Seattle.
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1968–69 | Cincinnati | 20 | – | 5.4 | .419 | – | .286 | 1.6 | .2 | – | – | 1.9 |
1968–69 | Milwaukee | 29 | – | 28.9 | .363 | – | .642 | 13.0 | 1.1 | – | – | 11.0 |
1969–70 | Milwaukee | 80 | – | 20.5 | .434 | – | .643 | 7.5 | .8 | – | – | 7.4 |
1970–71 | Seattle | 61 | – | 20.9 | .441 | – | .739 | 7.7 | .7 | – | – | 10.9 |
1971–72 | Seattle | 58 | – | 30.7 | .429 | – | .720 | 11.3 | 2.1 | – | – | 13.8 |
1972–73 | Houston | 48 | – | 18.8 | .397 | – | .735 | 6.3 | 1.1 | – | – | 8.7 |
1973–74 | Houston | 79 | – | 31.1 | .459 | – | .804 | 11.7 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 10.9 |
1974–75 | Houston | 65 | – | 22.3 | .437 | – | .783 | 7.5 | 1.3 | .6 | 1.1 | 9.7 |
1975–76 | Seattle | 27 | – | 8.3 | .467 | – | .552 | 2.8 | .6 | .3 | .6 | 3.2 |
1976–77 | Buffalo | 22 | – | 8.9 | .338 | – | .767 | 4.1 | .3 | .1 | .4 | 3.8 |
1977–78 | Boston | 2 | – | 12.0 | .231 | – | .667 | 7.5 | 1.5 | .5 | .5 | 4.0 |
1977–78 | Houston | 14 | – | 9.6 | 426 | – | .750 | 2.5 | .5 | .1 | .1 | 3.9 |
Career | 505 | – | 21.8 | .428 | – | .728 | 8.0 | 1.2 | .6 | 1.0 | 9.0 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
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1970 | Milwaukee | 7 | – | 11.7 | .579 | – | .800 | 3.7 | 0.6 | – | – | 4.3 |
1975 | Houston | 6 | – | 11.3 | .387 | – | .400 | 2.8 | 0.5 | – | – | 4.3 |
1976 | Seattle | 5 | – | 12.0 | .700 | – | .727 | 4.2 | 0.4 | – | – | 7.2 |
Career | 18 | – | 11.7 | .529 | – | .500 | 3.6 | 0.5 | – | – | 5.1 |
1968 NBA draft | |
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First round | |
Second round |
Big Eight Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year | |
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General | |
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National libraries |