People Watch: Life of a Basketball Star During Ramadhan
Islam Online, Washington D.C.
19/12/2000
The basketball star, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, is doing daw’ah
NO FOOD? NO PROBLEM
Shareef Abdur-Rahim contends that he feels spiritually and physically
better during the Holy Month of Ramadan, and that there is no drop-off in
his game.He's right.As the chart below supports, his scoring average is better for the
30 days of fasting as compared to the rest of the NBA season. Tracey
Reavis
During Ramadan
Season
ppg
rpg
apg
1999-2000
22.0
9.6
3.2
1997-98
23.3
6.9
2.8
1996-97
20.8
6.9
1.9
Rest of season
Season
ppg
rpg
apg
1999-2000
19.9
10.2
3.3
1997-98
22.1
7.1
2.6
1996-97
18.0
7.0
2.2
Note: Ramadan occurred during the lockout in
1998-99.
– both on and off the court. Most recently, the official website of the National Basketball Association, NBA.com, featured Abdur-Rahim’s ability to successfully manage his duties to Allah and to his team at the same time. Abdur-Rahim and Mahmoud Abdur-Raouf are teammates on the Canadian basketball team known as the Vancouver Grizzlies. This brief chart (from NBA.com) is proof of what Abdur-Rahim, Abdur-Raouf and Hakim Olajuwon have always said: “Fasting in Ramadhan actually boosts their overall performance!”
Editor’s Note: For those of us who are not so athletically inclined, the abbreviations in the chart stand for: ppg=points per game; rpg=rebounds per game; apg=assists per game.
(This chart is part of a complete story
that can be found at www.NBA.com)
