Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman

Early life and education

Abdur-Rahkman was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Dawud and Tammy Abdur-Rahkman, and has a sister, Nailah, and a brother, Shahad. His father, an assistant men's basketball coach at Muhlenberg College, converted to Islam in 1980 after meeting boxer Muhammad Ali two years earlier; Abdur-Rahkman is named after Ali. Shahad played college basketball at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. At Allentown Central Catholic High School, Abdur-Rahkman was a four-time PIAA Class AAA All-State selection, earning first-team honors in 2013 and 2014 and second-team honors in 2011 and 2012.

He received over 30 scholarship offers, mostly from second-tier programs, and waited until the late signing period of his senior season. Former college coach Dave Rooney, a friend of John Beilein, recommended that Beilein consider Abdur-Rahkman. He had serious interest from Boston College, Pitt, and Penn State before Michigan made an offer.

College career

Abdur-Rahkman enrolled at Michigan and shared a room with Aubrey Dawkins. He debuted for the Wolverines on November 15, 2014, along with seven other first-year players, but did not score. His first points arrived on December 9 in a defeat to Eastern Michigan. On January 17, 2015, making his first start in place of Spike Albrecht, he hit the three-pointer that sealed a win over Northwestern.

Sophomore season

On February 1, he put up a career-high 18 points in an overtime loss to Michigan State. On March 12, he recorded 15 points and a career-best eight rebounds against Illinois in the Big Ten tournament. On January 7, 2016, he notched a new career high of 25 points against Purdue. On January 12, with top scorer Caris LeVert out, he started and dished a game-high four assists in a win over third-ranked Maryland.

Junior season

In the 2016 NCAA tournament's First Four, he led the team with 16 points in a victory over Tulsa. He started 25 games and appeared in all 36 contests for the 2015–16 squad. As a junior, he started 37 of 38 games, dished a career-high 10 assists against Maryland Eastern Shore on December 17, and shot 48.9% from three-point range in conference play, second-best in the Big Ten. The Wolverines won the 2017 Big Ten tournament and reached the Sweet Sixteen.

Senior season

During his senior season, he grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against Indiana on December 2, then posted his first career double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) against Texas on December 12. He scored his 1,000th point on game-winning free throws with 1.2 seconds left against Maryland on January 15, 2018. On February 24, he dropped a career-high 28 points against Maryland. He finished the regular season ranked second nationally with a 5.0 assist-to-turnover ratio and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention from both coaches and media.

In the Big Ten tournament, he went 5-for-5 from three against Nebraska on March 2, becoming the second player in tournament history to be perfect on at least five three-pointers. He averaged 15.0 points in the tournament, shot 64.7% from deep, and was named to the All-Tournament team after Michigan won its second straight title. In the NCAA tournament, he set up Jordan Poole's buzzer-beating three to beat Houston on March 17, finishing with 12 points.

He averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists through the first four NCAA games and made the West Region All-Tournament team. In the national championship loss to Villanova on April 2, he led Michigan with 23 points. He finished his college career as Michigan's all-time leader in games played (144) and tied the Michigan and NCAA single-season record of 41 games played alongside teammates Duncan Robinson, Jon Teske, Zavier Simpson, and Charles Matthews. He is the only Wolverine to play in 13 Big Ten tournament games.

Professional career

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman entered the 2018 NBA draft after a broken foot limited him to a single pre-draft workout, and he was not selected. He joined the Canton Charge of the NBA G League on October 4, 2018, and in his first game on November 3, he recorded 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. On June 7, 2021, he signed with Legia Warszawa of the Polish league.

Did You Know?

• In the 2018 Big Ten tournament, he went 5-for-5 on three-pointers against Nebraska, becoming just the second player in tournament history to be perfect on at least five threes.
• He led Michigan with 23 points in the 2018 national championship game against Villanova.