Tariq Abdul-Wahad
| Position | Shooting guard/Small forward |
|---|---|
| Height | ft in ( m) |
| Weight | lb ( kg) |
| Nationality | France |
| Born | November 3 1974  Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne, France |
| College | Michigan San Jose State |
| Draft | 11th overall, 1997 Sacramento Kings |
| Pro career | 1997–present |
| Former teams | Sacramento Kings 1997-1999 Orlando Magic 1999-2000 Denver Nuggets 2000-2001 Dallas Mavericks 2001-2005 |
Tariq Abdul-Wahad (born Olivier Michael Saint-Jean; November 3 1974, in Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne) is a French professional basketball player.
Abdul-Wahad was born in France from parents who migrated from French Guiana. He changed his name to Tariq Abdul-Wahad after converting to Islam in 1997. He is the first player to be born and raised in that nation and play in the NBA. Tariq first played college ball at the University of Michigan, but later transferred to San Jose State, and was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 1997. He is known as a defensive specialist, but his playing time has been restricted in recent seasons due to injuries and has only played in 236 out of 788 games. In 2005 Abdul-Wahad was on the Dallas Mavericks' roster on injured reserve but was released during training camp prior to the 2005-06 season. In November 2006 Italian team Climamio Bologna invited Abdul-Wahad to a try out, but he was not signed.[1]
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.
Abdul-Wahad's finest year as a pro was with the Sacramento Kings in the 1998-1999 NBA season. He was a starter for the Kings the year they first stepped on the scene as perhaps the most exciting team in the NBA. They pushed the heavily favored Utah Jazz to the brink of elimination but lost in the 5th and final game of the series.
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| 1997 NBA Draft |
|---|
| First Round Tim Duncan • Keith Van Horn • Chauncey Billups • Antonio Daniels • Tony Battie • Ron Mercer • Tim Thomas • Adonal Foyle • Tracy McGrady • Danny Fortson • Olivier Saint-Jean • Austin Croshere • Derek Anderson • Maurice Taylor • Kelvin Cato • Brevin Knight • Johnny Taylor • Chris Anstey • Scot Pollard • Paul Grant • |
| Second Round Serge Zwikker • Mark Sanford • Charles O'Bannon • James Cotton • Marko Milič • Bubba Wells • Kebu Stewart • James Collins • Marc Jackson • Jerald Honeycutt • Anthony Johnson • Ed Elisma • Jason Lawson • Stephen Jackson • Gordon Malone • Cedric Henderson • God Shammgod • Eric Washington • Alvin Williams • Predrag Drobnjak • Alain Digbeu • Chris Crawford • DeJuan Wheat • C.J. Bruton • Paul Rogers • Mark Blount • Ben Pepper • Nate Erdmann • Roberto Dueñas |
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