During Shareef Abdur-Rahim's first three seasons, only four NBA players scored more points-Karl Malone, Allen Iverson, Mitch Richmond and Michael Jordan.

When the Grizzlies and Raptors met for the first time this season, it was a showdown between the two best young basketball talents north of the 49th parallel.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim won. The Grizzlies' skinny Muslim forward outscored the muscular Vince Carter-hyped as the heir-apparent to Michael Jordan-and his Vancouver team whipped their cross-country rivals handily.

During the post-game interview Abdur-Rahim remained soft-spoken and humble, thanking God and remembering to say 'Hi, Mum'. Jeff Rud's Skywalking: How Ten Young Basketball Stars Soared to the Pros (Polestar $9.95) shows that Shareef Abdur-Rahim's humility isn't too good to be true.

"Shareef's early years were spent in the Muslim mosque educational system,"; Rud writes. His middle class family always prayed five times daily. As the eldest son, it was Shareef's duty to call his family to Fajr, the early morning prayer conducted as early as 5:30 a.m. Loosely translated, his name means 'noble servant of the most merciful one.'

His father William was a Georgia State all-star basketball and football player in high school who trained to become an Imam, a religious leader in the Atlanta Muslim community. William Abdur-Rahim made sure his son was buffered from 'inner-city foolishness' by the disciplines of Islam.

Simultaneously William's 'gawky' son practised sports with religious devotion. He would run up hills with his father and work into the dark hours on his shooting. His father would sometimes put a mark on the house and ask Shareef to jump up and touch it 50 times before he went to bed.

Mature for his age, Shareef coped with his parents' divorce and was twice named Georgia's 'Mr. Basketball'. Rival fans taunted him, assuming he was big, black and dumb, but he was unperturbed. "People say he has an old man's spirit in a young man's body,"; says his mother, Aminah.

Recruited by most major colleges, he chose to attend University of California at Berkeley after seeing students engaged in Islamic prayer on the campus lawn. Dedicated to self-improvement, he quietly brought his work ethic to the NBA where one general manager claimed 'he couldn't guard a door'. Shareef would prove him wrong.

He has steadily improved in every area of his game in each season. Withstanding double coverage on a poor team, he became the NBA's sixth highest scorer in his second season and its fourth highest scorer last year. "During the three seasons he has been in the league,"; says Rud, "only four NBA players scored more points-Karl Malone, Allen Iverson, Mitch Richmond and Michael Jordan.";

Despite the rigours of travel and practice, Abdur-Rahim prays five times daily, attends Mosque every Friday and observes Ramadan (as does Houston Rockets' veteran Hakeem Olajuwon).

Ramadan is the month during which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed more than 1,400 years ago. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and involves abstaining from food, water, sex and smoking between sunrise and sunset.

"This is far more important than basketball,"; he says about fasting during Ramadan, "This is a time when I'm more at peace with myself and trying to get more in touch with God.";

He doesn't mind playing in a so-called 'small market' city. He doesn't mind if potential sponsors might balk at his Muslim beliefs. "Remember how you came upon all your accomplishments,"; he says, "and stay humble.";

The other young basketball stars profiled by Victoria sportswriter Jeff Rud are Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors), Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves), Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers), Steve Nash (Dallas Mavericks), Michael Olowokandi (Los Angeles Clippers), Chamique Holdsclaw (Washington Mystics, WNBA) and Dawn Staley (Charlotte Sting, WNBA). 1-896095-46-1

[BCBW SPRING 2000]