Shareef Abdur-Rahim Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 30 -- Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Polished Scorer

Originally posted on Cal Bears on SI | By Jeff Faraudo | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 11:59 AM ET

We are counting down Cal’s top 50 athletes based on their careers as post-collegiate professionals. Their performance as Golden Bears is not factored into the rankings.

30. SHAREEF ABDUR-RAHIM

Year at Cal: 1995-96

Sport: Basketball

Pro teams: Vancouver Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings

Age: 48

Hometown: Marietta, GA

Why we ranked him here: Chosen with the No. 3 pick of the 1996 NBA draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 18.7 points while finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting. He scored better than 20 points per game each of the next five seasons and six times total as a pro. He averaged a double-double -- 20.3 points and a career-best 10.1 rebounds-- in 1999-2000. He had a 36-point, 22-rebound game that season against the Dallas Mavericks. At just 23 years old, Abdur-Rahim won a spot on the 2000 Olympic gold-medal squad, where his teammates included fellow Cal alum Jason Kidd. Traded to his hometown Atlanta Hawks before the 2001-02 season, Abdur-Rahim scored a career-high 50 points in a win over Detroit and landed his only All-Star game invite that season. He played in just one postseason series — with Sacramento in 2006. Over 12 seasons, Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds, totaling 15,028 career points. He retired early in the 2007-08 season while with Sacramento and immediately joined the Kings’ coaching staff. He later became assistant general manager, then director of player personnel through 2014. Abdur-Rahim also served as GM for the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ G League team.

At Cal: Abdur-Rahim arrived at Cal in the fall of 1995 as one of the nation’s elite prospects out of Wheeler High School in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, where he won Georgia’s Mr. Basketball award his final two seasons. He played just one season for the Bears, winning Pac-12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors after averaging 21.1 points to lead the conference in scoring, along with 8.4 rebounds. A readymade college scorer, he put up 33 points in his college debut, reached 30 points four times and was named to the AP All-America third team. Abdur-Rahim led the Bears to a 17-11 record and a berth in the NCAA tournament. He returned to Cal after his NBA career to complete his education, earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2012.

Other: Abdur-Rahim has served as president of the NBA’s G League since 2018. He also was voted to serve from 2025 through ’28 on the USA Basketball Board of Directors. He owns an MBA from USC.

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This article first appeared on Cal Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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