Zaid Abdul-Aziz

Zaid Abdul-Aziz

Personal information
Born	April 7, 1946 Brooklyn, New York
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school	John Jay (New York City, New York)
College	Iowa State (1965–1968)
NBA draft	1968 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Cincinnati Royals
Playing career	1968–1978
Position	Power forward / Center
Number	21, 16, 35, 6, 54, 27
Career history
1968–1969	Cincinnati Royals
1969–1970	Milwaukee Bucks
1970–1972	Seattle SuperSonics
1972–1975	Houston Rockets
1976	Seattle SuperSonics
1976–1977	Buffalo Braves
1978	Boston Celtics
1978	Houston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
Third-team All-American – NABC (1968) Big Eight Player of the Year (1968) No. 35 retired by Iowa State
Career NBA statistics
Points	4,557 (9.0 ppg)
Rebounds	4,065 (8.0 rpg)
Assists	601 (1.2 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Zaid Abdul-Aziz (born Donald A. Smith on April 7, 1946) is a retired American professional basketball player. Donald Smith changed his name to Zaid Abdul-Aziz in 1976. The 6'9" Abdul-Aziz starred at Iowa State University before being drafted by the NBA's Cincinnati Royals in 1968. He played ten seasons in the league as a member of the Royals, Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Houston Rockets, Buffalo Braves, and Boston Celtics. Nicknamed "The Kangaroo", he had his finest season in 1971–1972, when he averaged 13.8 points and 11.3 rebounds for Seattle. He retired in 1978 with career totals of 4,557 points and 4,065 rebounds.

In 2006, Zaid Abdul-Aziz published a memoir, Darkness to Sunlight, which tells the stories of his basketball career, personal challenges and spiritual journey. Abdul-Aziz is now a drug and alcohol counselor in Seattle.

Transactions

• 1968 – First round, fifth pick by Cincinnati Royals in 1968 NBA Draft.
• 1969, January 31 – Traded to Milwaukee Bucks for Fred Hetzel plus cash.
• 1970, September 17 – Traded to Seattle SuperSonics for Lucius Allen and Bob Boozer.
• 1972, September 18 – Transferred to Houston Rockets.
• 1975, August 1 – released from Houston Rockets.
• 1976, January 31 – Free agent signed by Seattle SuperSonics.
• 1976, November 26 – Free agent signed by Buffalo Braves from Seattle SuperSonics.
• 1977, January 20 – released from Buffalo Braves.
• 1978, February 14 – Free agent signed by Boston Celtics.
• 1978, February 24 – released by Boston Celtics.
• 1978, March 2 – Free agent signed by Houston Rockets.
• 1978, June 20 – released by Houston Rockets.

NBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1968–69	Cincinnati	20	–	5.4	.419	–	.286	1.6	.2	–	–	1.9
1968–69	Milwaukee	29	–	28.9	.363	–	.642	13.0	1.1	–	–	11.0
1969–70	Milwaukee	80	–	20.5	.434	–	.643	7.5	.8	–	–	7.4
1970–71	Seattle	61	–	20.9	.441	–	.739	7.7	.7	–	–	10.9
1971–72	Seattle	58	–	30.7	.429	–	.720	11.3	2.1	–	–	13.8
1972–73	Houston	48	–	18.8	.397	–	.735	6.3	1.1	–	–	8.7
1973–74	Houston	79	–	31.1	.459	–	.804	11.7	2.1	1.0	1.3	10.9
1974–75	Houston	65	–	22.3	.437	–	.783	7.5	1.3	.6	1.1	9.7
1975–76	Seattle	27	–	8.3	.467	–	.552	2.8	.6	.3	.6	3.2
1976–77	Buffalo	22	–	8.9	.338	–	.767	4.1	.3	.1	.4	3.8
1977–78	Boston	2	–	12.0	.231	–	.667	7.5	1.5	.5	.5	4.0
1977–78	Houston	14	–	9.6	426	–	.750	2.5	.5	.1	.1	3.9
Career		505	–	21.8	.428	–	.728	8.0	1.2	.6	1.0	9.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1969–70	Milwaukee	7	–	11.7	.579	–	.800	3.7	0.6	–	–	4.3
1974–75	Houston	6	–	11.3	.387	–	.400	2.8	0.5	–	–	4.3
1975–76	Seattle	5	–	12.0	.700	–	.727	4.2	0.4	–	–	7.2
Career		18	–	11.7	.529	–	.500	3.6	0.5	–	–	5.1

External links

• Raley, Dan (April 12, 2006), "Where Are They Now? Ex-Sonic Abdul-Aziz", The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
• Career statistics