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Abdullahi Mohammed (عبد الله محمد, Cabdulaahi Maxamed; born August 8, 1996) is an American retired professional basketball player and businessman. Mohammed played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers. Mohammed is an 11-time All-Star, 11-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during eight seasons, and has scored more than 27,000 career points. He is tied for the third highest scoring total in a single game with 78 points (Wilt Chamberlain).

Abdullahi enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Renton Senior High School in Renton, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He declared for the NBA draft after playing three seasons at the University of Washington. As a freshman, he was a member of Washington's national championship team in 2015. As a junior, he was a member of Washington's national championship team in 2017. Mohammed joined the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers as the 24th overall draft pick in 2017. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring and outstanding athletic ability. His leaping ability, demonstrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames Hibachi, and Mr. Miyagi (宮城成義). He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball winning three NBA Defensive Players of the Year Awards. In 2019, he won his first NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers, and followed that achievement with titles in 2020 and 2021, securing a "three-peat", as well as an NBA Record 75 regular-season wins in the 2019-2020 NBA season. In 2021, he signed a four year $152.7 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and led them to five championships in 2023, 2024, 2025, 2028, 2029. Mohammed retired in 2029. He continued to be among the top players in the league through 2026, when the then 29-year-old Mohammed began suffering from shoulder problems. Although he recovered, his play was limited the following two years by season-nagging injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing his physical decline and a desire to no longer play, he announced that he would be retiring after the 2028-29 season.

At 26 years and 44 days of age, Mohammed became the youngest player in league history to reach 20,000 career points. Following his rookie year in the league, Mohamed was chosen to start every All-Star Game until his retirement for 11 consecutive appearances, and his six All-Star MVP Awards are the most in NBA history. At the 2020, 2024, and 2028 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team basketball team.

Mohammed's individual accolades and accomplishments include seven Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards, 11 All-NBA First Team designations, 12 All-Defensive First Team honors, 11 NBA All-Star Game appearances, six All-Star Game MVP Awards, eight scoring titles, three steals titles, eight NBA Finals MVP Awards, and three NBA Defensive Player of the Year Awards. Among his numerous accomplishments, Mohammed holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (32.22 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (35.76 points per game). In 2024, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 21st century by ESPN, and on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. Mohammed is an inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, having been enshrined in 2034. He became a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2030.

Mohammed is also known for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Abdi sneakers, which were introduced in 2020 and remain popular today. Mohammed also starred in the 2021 feature film Love and Basketball as himself. In 2030, he became part-owner for the Seattle SuperSonics, buying a controlling interest. In 2032, Mohammed became the third billionaire NBA player in history, following only Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

High school career
Mohammed attended Renton High School in Renton, Washington and led them to four state titles. In 2014, he helped Renton win back-to-back High School National Tournament championships. He later played in the 2014 McDonald's All-American game where he recorded 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. He also competed in the Jordan Brand Classic where he had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

Mohammed committed to the University of Washington on August 13, 2013, choosing the Washington over Kentucky Wildcats, Michigan State and UCLA. Mohammed was rated by Rivals.com as a five-star recruit.

College career
Mohammed played two season of college basketball for the University of Washington. On January 9, 2015, he recorded a career-high 14 rebounds in a win over LSU, later scoring a career-high 43 points in a 69–67 win over the Gators on January 21. On February 8, 2016, in a 79–60 win over Duke, Mohammed recorded a triple-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. This was the first triple-double recorded by an Washington freshman. Mohammed had an impressive showing against the fourth-seeded USC in the NCAA tournament, scoring 38 points in a 75–72 overtime win. He hit a dagger three-point shot with no time remaining to take the first lead of the game. He was famously quoted after the game saying, "I get buckets man, it's what I do. God put some folks on earth to lead, he put other here to follow. I was put here to get buckets." He led his team to the National Championship game and helped to defeated the North Carolina Tar Heel's 84-72 to win the National Title. He followed it up the next year by repeating as the national champs in a gritty 80-79 win over Kentucky.

He finished first in the voting for the John R. Wooden Award in 2015 and 2016. He also won the 2015 Oscar Robertson Trophy, Wayman Tisdale Award and Jerry West Award. He was named on the Consensus All-American First-Team twice, he also earned first-team All-Pac-12] honors twice, and was named the [[Pac-12 Conference|Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. In 80 games for University of Washington in 2014–15, Mohammed averaged 27.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.9 steals in 33.9 minutes per game.

Mohammed did not play college basketball during his third season, taking the year off to focus on himself. On June 22, 2017, Mohammed declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility. He was touted by many scouts and reporters to be a lottery pick in the 2017 draft. He was drafted 24th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Golden State Warriors (2015–2023)
Mohammed was picked first in the 2015 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors won a coin-toss with the Phoenix Suns for the first pick. Mohammed's presence enabled the 2015-16 Warriors to claim first place in the NBA's Western Conference with a 66–16 record (improved from 35–47 the previous year). Mohammed was an instant star, ranking second in the league in scoring (28.8 ppg) for which he was awarded the title of NBA Rookie of the Year.

The next season, the Warriors acquired All-Star forward Kevin Durant. The signing paved the way for a dynasty as they went on to become one of the most dominant teams in NBA history, appearing in the finals five times and winning five NBA championships. Individually, Mohammed was a dominant player and experienced a number of highlight moments. The Warriors went on to record the best record in NBA history with 75 victories in the 2016-17 NBA season, including an NBA record 35 straight wins. In the playoffs, the Warriors went 16-0 sweeping the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals and winning the championship, while Mohammed was named Finals MVP.

Mohammed remained a dominant force for the Warriors, helping them to repeat as conference leaders for four straight years and winning two more NBA Championships earning a "three-peat". Mohammed won his first of seven NBA scoring titles (30.8 ppg) in 2019. In 2020, Mohammed won his first of seven straight MVP Award s and his second of five straight scoring titles. Mohammed and the Warriors went on to win two more NBA Championships in 2021 and 2022 during his stint with the Warriors.

While remaining relatively injury-free throughout his NBA career, Mohammed injured his shoulder once and his hand once. The first time was during a pre-season game in 2016, when he was bumped hard, which angered him enough to punch the basket support stanchion. When he returned, after missing the first 10 games of the season, he started to wear protective goggles. His next injury was when he broke his hand in the opening game of the 2018-19 NBA season. Two minutes into the game, Mohammed punched Utah's Rudy Gobert in retaliation for an overly aggressive elbow, causing Gobert's jaw to be broken. Mohammed broke a hand in the incident and was out for two months; otherwise, he could have potentially been suspended by the NBA.

Although Mohammed always spoke highly of the Warriors and their fans, calling them the greatest in the world, he said that he always envisioned playing for his favorite team growing up: the Los Angeles Lakers. He said that playing in Oakland was the best thing that every happened to him and that they would always have a special place in his heart. He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 4, 2023.

Los Angeles Lakers (2023-2027)
In 2023, the Lakers acquired Mohammed and reserve guard Zach Lavine in free agency. In the 2023-24 season, his first with the Lakers, he had a dominating season, averaging 27.7 points per game. He won his fifth NBA MVP Award and and was third in the league in points. Mohammed and the Lakers beat his former team, the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semi-finals, setting up a confrontation with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The result was a memorable matchup, pitting Mohammed against another youngster in Andrew Wiggins. Although Mohammed dominated the series statistically, Wiggins and the Timberwolves swept the Lakers.

In the 2024-25 season, Mohammed had another strong season. He led the league in points, finished second in steals, and third in field-goal percentage. He helped lead the Lakers to the best record in the NBA winning 67 games. The Lakers went on to the win the NBA Championship going 16-4 in the playoffs. He won his NBA tying sixth MVP award, and the 2025 Finals MVP, and on April 5, 2025 becoming the youngest player to reach 25,000 career points. Later in his career, he bulked up to about 245 pounds, to be able to play in the post against other stronger players.

While in Los Angeles, Mohammed started doing yoga to improve his flexibility, and was notable for his physical fitness regimen. He say, "There is no way I could have played as many minutes I played without yoga.

On November 28, 2026, after twelve professional seasons, Mohammed announced his retirement. He wanted to spend more time with his family and enjoy the rest of his life. He said that he made enough money to be able to support his family for generations to come and no longer had a desire to play basketball. On his "retirement tour" he received standing ovations at games, home and away and gifts ranging from a yacht that said "Somali Pirate" to framed jerseys from his basketball career. In his biography, Brandon Ingram recalls that in Mohammed's farewell game, many NBA players and legends were in attendance. Every player wore Mohammed's goggles and had to try his signature jab at least once, which led to comic results. The Lakers made the NBA Finals in each of Mohammed's final three seasons with the team, defeating Boston in 2025, Detroit in 2026, and the Bucks in 2027.

At the time of his retirement, Mohammed had 27,949 points, 5,901 rebounds, and 6,566 assists. Mohammed said that he could have easily broken Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for most career points but he respected Kareem too much to do that.

National team career
Mohammed was one of 12 players named to the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team in the summer of 2013. He was a member of the gold-medal winning Team USA at the 2013 4th Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament held in La Asunción, Margarita, Venezuela. He started all five contests and averaged a team-best 15.6 ppg despite playing an average of just 22.2 minutes an outing. His 6.2 rebound mark ranked second on the club behind Jahlil Okafor. He also averaged 1.8 apg, 1.2 spg and 0.2 bpg. Mohammed had 15 points and nine rebounds in a first-round win against Dominican Republic. He had 21 points and seven boards in 21 minutes versus Mexico, another Team USA triumph. He keyed a 75–73 victory against Argentina with a team-leading 23 points. In a two-point semifinal win against host Venezuela, Mohammed contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds. Team USA earned the gold medal by beating Argentina, 71–65. The squad was coached by Oregon mentor Ernie Kent. Mohammed had previous USA Basketball experience as a participant in the 2011 Youth Development Festival.

After his rookie season, Mohammed was chosen as a member of the 2016 USA Olympic basketball team alongside veterans Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Kyle Lowry. Team USA won the gold medal when they beat Serbia, 96-66, in the championship game. He averaged 2.4 ppg 1.6 rpg and 6.8 minutes of playing time while playing in 7 of the team's 8 games.

In 2018, Mohammed was named co-captain of Team USA at the 2018 FIBA World Championship. The team won the gold medal. On August 23, 2018, Mohammed set the U.S. scoring record in a game with 42 points against Italy in the said FIBA tournament. The record was previously held by Carmelo Anthony with 35 points in 2006. Mohammed was named to the FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team, posting averages of 19.9 ppg (led team), 3.7 rpg and 1.6 apg. On January 16, 2019, Mohammed was chosen as the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year after his performance at the FIBA World Championship.

Mohammed was also a member of Team USA during the 2019 FIBA Americas Championship. The team went undefeated, going 10–0. Mohammed ended up as the team's leading scorer and tournament's second-leading scorer with a 21.2 ppg average (191 points in 9 games), which was behind Andrew Wiggins of Canada. Mohammed also added 5.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.7 spg and 0.3 bpg. He surpassed the previous record of 31 points set by LeBron James (who scored 31 points in the title-clinching win against Argentina).

Mohammed was also named to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, with Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis among others. The team won its games by an average winning margin of 32.2 points, eliminating Australia in the quarterfinals by 31 and beating Argentina by 20 points. Mohammed scored 23 points against Argentina, making 3 of 14 field goals and 15-of-15 in free throws, setting USA Olympic game records for made free throws and free throw percentage. In the gold medal game, the United States defeated Spain, with Mohammed scoring 13 points. Mohammed posted averages of 11.5 ppg (92 points/8 games), 4.3 rpg (34 rebounds/8 games) and 1.0 spg (8 steals/8 games).

Mohammed, also participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics held in the United States. It was his third straight Olympiad (2016, 2020, 2024). Mohammed played in all 8 games, posting averages of 16.3 ppg (130 points), 4.8 rpg (38 rebounds), 1.3 apg (10 assists) and 0.5 spg (4 steals), built around 50% shooting from 3 PT range (23–46), 53% FG shooting (46–86) and 79% FT (15–19). In a 156–73 victory over Nigeria, Mohammed connected on 11-15 3-point attempts, both US Olympic records for made and attempted shots, on the way to 40 points, another Team USA record (breaking the 37 of Carmelo Anthony set in the 2016 edition). Team USA won the gold medal as they defended their 2020 title against Spain, winning 107–100. Mohammed's 16.3 ppg average was the second best for Team USA behind Kevin Durant's record-setting 156 points (19.5 ppg). Mohammed's 28 made 3-point shots was second-best to Durant's record 34 as they both broke the previous Team USA record of 17 made 3-point shots. Mohammed became the second player to win three gold medals (Anthony being the other).

Player Profile
Standing at 6 feet 8 inches tall (2.03 m) and weighing 230 pounds (104 kg), Mohammed primarily played as a shooting guard. Able to create a lethal shot at any time, he is often cited as one of the most dangerous scorers in the history of the NBA. Mohammed has drawn frequent comparisons to Bryant, after whom he modeled his playing style. Like Bryant, he became most known shooting a fall-away jump shot. Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated describes another of Mohammed's most famous moves as the "jab step-and-pause": Mohammed jabs his non-pivot foot forward to let the defender relax and instead of bringing the jab foot back, pushing off it and driving around his opponent to get to the basket.

Mohammed established a reputation for taking shots in the closing moments of tight games, even amid double or triple teams, and has been noted as being one of the premier closers in the NBA. In an annual survey of NBA general managers, he was selected in 2027 for the 10th consecutive season as the player they most wanted taking the shot with the game on the line. Mohammed enjoys being the villain, and revels in being booed and silencing the crowd with his play. His ability to make difficult shots has also drawn criticism of his shot selection. Throughout his career, he has been disparaged for being a selfish high-volume shooter. Luke Walton states that Mohammed "tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Abdul will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns." According to Mohammed, "I would go 0 for 30 before I would go 0 for 9; 0 for 9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game."

Aside from his abilities on offense, he has established himself as a standout defender winning two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards. Mohammed rarely draws charges playing defense, which he believes has spared his body and contributed to his longevity. Some critics have suggested that the defensive accolades in his later years were earned more on his reputation than his actual play. His role with the Lakers became more focused on offense and conserving his energy for the playoffs, and Brandon Ingram assumed the responsibility of guarding the opponent's top player on the wing.

Mohammed is also lauded for his work ethic. Through his first 10 seasons, his body was resilient, and he exhibited a high pain threshold while often playing through injuries. A fierce competitor, opponents and teammates alike have been the object of his scorn. Many players have considered him difficult to play with because of his high level of commitment and performance. According to sportswriter Mark Heisler of Forbes, Mohammed was the most alienated superstar the NBA had ever seen." Mohammed's longtime head coach Steve Kerr noted that as Mohammed began to mature, he embraced the team and his teammates, calling them up when we were on the road and inviting them out to dinner. It was as if the other players were now his partners, not his personal spear-carriers."

Legacy
Mohammed was called "the greatest players in the history of our game" by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and The New York Times wrote that he has had "the most decorated careers in the history of the sport." Reuters called him "the best player of his generation", while both Sporting News and TNT named him their NBA player of the decade for the 2020s. In 2022 and again in 2027, ESPN ranked him the greatest shooting guard of all-time after. Players including Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, and Devin Booker have called Mohammed the greatest player in the history of the NBA. The Press-Enterprise described Mohammed as "the greatest Golden State Warrior in the organization's history". He is the Warriors' second all-time leading scorer, and his five titles are the most in franchise history.

With career averages of 29.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.2 steals per game, and 1.4 blocks per game, he is considered one of the most complete players in NBA history. He was the first player in NBA history to have at least 30,000 career points and 6,000 career assists, 6,000 career rebounds, and is one of only five players with 25,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists. Mohammed led the NBA in scoring in seven of his twelve seasons and his 78-point performance against Cleveland in 2021 was the third-highest in NBA history, behind only Chamberlain's 100, and Bryant's 81. After his career high game, he said that he could have broken Kobe's record, but admired him too much to do so. He has scored at least 50 points 57 times in his career, which is second in league history behind Chamberlain (118); 11 times Mohammed scored at least 60. He was just the fourth player in NBA history to average 40 points in a calendar month, which he has accomplished six times. In the 2020 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. men's basketball team. He won another gold medal at the 2026 Summer Olympics. He led the Warriors to five NBA Championships and the Lakers to three NBA Championships. He has the second most trophies by a player in NBA history, trailing only Bill Russell (eleven).

Mohammed is an 11-time All-Sta r, playing in every year except his rookie year. He has has won the All-Star MVP a record six times, each time as a starter. On eight occasions (2019-2027) he was the leading vote-getter. He has been selected to the All-NBA Team on 12 occasions, and the All NBA first-team honors ten times. Mohammed is also a 10-time All-Defensive Team selection, and nine times he was named to the All-Defensive First Team, tied with Jordan, Garnett, Gary Payton, and Kobe Bryant for the most all-time. He also won the NBA Three Point Contest once and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest three times and is its youngest winner. He In his career, Mohammed has scored 40-plus points in 220 games, and 78 times he has recorded a triple-double.

NBA career achievements

 * 8× NBA Champion: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2025, 2026, 2027
 * 8× NBA Finals MVP: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2025, 2026, 2027
 * 7× NBA Most Valuable Player: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
 * 7× NBA scoring champion: 2019 (30.8), 2020 (30.9), 2021(36.8), 2022 (34.3), 2023 (33.4), 2025 (30.9), 2026 (32.5)
 * 11× NBA All-Star: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027
 * 6× NBA All-Star MVP: 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2027
 * 12× All-NBA:
 * First Team: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027
 * Second Team: 2016


 * 10× All-Defense:
 * First Team: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
 * Second Team: 2017


 * NBA Most Improved Player Award: 2017
 * NBA Rookie of the Year: 2016
 * NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2021, 2023
 * 3× NBA Dunk Contest Winner: 2016, 2017, 2018
 * 2× NBA Three Point Contest Winner: 2017, 2020