Tariq Abdul- Wahad

Tariq Abdul- Wahad was formerly known as Oliver Michael Saint- Jean before he embraced Islam as his religion. Abdul Wahad is a Small forward/ Shooting Guard with the Dallas Mavericks.

Abdul- Wahad was born and bought up in France. He played for the Evreux club in France while completing his schooling. In 1992 he represented the Junior French basketball team and went on to win the European Champions. In 1993, he joined the University of Michigan and played with the Michigan Wolverines. He later joined the San Jose State University and played with the College basketball team named Spartans. In 1997 he was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. Abdul- Wahad had to wait two weeks after he joined the Kings to play his first game owing to an injury to the left calf. In 1999 he was traded to the Orlando Magic. After a very brief stay with the Magic, Abdul- Wahad was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2000. The same year he played for the French National Team and won the bronze medal in the Summer Olympics 2000. Injuries continued to plague Abdul- Wahad in the form of a broken wrist. In 2001 he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, however was benched most of the season due to a knee injury.