Zaid Abdul-Aziz

Who is Zaid Abdul-Aziz?

Zaid Abdul-Aziz 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.