Mahmoud Abdelfattah
{{Short description|Palestinian basketball head coach}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Mahmoud Abdelfattah
| image =
| caption =
| position =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 175
| team =
| league =
| nationality = Palestinian / American
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| high_school = Taft (Chicago, Illinois)
| college =
- Wilbur Wright (2006–2008)
- St. Cloud (2009–2010)
| draft_year = 2010
| career_number =
| career_position = Guard
| coach_start = 2011
| coach_end =
| cyears1 = 2011–2013
| cteam1 = Perspectives Charter Schools (assistant)
| cyears2 = 2013–2017
| cteam2 = St. Cloud (assistant)
| cyears3 = 2018–2019
| cteam3 = Rio Grande Valley Vipers (assistant)
| cteam4 = Rio Grande Valley Vipers
| cyears5 = {{nbay|2022|full=y}}
| cteam5 = Houston Rockets (assistant)
| cyears6 = 2023–2024
| cteam6 = Sydney Kings
| highlights =
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
- NBA G League champion (2019)
}}
Mahmoud Abdelfattah is a Palestinian-American professional basketball coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He became the first ever Palestinian or Muslim head coach of a National Basketball Association (NBA) or NBA G League franchise when he served as head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers from 2019 to 2022.{{cite web|first=Amairani|last=Ramirez|title=Vipers Add Mahmoud Abdelfattah and Brandon Barnes to Coaching Staff|url=https://riograndevalley.gleague.nba.com/news/vipers-add-mahmoud-abdelfattah-and-brandon-barnes-to-coaching-staff/|website=NBA.com|date=November 2, 2018|access-date=April 15, 2022}}{{cite web|first=Spencer|last=Davies|title=MEET MAHMOUD ABDELFATTAH, THE GROUNDBREAKING HEAD COACH OF THE HOUSTON ROCKETS' G LEAGUE TEAM|url=https://www.closeup360.com/insiders/mahmoud-abdelfattah-groundbreaking-head-coach-houston-rockets-g-league-vipers/|website=CloseUp360.com|date=December 20, 2019|access-date=April 15, 2022}}
Early life
Abdelfattah was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, to parents who had immigrated from Palestine as part of the 1967 Palestinian exodus.{{cite web |last1=Kemp |first1=Emma |title='Basketball comes third': Faith and family led Kings coach to Sydney |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/basketball-comes-third-faith-and-family-led-kings-coach-to-sydney-20230914-p5e4nb.html |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=October 13, 2023 |date=October 6, 2023}} He identifies as Palestinian and visited the territory as a child. Abdelfattah attended a private Muslim school until the eighth grade and then moved to the public system.
Abdelfattah played basketball at Wilbur Wright College and was recruited to play at St. Cloud State University. He found his desire for coaching while at St. Cloud State when he realised that he would not be able to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He served as a student-assistant on the basketball team at the age of 21 and had his student debt covered by the school.
Coaching career
Abdelfattah began his coaching stint with Perspectives Charter Schools in 2011, serving as the assistant head coach for the team.{{cite web|title=MAHMOUD ABDELFATTAH SCSU HUSKIES PROFILE|url=https://scsuhuskies.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/mahmoud-abdelfattah/664|website=SCSUHuskies.com|access-date=April 15, 2022}}
In 2019, after spending his first season as assistant coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and winning his first championship with the franchise, Abdelfattah was promoted to be the head coach of the team.{{cite web|first=Coty|last=Davis|title=Rockets name Abdelfattah as new head coach of G-League's Vipers|url=https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/2019/10/01/rockets-name-abdelfattah-as-new-head-coach-of-g-leagues-vipers/|website=RocketsWire.USAToday.com|date=October 1, 2019|access-date=April 15, 2022}}
Abdelfattah was named the NBA G League Coach of the Year for the 2021–22 season after leading the Vipers to a 24–10 record.{{cite web|title=RIO GRANDE VALLEY VIPERS WIN THREE 2021-22 NBA G LEAGUE AWARDS|url=https://riograndevalley.gleague.nba.com/news/rio-grande-valley-vipers-win-three-2021-22-nba-g-league-awards/|website=NBA.com|date=April 8, 2022|access-date=April 15, 2022}} The Vipers eventually would win another title.
On July 3, 2022, the Houston Rockets hired Abdelfattah as an assistant coach.{{cite news |last1=DuBose |first1=Ben |title=
Rockets hire Lionel Hollins, Mike Batiste and Mahmoud Abdelfattah as assistant coaches|url=https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/2022/07/03/rockets-hire-lionel-hollins-mike-batiste-and-mahmoud-abdelfattah-as-assistant-coaches/ |access-date=July 3, 2022 |work=Rockets Wire |date=July 3, 2022}}
On June 21, 2023, Abdelfattah was hired as head coach of the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2023–24 season.{{cite news|title=Kings announce Mahmoud Abdelfattah as club's new head coach|url=https://www.sydneykings.com/news/kings-announce-mahmoud-abdelfattah-as-clubs-new-head-coach|access-date=June 21, 2023|work=sydneykings.com|date=June 21, 2023}}{{cite web |title=Kings hire Rockets assistant Mahmoud Abdelfattah as new coach|url=https://www.espn.com.au/nbl/story/_/id/37888643/nbl-sydney-kings-name-mahmoud-abdelfattah-new-coach?platform=amp|website=ESPN.com.au|date=June 21, 2023|access-date=June 21, 2023}} After winning seven of his first 10 games in charge, the Kings lost 13 of their remaining 19 matches, including the play-in qualifier defeat to the New Zealand Breakers, thus winning 10 of 29 games. The Kings subsequently parted ways with Abdelfattah on March 1, 2024.{{cite news|title=Kings part ways with Abdelfattah|url=https://nbl.com.au/news/kings-part-ways-with-abdelfattah|access-date=March 1, 2024|work=NBL.com.au|date=March 1, 2024}}
Head coaching record
As of April 19, 2022
{{Euroleague coach statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" |Rio Grande Valley Vipers
| align="left" |2019–20
|42||15||27||.357 || align="center"| Season canceled
|-
| align="left" |Rio Grande Valley Vipers
| align="left" |2020–21
|15||9||6||.600 || align="center"| Lost in Quarterfinals
|-
| align="left" |Rio Grande Valley Vipers
| align="left" |2021–22
|35||25||10||.714 || align="center"| Champions
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="center" colspan=2|Career||92|||49|||43||.533||
{{s-end}}
Personal life
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://basketball.usbasket.com/coach/Mahmoud-Abdelfattah/Rio_Grande_Valley_Vipers/40557 Mahmoud Abdulfettah coaching profile at Rio Grande Valley Vipers]
- [https://scsuhuskies.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/mahmoud-abdelfattah/7384 St. Cloud State Huskies bio]
{{NBA G League Coaches of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdelfattah, Mahmoud}}
Category:American men's basketball coaches
Category:Muslims from Illinois
Category:American people of Palestinian descent
Category:Basketball coaches from Illinois
Category:High school basketball coaches in Illinois
Category:Houston Rockets assistant coaches
Category:Rio Grande Valley Vipers coaches
Category:St. Cloud State Huskies men's basketball coaches
Category:St. Cloud State Huskies men's basketball players