The NBA's associate vice president of basketball operations Shareef Abdur-Rahim has been named the next G League president, the league office announced Tuesday.
Abdur-Rahim is replacing Malcolm Turner who will step down on Jan. 11, 2019 to take the athletics director position at Vanderbilt. Turner has held the G League presidency since November 2014.
In his playing days, Abdur-Rahim stood out as one of the lone bright spots on the Vancouver Grizzlies from 1996-01. As a focal point of the 2001 trade that netted the relocated Memphis Grizzlies future franchise player Pau Gasol, Abdur-Rahim wound up with the Atlanta Hawks, making his lone All-Star appearance in 2002.
In 12 seasons split between the Grizzlies, Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Sacramento Kings, Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and a block per game. He officially retired as a player in September 2008.
