Amir Abdur-Rahim, the head men’s basketball coach at the University of South Florida, died on Thursday at the age of 43.
Reporter Joey Knight, who covers South Florida for the Tampa Bay Times, said on X that Abdur-Rahim had been dealing with an aggressive illness. Abdur-Rahim died after complications arose during a medical procedure at a local hospital.
The 43-year-old coach had been absent from recent team practices, but his death was still shocking to most.
The X account for the school’s basketball team sent out a statement regarding Abdur-Rahim’s death.
“We are heartbroken over the passing of Coach Abdur-Rahim. A tremendous man & leader with an infectious personality that was a shining light to all he encountered.
“Our thoughts & prayers are with his family, friends and everyone that he left a lasting impact on,” the statement said.
We are heartbroken over the passing of Coach Abdur-Rahim.
A tremendous man & leader with an infectious personality that was a shining light to all he encountered.
Our thoughts & prayers are with his family, friends and everyone that he left a lasting impact on. pic.twitter.com/h353f3FNno
— USF Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) October 24, 2024
Abdur-Rahim, who was a younger brother of former NBA player Shareef Abdur-Rahim, played college basketball at Southeastern Louisiana and was a three-time all-conference player. He went into coaching shortly after his college career ended and had stints as an assistant at Murray State, Charleston, Texas A&M and Georgia. Abdur-Rahim became the head coach at Kennesaw State in 2019 and turned them around. They went 1-26 in his first year but were 26–9 in his final year (2022-2023) and made the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulls went 25–8 last season, including a 16-2 mark in conference. That was Abdur-Rahim’s first season on the job.
The 43-year-old leaves behind a wife and two children.
