Beautiful article on our Amirah Abdur-Rahim. And I was unaware that Amir was her brother. I knew they were closely related but I thought he might be her uncle. I wish I had understood they were brother and sister beforehand. Now I fully understand how powerful a moment that was when we observed a moment of silence at our season opener for Amir with Amirah standing right there in front of me in uniform.
https://andscape.com/features/texas-ams-amirah-abdur-rahim-carries-on-brothers-legacy-in-every-play-every-basket/
Quote:
Amirah Abdur-Rahim and her family weren't strangers to college athletics. At the time, she was readying to become the ninth sibling in her family to play college basketball. Her sibling, Shareef, went all the way to the NBA.
To get Abdur-Rahim to commit to a program wasn't easy. A school had to convince Abdur-Rahim and her big brother Amir. During Abdur-Rahim's recruitment, Amir Abdur-Rahim was ascending as an assistant men's basketball coach at Texas A&M, then Georgia. He had played college basketball as an All-Southland Conference selection for Southeastern Louisiana from 2001-04, and oversaw the recruitment of his little sister.
"He was the one who made the phone calls, who came to campus, who made sure Amirah had her list in terms of pros and cons," said Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor, who recruited Abdur-Rahim when she was in high school.
"He's always been there every time he could," Abdur-Rahim said. "He's definitely my protector."
Quote:
For Abdur-Rahim, it meant the loss of one of her role models, a trusted confidant and one of her biggest inspirations.
As this college basketball season continues, Abdur-Rahim is intent on upholding and sharing her brother's legacy, remaining connected to him by continuing to play the game that bonded them.
"One thing that keeps me going every day is just knowing that he would want me to keep going," Abdur-Rahim said. "I'm just keeping every positive thing that he had inside of him with me."
Quote:
Joni Taylor, who had left campus, rushed back. For the next four hours, Taylor, Abdur-Rahim and Newton sat in Taylor's office.
"They were just there for me, letting me feel whatever I needed to feel," Abdur-Rahim said. "I was surrounded by people who love me and who I know love Amir genuinely also."
https://andscape.com/features/texas-ams-amirah-abdur-rahim-carries-on-brothers-legacy-in-every-play-every-basket/