Walt Hazzard
Encyclopedia
Walter "Walt" Raphael Hazzard Jr. (April 15, 1942 – November 18, 2011), also known as Mahdi Abdul-Rahman, was an American college
, Olympic
, and professional
basketball
player and college basketball coach. He is best known for his association with the men's basketball team at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA), having been a star player for that team in the 1960s and having served as the team's head coach in the 1980s. He died on November 18, 2011.
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, where his teams went 89-3 and he was named the city's player of the year when he was a senior. Hazzard then went on to UCLA, where he became an important player on the varsity basketball team. In Hazzard's first season on the varsity squad, the UCLA Bruins made their first Final Four
appearance in the 1962 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. They lost to the eventual champion, the Cincinnati Bearcats
in the semi-finals.
UCLA's undefeated season, 1963–64, was in no small part due to Hazzard, his backcourt partner Gail Goodrich
, and the team's coach John Wooden
. The team won the NCAA Championship
, and Hazzard was selected by the Associated Press
as the tournament's Most Valuable Player
. Hazzard was chosen as an All-America
n and also selected as College Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). His number 42 jersey was retired by UCLA in 1996 in Pauley Pavilion
, but Hazzard gave his permission for stand-out recruit Kevin Love to wear the number.
Hazzard earned a spot on the 1964 Olympic basketball team
for the U.S., which won the gold medal. He was the number 1 draft pick in the NBA draft of 1964 by the Los Angeles Lakers
.
from 1964–1967, then the Seattle SuperSonics
, the Atlanta Hawks
, the Buffalo Braves
, and briefly for the Golden State Warriors
. He returned to the SuperSonics for the 1973-74 season
, after which he retired from professional basketball.
While playing for the SuperSonics in their inaugural 1967-68 season
, Hazzard scored a career high 24.0 points per game, averaged 6.2 assists
per game, and was selected to play in the 1968 NBA All-Star Game
. Seattle traded him to the Hawks during the off-season for Lenny Wilkens
. Hazzard's career high average in assists came during the 1969-70 season
, when he averaged 6.8 assist per game while playing for the Hawks.
championship. The 1986-1987 UCLA Bruin basketball team won both the Pac-10 regular season championship as well as the inaugural Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
.
and changed his name to Mahdi Abdul-Rahman. However, he felt that the name change was poorly received in basketball circles, believing that it cost him opportunities, both during and after his playing career. Therefore, although he remained devout in his Muslim faith, he chose to return to using the name Walt Hazzard professionally.
Hazzard and his wife, Jaleesa, had four children: Yakub, Jalal, Rasheed, and Khalil, the last being a record producer
, well known in hip-hop circles by the stage name DJ Khalil
.
On March 22, 1996, Hazzard was hospitalized following a stroke. Although he had made a substantive recovery over the ensuing years, he became much less publicly active.
Before the stroke he worked as primary West Coast advance NBA scout for the Los Angeles Lakers. He later was a special consultant with the Lakers.
On November 18, 2011, Hazzard died at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center due to complications following heart surgery.
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, and professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and college basketball coach. He is best known for his association with the men's basketball team at the University of California, Los Angeles
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
(UCLA), having been a star player for that team in the 1960s and having served as the team's head coach in the 1980s. He died on November 18, 2011.
College player
Hazzard attended Overbrook High SchoolOverbrook High School (Philadelphia)
Overbrook High School is an inner-city, public, four-year secondary school in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-School:...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, where his teams went 89-3 and he was named the city's player of the year when he was a senior. Hazzard then went on to UCLA, where he became an important player on the varsity basketball team. In Hazzard's first season on the varsity squad, the UCLA Bruins made their first Final Four
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
appearance in the 1962 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1962 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-Mideast region:-Midwest region:-West region:-Final Four:-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
. They lost to the eventual champion, the Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
in the semi-finals.
UCLA's undefeated season, 1963–64, was in no small part due to Hazzard, his backcourt partner Gail Goodrich
Gail Goodrich
Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association . He is best-known for scoring a then record 42 points in the 1965 NCAA championship game vs. Michigan, and his part in the Los Angeles Lakers' 1971–72 season...
, and the team's coach John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
. The team won the NCAA Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, and Hazzard was selected by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
as the tournament's Most Valuable Player
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships , the Associated Press selects a Most Outstanding Player. The MOP need not be, but almost always is a member of the Championship team, especially since the third place game was eliminated after 1981...
. Hazzard was chosen as an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and also selected as College Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). His number 42 jersey was retired by UCLA in 1996 in Pauley Pavilion
Pauley Pavilion
Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams...
, but Hazzard gave his permission for stand-out recruit Kevin Love to wear the number.
Hazzard earned a spot on the 1964 Olympic basketball team
Basketball at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Basketball contests at the 1964 Summer Olympics took place at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan from October 11 to October 23. The United States defeated the Soviet Union to win their sixth straight gold medal at this event, while Brazil earned the bronze against Puerto...
for the U.S., which won the gold medal. He was the number 1 draft pick in the NBA draft of 1964 by the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
Professional player
Hazzard later played in the NBA, first with the Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
from 1964–1967, then the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
, the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
, the Buffalo Braves
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, and briefly for the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. He returned to the SuperSonics for the 1973-74 season
1973-74 NBA season
The 1973–74 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
, after which he retired from professional basketball.
While playing for the SuperSonics in their inaugural 1967-68 season
1967-68 NBA season
The 1967–68 NBA season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
, Hazzard scored a career high 24.0 points per game, averaged 6.2 assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
per game, and was selected to play in the 1968 NBA All-Star Game
1968 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 18: at Madison Square Garden in New York City, January 23, 1968.MVP: Hal GreerCoaches: East: Alex Hannum, West: Bill Sharman.-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by Periods: *Halftime— East, 64-59*Third Quarter— East, 101-91...
. Seattle traded him to the Hawks during the off-season for Lenny Wilkens
Lenny Wilkens
Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens is a retired American basketball player and coach in the NBA...
. Hazzard's career high average in assists came during the 1969-70 season
1969-70 NBA season
The 1969–70 NBA Season was the 24th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, when he averaged 6.8 assist per game while playing for the Hawks.
College coach
In 1984, he returned to UCLA as its men's basketball coach. That same year, he was inducted (as Walt Hazzard) into the UCLA's Athletic Hall of Fame. He coached for four seasons, winning 77 out of 125 games. The 1984-1985 UCLA Bruin basketball team won the NITNational Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
championship. The 1986-1987 UCLA Bruin basketball team won both the Pac-10 regular season championship as well as the inaugural Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Pacific-12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, known since 2003 under sponsorship agreements as the Pacific Life Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Tournament, and otherwise known as the Pac-12 Tournament, is the annual concluding tournament for the NCAA college basketball in the Pacific-12...
.
Head coaching record
Personal life
During his professional basketball career, Hazzard converted to IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and changed his name to Mahdi Abdul-Rahman. However, he felt that the name change was poorly received in basketball circles, believing that it cost him opportunities, both during and after his playing career. Therefore, although he remained devout in his Muslim faith, he chose to return to using the name Walt Hazzard professionally.
Hazzard and his wife, Jaleesa, had four children: Yakub, Jalal, Rasheed, and Khalil, the last being a record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, well known in hip-hop circles by the stage name DJ Khalil
DJ Khalil
Khalil Abdul-Rahman, better known by his stage name DJ Khalil, is a Los Angeles based American hip hop/soul record producer, and is the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Self Scientific, together with rapper Chace Infinite...
.
On March 22, 1996, Hazzard was hospitalized following a stroke. Although he had made a substantive recovery over the ensuing years, he became much less publicly active.
Before the stroke he worked as primary West Coast advance NBA scout for the Los Angeles Lakers. He later was a special consultant with the Lakers.
On November 18, 2011, Hazzard died at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center due to complications following heart surgery.
See also
- List of head men's basketball coaches at the University of California, Los AngelesUCLA Bruins men's basketballThe UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
External links
- USBWA List of All-Americans
- 1964 Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA College Player of the Year