Image via Complex Original
An estimated 1.61 billion people on Earth are Muslim, so strictly off of numbers alone we're bound to have a bunch of great athletes who are followers of Islam. As we mark the start of the Islamic Ramadan month, we're taking time out to give a salute to some of those incredible athletes as they start up their holiday. We've got some boxing greats, a couple HOF NBA centers, and even a cricket superstar. You may be in for some interesting surprises in our list of The 10 Greatest Muslim Athletes of All Time.
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10. Marat Safin
Sport: Tennis
Years: 1997-2009
Accolades: 421-266 career record and two Grand Slam titles
The hot-tempered Russian tennis great Marat Safin was born and raised as a Muslim. Of Tatar descent, Safin was a former No. 1 who nabbed a couple Grand Slams, has the record for broken racquets in a season (87), and is now a member of the Russian parliament. Tell us you saw this guy becoming successful politician after his tennis career.
9. Naseem Hamed
Sport: Boxing
Years: 1992-2002
Accolades: 36-1-0 (31 KOs); former World Featherweight Champion
Prince Naseem Hamed talked a lot of trash in his day but he could also back it up. He was one of the best featherweight champions in recent history, holding a title in that division from 1995 until 2001. With 31 KOs in his career, Prince Naseem doled out his fair share of punishment but he still showed compassion for his opponents. Don't believe us? Peep the clip above where he asks Allah to protect the dude he just KO'd. #classic
8. Imran Khan
Sport: Cricket
Years: 1971-1992
Accolades: 1992 Word Cup, ICC Hall of Fame, 3x Player of the Year
Regarded as one of the greatest all-around cricketers of all-time, Khan's best qualities were his bowling and leadership. One of cricket's fastest bowlers, he led the Pakistani National Team to their first and only World Cup in 1992. Imran hand-picked that team, including future stars Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-haq, and Mushtaq Ahmed. After his retirement, Khan started his own political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which focuses on weeding out corruption in the Pakistani government. Khan continues to head the party and is one of the country's most popular leaders due to his strong Islamic values.
7. Bernard Hopkins
Sport: Boxing
Years: 1988-Present
Accolades: 52-6-2 (32 KOs); former undisputed World Middleweight Champion
One of the most successful fighters in recent history almost missed out on his career after being sentenced to 18 years for an armed robbery at the age of 17. During his bid, Hopkins discovered his love of boxing and also converted to Islam. He turned pro upon his release in 1988. Since then, the Executioner has racked up over 50 wins, and became the first fighter to unify all four world middleweight titles (WBA, WBO, WBC, and The Ring). His victory over Jean Pascal in 2011 made him the oldest world champion in boxing history at 46 years old. Hopkins continues to fight today and is a sure-fire Hall of Famer once he decides to hang 'em up.
6. Zinedine Zidane
Sport: Soccer
Years: 1988-2006
Accolades: Three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, 1998 World Cup Champion
Arguably one of the best to ever lace up the cleats, Zidane is a Frenchman of Algerian descent who wowed the soccer world for years and gave birth to one of the most outrageous moments in World Cup history when he went Gus Frerotte all over Italy.
Unfortunately Zidane will forever be remembered for that play, but we prefer to highlight his signature grin after making some defenders look silly. Brazil found out what's up in the '98 Cup final and Double Z kept it going for years to come.
5. Mike Tyson
Sport: Boxing
Years: 1981-2005
Accolades: 50-6 (44 KOs); WBC, WBA, IBF Heavyweight Champion
The Baddest Man on the Planet converted to Islam while serving his prison sentence for a rape conviction in 1992. Once he was released in 1995, Iron Mike returned to the ring to win the WBA and WBC heavyweight titles. Then came the Bite Fight, several arrests, venereal diseases, and a drug addiction. Tyson bounced back to become a pop culture icon and has seemingly fought off his past demons. Praise Allah!
4. Shaquille O'Neal
Sport: Basketball
Years: 1989-2011
Accolades: 1990 NCAA AP Player of the Year, 4x NBA Champion, 3x NBA Finals MVP, 15-time NBA All-Star, 1993 NBA Rookie of ther Year
Yeah you read that right, Shaquille O'Neal, the man who revolutionized the NBA over the past 15 years, is in fact a Muslim. Raised with both a Christian influence (mom) and Muslim influence (step-dad), Shaq has never been too vocal about his religious affiliation but he has mentioned it in some interviews and has taken the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca called Hajj.
Shaq won three straight in L.A., nabbed another in Miami, gave the world Kazaam, and now he's Charles Barkley's road dog on TNT ragging on NBA players on a nightly basis. Any list of Muslim athletes wouldn't be complete without the Shaq Daddy, that and he'll have a spot when we drop our "Greatest Players That Got Old and Joined Any Team That Would Take Them" list. #ondeck
3. Hakeem Olajuwon
Sport: Basketball
Years: 1981-2002
Accolades: 1983 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 2x NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 2x NBA Champion, Leading Shot-Blocker in NBA History, 12x NBA All-Star
Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon is without a doubt one of the greatest centers and players in NBA history. The 7-foot Nigerian has a laundry list of accomplishments, his patented "Dream Shake" is used to this day by NBA players like Kobe Bryant, and he's caked up to the tune of $100 million since retiring thanks to real estate investments in Houston. During all of his success, Hakeem remains a devout Muslim. He converted early on in his NBA career and was so dedicated to his faith that he'd fast during Ramadan despite the fact that the holy period would often fall during the NBA season. #beast
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Sport: Basketball
Years: 1966-1989
Accolades: 3x NCAA Champion at UCLA, All-Time Leading Scorer in NBA History, 6x NBA Champion, 6x NBA MVP, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 19x NBA All-Star
Kareem has always been great at basketball. He dominated in high school, college and the pros. He invented one of the most unguardable shots in NBA history and even named it. The "skyhook" helped him become the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points—the closest active player is Kobe with 29,484 points.
Kareem converted to Islam and decided to change his name from Lew Alcindor in 1971 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks because it was a part of his heritage—the offseason prior to Milwaukee's first and only NBA title. Once he went to L.A. he cemented his legacy by winning five MVP awards, five NBA titles, and gave Bruce Lee some work in The Game of Death.
1. Muhammad Ali
Sport: Boxing
Years: 1960-1981
Accolades: 1960 Light Heavyweight Olympic Gold Medal, Three-time World Heavyweight Champion
Easily the most prominent Muslim sports figure of our time, Muhammad Ali captured the hearts of Americans with his word play and supreme boxing skill—until he changed his name that is. He changed it during the Civil Rights Movement and pledged allegiance to the Nation of Islam. He spoke out vehemently against the Vietnam War and was banished from boxing for three years in 1967 because of these beliefs and his refusal to joing the Army.
Ironically, some of the American public began to warm up to Ali during this time because they too opposed the war. After winning two fights when he returned to the ring, he got a title shot against Joe Frazier, but lost in a legendary match deemed "The Fight of the Century." He eventually became a champion again after being unjustly stripped of his belts back in '67. Ali defeated every top heavyweight in the golden era of heavyweight boxing making him "The Greatest."