Quick Chat: Jabri Abdur-Rahim
February 08, 2023 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
When he's finally done wearing a uniform, Georgia men's basketball junior Jabri Abdur-Rahim wants to stay around the game. Maybe he gets into coaching, or maybe he winds up on television, where he seems like a natural with a manner as smooth as his shooting stroke.
The 6-foot-8 Abdur-Rahim, from South Orange, N.J., is in his second season with the Bulldogs. After starting his collegiate career at Virginia during the 2020-21 season, Abdur-Rahim transferred to Georgia last season and averaged 6.9 points per game off the bench. Through 20 games this season, he's the Bulldogs' fourth-leading scorer at 7.3 per game, highlighted by a stellar showing against Vanderbilt on Jan. 21, when he hit five 3-pointers and scored a career-high 21 points.
During a recent Quick Chat, Abdur-Rahim talked about his favorite thing to do on a basketball court, his plans for life after basketball, making time to get away from school and hoops, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What is your favorite thing to do on a basketball court?
Abdur-Rahim: It's probably making a big shot, making a big 3, probably, at home. I've made a couple of big 3s on the road this year but, I don't know, when I made some big shots at home the other day (against Vandy), it just felt different.
Frierson: Is there a shot from your entire basketball career that stands out above the rest?
Abdur-Rahim: Right now, there's two. I made one in the state championship game — we were down 15 and came all the way back, cut it to two, and I hit a 3 to put us up one in the state championship game my junior year of high school. And then last year, I made one against Memphis with like a minute and a half left, to put us up one.
Frierson: How much of a carryover effect do performances like that have?
Abdur-Rahim: Yeah, for sure, like you know you've been here before and you've seen yourself succeed in those situations. It just makes you feel like you can do it again. I think a lot of it is the work you put in when nobody else is watching. It's for those moments right there, being confident in your preparation.
Frierson: Is there anything better than being in a gym shooting? I don't think I've ever gotten tired of being out there shooting by myself.
Abdur-Rahim: Yeah, I think so. It's like the aesthetic, the way the ball feels or the way some of the meticulous things, like the way the ball goes through the net or something like that. It's kind of like the overall feel of it, I get that for sure.
Frierson: What do you envision yourself doing after basketball?
Abdur-Rahim: Staying around basketball — being a coach, maybe. I'm trying to pursue a sports broadcasting career, so something of that nature, maybe. I definitely want to stay around the game for as long as I can.
Frierson: You've played for a number of different coaches in college. Has hearing all of those different voices and perspectives expanded your interest in coaching?
Abdur-Rahim: I think my interest in coaching started when I was getting recruited. I saw all of these different coaches go to all of these different games, and reach out to all of these different people. They're trying to build a team and recruit players that they like, that they think can fit a certain program, and I always had a certain interest in that.
When I talk to a lot of coaches now, or a lot of people I know in basketball, the thing I hear is that they'd rather coach than recruit. I think I would be a good recruiter and a good coach, so I think maybe being an assistant college basketball coach would be something I could do one day that would be kind of cool,
Frierson: The basketball teams don't have their version of football's Dawg Walk, where the players and coaches show up with some fancy clothes on and pass through a crowd of supporters. Would you like to have something like that, where you can put on a suit or something before every game?
Abdur-Rahim: I like the Dawg Walk, I like watching the Dawg Walk, but for me, I'm not a fan of all the stuff leading up to the game. I would rather just play, you know what I'm saying? All the necessary stuff like stretching, I would rather just get to the game, take my sweatpants off, put my shorts on, layup lines, and let's go.
As a fan, that experience is cool, and I like going to the Dawg Walk. But as for playing, I would rather just focus on the game.
Frierson: What do you do to get away from school and basketball?
Abdur-Rahim: I really like listening to music and watching movies. I watch a lot of movies and I listen to a lot of music. If I'm not playing basketball, I'm either watching a movie or listening to music.
Frierson: What is the best thing you've watched in the last few months?
Abdur-Rahim: [Long pause as he thinks] I know there's something I've watched ... hmmm. I really like sports documentaries, so HBO does "Hard Knocks" on football teams, and they did a "Hard Knocks In Season" with the Arizona Cardinals, and I really liked that. ... And ESPN did a behind-the-scene thing on the Georgia football team during the College Football Playoff that was really good. I've got a bunch of friends on the team and that was cool to see.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Abdur-Rahim: I would say Justin Hill — he makes me laugh. I don't know if anybody else will say that, but for my type of humor, he's funny.
Frierson: He's been a popular answer.
Abdur-Rahim: Did anyone say me?
Frierson: I think so, as a matter of fact.
Abdur-Rahim: I should get at least a vote or two. At least a vote. I don't need to win but I should get a vote or something.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
