Former NBA guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf has agreed to terms of a contract for the 2010-11 season and will return to the Kyoto Hannaryz for a second season, the bj-league team announced on Friday.
Abdul-Rauf, 41, is the highest-profile player in the history of the bj-league. He was the No. 3 pick in the 1990 NBA Draft and played for the Denver Nuggets (1990-96), Sacramento Kings (1996-98) and Vancouver Grizzlies (2000-01). A former college scoring sensation at Louisiana State, Abdul Rauf has also played in Russia, Italy, Greece and Saudi Arabia.
He averaged 17.9 points in 38 games for the expansion Hannaryz last season. He scored 20 or more points 19 times. In The Japan Times' second annual Top 20 ranking of bj-league players, Abdul-Rauf was listed at No. 19.
"I'm pleased to come back to play for the Kyoto Hannaryz again," Abdul-Rauf said in a statement released by the team. "I love the Kyoto fans because they always push me forward to give me courage. I'll do my best to help the team win a championship. I can't wait to play in front of the Kyoto fans again."