By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Abdul Jeelani, one of the undisputed and modest icons in the ACB League and First Division has passed away at the age of 62.
Jeelani, who was born Gary Cole Feb. 10, 1954 in Bells, Tennessee, was a 6-foot-8 forward. He graduated from Park High School in 1972 and went on to earn NAIA All-America honors at Parkside in 1975 and ‘76. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him in the third round of the 1976 NBA draft but waived him before the regular season. He was signed by the Detroit Pistons in September 1977, but waived prior to that season.
He scored the first basket in the Dallas Mavericks’ history, then he left an indelible mark in Spanish basketball during his tenure in the First Division.
Jeelani fell on hard times after his career was over. Reports in 2013 mentioned that he became addicted to drugs and alcohol in the mid 1990s following a combination of life events including a divorce and his mother’s illness. He was homeless in Racine for a time in 2010 before pulling himself back up with the help of friends.