The basketball world suffered an unfortunate event late on Thursday, as promising college coach Amir Abdur-Rahim passed away. Amid this untimely passing, Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown, along with NBA G-League president, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, mourned for the loss with heartwarming social media posts. Importantly, Shareef, who is Amir’s brother, penned an emotional note to the basketball community on behalf of his brother.

The 43-year-old college basketball coach underwent a medical procedure in a Tampa area hospital and unfortunately passed away after a complication in the procedure, announced the University of South Florida Athletics. Not to forget Abdur-Rahim’s monumental effort to produce a 25-8 season for the USF in the 2023-24 season.

Moments after the loss, Jaylen Brown took to his IG stories and shared a picture of Amir Abdur-Rahim to pay his respects. On the other hand, Shareef took to his X handle and wrote, “From God, we come, and to God, we must all return. On behalf of my family, I want to express our gratitude to all who have reached out regarding Amir’s passing. Please remember our family in your prayers. As @sunsetAMIR would say, to God be the Glory.”

This tragic incident occurred right before Amir was set to return to his second year coaching at USF. The university which announced the news, also dropped an emotional statement honoring him. It read, “He was authentic, driven, and his infectious personality captivated all of Bulls Nation. Coach Abdur-Rahim leaves a lasting impact on our student-athletes, the University, and the community.” The 43-year-old Georgia native is survived by his wife Arianne Buchanan, daughters Laila and Lana, and son Aydin.

How’s Jaylen Brown related to Amir Abdur-Rahim?

Apart from following the same religion as Abdur-Rahim, Jaylen Brown doesn’t really have any connection with him. However, back in 2023, the Celtics player came forward to vouch for the promising coach. During the early period of the year 2023, Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton was in search of a new basketball coach and reached out to Brown for suggestions. And reportedly, the 2024 Finals MVP put in a good word for Amir.

Gary Washburn, a reporter, wrote, “Jaylen Brown said he spoke with Cal AD Jim Knowlton about the school’s coaching opening and offered his thoughts, including an endorsement for Kennesaw State coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who has drawn interest.” So, it’s evident that Brown had been keeping in touch with the coach despite his busy championship year.

It’s no surprise that Brown vouched for Amir, looking at his coaching career. After playing under Billy Kennedy in Southeastern Louisiana, Amir joined Kennedy to begin his coaching career. Following that, he started as the head coach at Kennesaw State in 2019 after a brief stint in Texas A&M and Georgia. This is where he turned the hoops nations’ attention to his side, taking the Owls to a 26-win season after their poor previous season. Ultimately, it fetched him a job at USF, but it came to an unfortunate end with his tragic passing. We at Essentially Sports send out our deepest condolences to Amir’s friends and family.