| Intro | Basketball player |
| Is |
Athlete Basketball player |
| From | United States of America |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 25 July 1987, Shakopee, Scott County, Minnesota, U.S.A. |
| Age: | 33 years |
Jamal Abu-Shamala (Arabic: جمال أبو شمالة; born July 25, 1987 in Shakopee, Minnesota) is a Palestinian American basketball player who formerly played college basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Ranks among the top in made three pointers and three point percentage. Abu-Shamala played internationally for the Jordanian national team, first playing internationally in 2008. In 2015 Abu-Shamala plays for the Palestine national team. Abu-Shamala played significant minutes as they retained their title at the William Jones Cup. Abu-Shamala also played in the D-league for the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves affiliate team.
Abu-Shamala went to Shakopee High School in Shakopee, Minnesota and in 2005 won the class AAA state high school basketball championship.
In addition to representing Jordan, Abu-Shamala has also represented Palestine in international competitions, as his father is Palestinian.
High School Career
Abu-Shamala finished his Shakopee career with 1,254 points, which as of 2015, ranks him No. 5 on the school’s all-time scoring list. Led the Sabers to the 2005 Class 3A state championship as he scored 24 points and added 13 rebounds in his team’s 57-46 victory over Richfield. In that same state tournament, Abu-Shamala scored 21 points in Shakopee’s semifinal victory over Andover. He played for head coach Bruce Kugath.
College career
Abu-Shamala came to the University of Minnesota as a walk-on but quickly earned a scholarship after playing in 30 games and starting 10 games during his freshman season in 2005-06. His best season statistically was his sophomore season in 2006-07 when he played in 31 games, started 21 games, averaged 6.5 points per game, and made 44-of-102 three-point attempts. He finished his career with 128 games played, 62 starts, 592 points, 270 rebounds, a field goal percentage of 43.2% (203-469) and three-point field goal percentage of 40.1% (106-264). His career three-point field percentage ranks him seventh all-time at Minnesota. In 2009, Abu-Shamala was named the University of Minnesota’s male recipient of the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award for his accomplishments in athletics, academics, leadership and volunteerism.