BYU basketball's G-League dropout, Abdullah Ahmed, has officially entered the transfer portal after what was one of the most baffling and frustrating seasons in program history.
NEWS: BYU center Abdullah Ahmed plans to enter the @TransferPortal, he told @On3.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 12, 2026
The 6-10 sophomore previously played in the G League.https://t.co/P2CLLLO2iq pic.twitter.com/ISigH9G80J
Very few knew what to expect out of former G-Leaguer Abdullah Ahmed when he committed to Kevin Young and BYU basketball. I mean, as the closest thing to an NBA player without actually being an NBA player, Ahmed's arrival promised to fortify the front court of a basketball team clearly lacking in depth behind 6'9" senior center Keba Keita.
So a 6'10" shot-blocking specialist from the NBA's minor leagues had BYU fans salivating at the defensive force Kevin Young had installed mid-season to back up his roster's superstar trio of AJ Dybantsa, Richie Saunders, and Robert Wright III. Fantasy about this team's potential began to climb to all-time highs, as the college basketball world wondered what could stop this blossoming juggernaut.
Sure, he was a strong shot-blocker, and 1.4 rejections on just over 12 minutes per night is a jaw-dropping number in a vacuum, but he failed to deliver value in just about every other aspect on the court. He gathered fewer than three rebounds per game and was constantly in foul trouble, taking thoughtless hacks or regularly finding himself in poor position at the defensive end. He wasn't a reliable big man to fill in as Keita left the floor. Even freshman Khadim Mboup, who is still incredibly limited offensively, became a far more attractive option at the 5 as the season progressed.
A virtual zero on the offensive end, he scored just 1.2 points per game on 50% from the field -- abhorrent for a player of his size and position. At the foul line, his output grew more hideous as he hit just 41.7% from the stripe. For reference, that percentage is worse than Shaquille O'Neal's all-time low in a single season, which was 42.2% at the line.
When you shoot free throws worse than Shaq, you'd better be incredible elsewhere. Ahmed simply was not.
In the first year that saw players from the NBA G-League give college basketball a shot, it became quite clear why they dropped out of a higher league. Let's just say thata player doesn't seek out lesser competition because they're dominant at a higher level. BYU basketball learned that lesson the hard way with Ahmed.
Best of luck at your next stop, Abdullah. Hopefully you make steps toward improvement in the coming years.