| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1969-10-28)October 28, 1969 |
| Died | October 28, 2024(2024-10-28) (aged 55) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 238 lb (108 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland) |
| College | Maryland (1988–1990) |
| NBA draft | 1990: 1st round, 17th overall pick |
| Drafted by | New York Knicks |
| Playing career | 1990–2001 |
| Position | Power forward /center |
| Number | 32, 0 |
| Career history | |
| 1990–1991 | New York Knicks |
| 1991–1994 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1994–1995 | P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki |
| 1995 | Festina Andorra |
| 1996 | Strasbourg IG |
| 1996–1998 | FC Barcelona |
| 1998–1999 | Paris Basket Racing |
| 1999–2001 | Prokom Trefl Sopot |
| 2001 | Egepen Altay |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 721 (4.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 452 (2.5 rpg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Terrah Jerrod Mustaf (October 28, 1969 – October 28, 2024) was an American professionalbasketball player. In high school, he was a three-timeParade All-American. He participated in theCapital Classic andMcDonald's All-American Game. Mustaf played four seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), after being drafted 17th in the1990 NBA draft. After his girlfriend was murdered, Mustaf came under suspicion when his cousin was convicted of the crime. Mustaf later left the United States to play professionally in Europe. After returning to the United States, Mustaf committed himself to charitable causes for youth in Maryland.
Mustaf was born inWhiteville, North Carolina where he was raised by his mother Lilly Mae George.[1] At age 14, Jerrod Mustaf moved to Maryland to live with his father, activist Shaar Mustaf.[2][3] Jerrod Mustaf's father, a self-described "black militant" would have a significant impact on his life, encouraging him to be a community leader and activist.[4] Mustaf went on to play basketball atDeMatha High School inHyattsville, Maryland. He was one of the most heavily recruited players in his senior year.[5]
With his father's urging, went on to playcollegiately for theMaryland Terrapins.[6][2] While at Maryland, Mustaf played in 59 games, averaging 16.6 points. During the1989–90 NCAA Division I season, he scored 609 points across 33 games.[7]
After two seasons at Maryland, Mustaf entered the1990 NBA draft.
Mustaf was selected by theNew York Knicks as the 17th overall pick in the first round of the draft.[8] He would play intermittently in the NBA from1990 to1994 with the Knicks[9] and thePhoenix Suns.[10] He additionally played three days for theSeattle SuperSonics,[4] after which he played professionally in Europe. He also signed with theCharlotte Hornets in 1996 briefly before being waived.[11]
He retired in 2001, last playing with Altay Kartal Makarna of theTurkish Basketball League.
While Mustaf was playing for the Phoenix Suns, on July 22, 1993, his alleged girlfriend Althea Hayes was found shot to death in her apartment inGlendale, Arizona.[12] Hayes, age 27, was reportedly pregnant with Mustaf's child at the time of her murder.[13] Multiple witnesses reported that Mustaf was not happy about the pregnancy and had asked Hayes to have an abortion, but Hayes refused. Mustaf denied the allegations.[14] On the night Hayes was murdered, she phoned a friend and told them that Mustaf's cousin, Lavonnie Wooten, was in her apartment and that she was frightened of him.[15] An off-duty police officer reported seeing both Mustaf and Wooten in the apartment complex where Hayes lived on the night she died.[11][better source needed] Wooten was later arrested, convicted of the murder, and sentenced to life in prison in 1996.[16][17]
Mustaf was never charged with Hayes's murder and strongly denied wrongdoing, claiming that Hayes was not his girlfriend and that he had been convicted without a trial.[18][19] The Phoenix Suns placed Mustaf on the injured list to address the charges, later releasing him in 1994.[20] Mustaf continued to be a person of interest in the murder investigation.[21] In 1995 the family of Althea Hayes later filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Mustaf.[22] Mustaf settled the lawsuit out of court for an undisclosed amount.[16]
In 2017, K.C. Scull, the lead homicide investigator for the Hayes case, stated toSports Illustrated that "I think, even today, if the U.S. Attorney's office would take this case on, it could be won."[16]
After Hayes' murder, Mustaf continued to play professionally in Greece, Spain, and France. He returned to Maryland in the 2000s.[16] In 2001, he was charged with assault for attacking his then partner Shalamar Muhammad Mustaf, and later violating a protective order related to the case.[11][16]
In Maryland, Mustaf led the Take Charge program, a non-profit founded by his father designed to keep vulnerable teens out of the criminal justice system.[18][23] He would continue to work with at risk youth and run basketball camps for the remainder of his life.[24]
In 2006, he was nominated Sports Ambassador ofGambia where he advocated for greater support for the development of basketball in the country.[25][26] In 2008, he was hired as the Director of Athletic Development atLaurinburg Institute.[27] Mustaf later became CEO and president of the Street Basketball Association based inMitchellville, Maryland.[28]
Mustaf died inMint Hill, North Carolina on October 28, 2024, on his 55th birthday.[28]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Source[29]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | New York | 62 | 5 | 13.3 | .465 | .000 | .644 | 2.7 | .6 | .2 | .2 | 4.3 |
| 1991–92 | Phoenix | 52 | 3 | 10.5 | .477 | – | .690 | 2.8 | .9 | .4 | .3 | 4.5 |
| 1992–93 | Phoenix | 32 | 9 | 10.5 | .438 | .000 | .623 | 2.6 | .3 | .4 | .3 | 4.6 |
| 1993–94 | Phoenix | 33 | 2 | 5.9 | .357 | – | .591 | 1.7 | .2 | .1 | .2 | 2.2 |
| Career | 179 | 19 | 10.6 | .449 | .000 | .648 | 2.5 | .6 | .3 | .3 | 4.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | New York | 3 | 0 | 7.3 | .800 | – | .800 | 1.7 | .0 | .0 | .3 | 4.0 |
| 1993 | Phoenix | 7 | 0 | 1.4 | .600 | – | – | .3 | .0 | .0 | .1 | .9 |
| Career | 10 | 0 | 3.2 | .700 | – | .800 | .7 | .0 | .0 | .2 | 1.8 |
the Sonics learned that Maricopa County prosecutors still suspect Mustaf although he has never been charged or indicted. After only three days with the Sonics, Mustaf was gone