Mahmoud Abdelfattah

Mahmoud Abdelfattah (born September 24, 1988) is a Palestinian-American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G-League. He became the first ever Palestinian or Muslim head coach of a National Basketball Association (NBA) or NBA G League franchise when he served as head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers from 2019 to 2022.

Early life Abdelfattah was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, to parents who had immigrated from Palestine as part of the 1967 Palestinian exodus. He identifies as Palestinian and visited the territory as a child.

In 2019, after spending his first season as assistant coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and winning his first championship with the franchise, Abdelfattah was promoted to be the head coach of the team.

Abdelfattah was named the NBA G League Coach of the Year for the 2021–22 season after leading the Vipers to a 24–10 record. The Vipers eventually would win another title.

On July 3, 2022, the Houston Rockets hired Abdelfattah as an assistant coach.

On June 21, 2023, Abdelfattah was hired as head coach of the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2023–24 season. After winning seven of his first 10 games in charge, the Kings lost 13 of their remaining 19 matches, including the play-in qualifier defeat to the New Zealand Breakers, thus winning 10 of 29 games. The Kings subsequently parted ways with Abdelfattah on March 1, 2024.

On September 13, 2025, Abdelfattah was hired as the head coach of the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G-League.

Head coaching record As of April 19, 2022

Personal life Abdelfattah is Muslim. He was only lightly religious during his early years but adjusted his attitude after the death of his mother from a heart attack when he was aged 19. Abdelfattah completed Hajj in 2019.