Michael Lee of the AJC writes: Before he joined his hometown Hawks in the summer of 2001, Shareef Abdur-Rahim was regarded as "the best player nobody knows."

It was a cool title but one that Abdur-Rahim hoped to banish after spending his first five seasons in Vancouver, a city so out of the NBA loop that the franchise actually sought refuge in Memphis.

After two seasons in Atlanta, Abdur-Rahim finally is known -- but not only for the reasons he would like.

Though his splendid gifts on the basketball court have been rewarded with an All-Star appearance and an Olympic gold medal, Abdur-Rahim also has endured more NBA losses than any other player -- 387 -- since he was chosen as the No. 3 overall pick in the 1996 draft.