Buzzsaw adds former football standout Malik Abdul-Haqq to roster

Buzzsaw has added Malik Abdul-Haqq, a 6-foot-7, 185-pound gunner from Seattle who built his résumé on both sides of the football before bringing that profile into SlamBall. The new roster move gives Buzzsaw another player who can handle contact, change gears in space and survive the kind of possession-to-possession chaos that defines the league.

Abdul-Haqq’s football line is built for versatility. At Western Oregon in 2016, he played eight games on defense, finished with 19 tackles, broke up three passes and blocked a kick against Simon Fraser. After transferring to Fullerton College, he helped the Hornets go 13-0 and win a California Community College Athletic Association championship in 2017. He then moved on to Tennessee State, where he caught 12 passes for 137 yards while blocking four kicks in 20 games over two seasons.

That background matters for Buzzsaw because Abdul-Haqq was never locked into one job. The SlamBall bio says he lined up as both a wide receiver and a defensive back in college, and at Cleveland High School in Seattle he was a dual-threat quarterback who threw for 21 touchdowns and ran for 11 more as a senior. A player who has already worked as a passer, receiver and defender tends to process traffic fast, which is useful in a game where one broken play can turn into a fast-break rebound, a collision at the rim or a scramble back on defense.

His basketball work adds another layer. Abdul-Haqq played the sport in high school, averaged eight points per game and led his team in rebounds and steals, the kind of stat line that points to a player comfortable doing more than scoring. In one prep game against Rainier Beach, he posted 19 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and three blocks, a snap-shot of the activity Buzzsaw can use when possessions get messy and every loose ball becomes a battle.

Buzzsaw’s current squad page lists Abdul-Haqq among the starters with Tyquan Scott, Ralph Bellamy and Terrell Howard, a sign that the club views him as more than a specialist. In SlamBall, that is the edge: Abdul-Haqq can pressure a rim in transition, absorb contact in traffic and get back into the play the moment a possession flips. That combination turns football toughness into a matchup weapon.