Vegas Rollers’ Asia Muhammad driven to success by brothers

Vegas Rollers standout Asia Muhammad has used her height as a competitive advantage most of her life.

The 5-foot-10-inch Las Vegas native has two brothers — Shabazz and Rashad — who have played basketball at a high level.

Asia Muhammad recalled playing one-on-one as a child against Shabazz and making layups over him and winning some of their games.

“I was so much taller, so I would back him all the way in, do a layup and Shabazz, especially, would get so angry,” she said. “It was great. I milked that for as long as I could. They eventually outgrew me, got stronger and then it stopped. But it was lot of fun.”

Shabazz starred at Bishop Gorman High, then played one year at UCLA before spending five seasons in the NBA after being drafted in the first round. He now plays in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Rashad was a standout player at San Jose State.

Asia’s tennis career began to blossom at the Andre Agassi Boys and Girls Club. She said she was intimidated by Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam winner, but he helped to develop her game.

Muhammad met Rollers coach Tim Blenkiron at the club and built a lifetime relationship.

“It was definitely the best decision he got the job,” said Muhammad, ranked No. 42 in the world in doubles, who has won three singles and eight doubles titles in the International Tennis Federation.

“He’s been like a second dad to me growing up. Even if I’m on the road and he’s not there, I can really talk to him and I feel very protected.”

Muhammad, 28, has been playing professionally since 2008 and was the first draft pick of the expansion Rollers. Chosen as a community leader for the team, she has worked with kids at Blenkiron’s No Quit Tennis Academy.

Her focus is on singles, and she hopes to crack the top 100 in the world. On Saturday, she will be focused on the Rollers’ World TeamTennis match against the Springfield Lasers (4-0) at 5 p.m. at Orleans Arena.

A 1-3 start to the season hasn’t been easy, but as she notes on her Twitter account, “You don’t get what you wish for, you get what you work for.”

Jonathan Eskin can be reached at jeskin@reviewjournal.com