Abdul Qadir Jeelani (born Gary Cole; February 10, 1954 – August 3, 2016) was an American professional basketball player.

Born in Bells, Tennessee, he was a 6'8" and 210 lb small forward and played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside.

Later he was signed by the Detroit Pistons on September 2, 1977, but was again waived a month later,[4] prior to the start of the 1977–78 season.

He was part of the starting lineup for the Mavericks' first NBA game in 1980 and scored the first points in franchise history.

[6] Jeelani also had a career overseas playing in Italy,[7] in Lazio Basket and Libertas Livorno and Spain.