Abaev was born in Israel and moved to the United States as a child. His hometown is Coral Springs, Florida. Abaev is Jewish.[2][3][4][5][1] He is 6' 8" (203 cm) tall.[1] He weighs 205 pounds (93 kg).[1]
He played at Zion Lutheran High School in Deerfield Beach.[4][6] There, Abaev averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game on 56% shooting from the floor for the Lions.[4][6]
In 2017–18, Abaev helped the Titans finish third in the NJCAA National Championship Tournament.[4][8][10] He averaged 9.1 points and 9.8 rebounds (2nd in NJCAA Region 8) per game, shot 52.9% from the floor, and received First Team All-Mid-Florida Conference honors.[4][8][10]
On December 5, 2023, Abaev received a Hoops Agents National League Player of the Week award for Round 1. He had 26 points and 19 rebounds for his team to win.[15]
International
Abaev played for Team USA in the 2019 European Maccabi Games, winning a gold medal and averaging 17.0 points and 15.3 rebounds in six games.[4] In the gold medal game against Team Russia, he scored 23 points and had 28 rebounds.[12]