Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Abdul-Rauf with Kyoto Hannaryz in 2010
Personal information
Born (1969-03-09) March 9, 1969
Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight162 lb (73 kg)
Career information
High schoolGulfport (Gulfport, Mississippi)
CollegeLSU (1988–1990)
NBA draft1990: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career1990–2011
PositionPoint guard
Number3, 1, 7
Career history
1990–1996Denver Nuggets
1996–1998Sacramento Kings
1998–1999Fenerbahçe
2000–2001Vancouver Grizzlies
2003–2004Ural Great
2004–2005Sedima Roseto
2006–2007Aris BC
2007–2008Al-Ittihad
2009–2011Kyoto Hannaryz
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points8,553 (14.6 ppg)
Rebounds1,087 (1.9 rpg)
Assists2,079 (2.5 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (born Chris Wayne Jackson; March 9, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for nine years with the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies.

Abdul-Rauf played college basketball for the LSU Tigers from 1988 to 1990 and was a consensus first-team All-American both seasons he played. He was chosen as the 3rd overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. Abdul-Rauf was selected for the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1993, appeared in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 1993 NBA All-Star Weekend, and was one of the league's most accurate free throw shooters. After his NBA career, he played in multiple leagues around the world.

Abdul-Rauf sparked controversy during his NBA career when he refused to stand for the national anthem in a sign of protest and called the flag of the United States a symbol of oppression.

Early life and career

Abdul-Rauf was born Chris Jackson in Gulfport, Mississippi, the son of Jacqueline Jackson.[1][2] He was raised in a single-parent family, along with his two brothers, Omar and David.[2][3] His childhood was characterized by poverty, as there were times when he and his brothers were not able to have proper nutrition.[2] Abdul-Rauf missed the fourth grade and was later placed in special education classes.[2] He had a moderate form of Tourette syndrome, a condition that went undiagnosed until he was 17.[2][4] Abdul-Rauf managed to overcome difficulties to become a basketball prodigy for Gulfport High School.[1][2] In his senior season in high school he averaged 29.9 points and 5.7 assists per game and was called up to the McDonald's All-American Game.[1][3][5] He was also named Mississippi Mr. Basketball twice, in 1987 and 1988.[1][6]

Having never played an organized game, Abdul-Rauf was discovered by a middle-school girls coach in Gulfport, MS during lunch period on the playground. Recognizing his skill, she convinced his mother to allow him to play organized basketball. In his first game, despite not knowing the rules, Abdul-Rauf scored 24 points. (Source: Beckett Publications)

College career

Abdul-Rauf was a standout freshman for LSU, scoring 48 points against Louisiana Tech in just his third game for the school.[2] He set the scoring record for a freshman, with 53 points against Florida.[2] On March 4, 1989, he scored 55 points against Ole Miss to top his personal best, while also setting a career-high for three-pointers made, with 10.[3][7] In the same game, Ole Miss' Gerald Glass scored 53, making their 108 combined points the most ever by two players in an SEC game [8][9] He appeared in 32 games in his freshman season, setting the NCAA record for points by a freshman (965) and points per game by a freshman (30.2).[3][10] He was named SEC Player of the Year and First-team All-American.[3][11] In his sophomore season, he produced similar numbers with his scoring average slightly falling to 27.8 per game.[3] On February 10, 1990, he tied his career-high for three-pointers made, while finishing the game with 49 points.[12] He was named SEC Player of the Year and First-team All-American for a second year in a row.[2][3] After a remarkable two-year stint at LSU, Abdul-Rauf declared for the NBA draft.

His #35 jersey was retired by the Tigers in 2020.[13]

Professional career

Abdul-Rauf was selected with the third pick in the 1990 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.[14] In his first season in the NBA he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.[15] Despite the fact that he never dunked in an actual game, he participated in the 1993 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, after Nuggets president and general manager Bernie Bickerstaff sent NBA league officials a tape of Abdul-Rauf showcasing his dunking ability.[16] Abdul-Rauf led the league in free throw percentage in the 1993–94 and 1995–96 seasons.[17] His free throw percentage of .956 in 1993–94 is the third highest seasonal percentage in NBA history, behind Calvin Murphy (.958, 1980–81) and José Calderón (.981, 2008–09).[18] He played with Denver until 1996, and was a key player on that team, winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1993.[19] In November 1995 he scored 30 points and a career-high 20 assists against the Phoenix Suns.[20] On December 8, 1995, Abdul-Rauf posted a career-high 51 points against the Utah Jazz.[21][22] In June 1996, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Sarunas Marciulionis and a second-round pick.[23]

In 1998 Abdul-Rauf signed a two-year, $3.4 million contract with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball League.[24] He left the club without finishing the season, stating he would retire from basketball due to loss of interest in the game.[25] After not playing for the entire 1999–00 season, he signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies in August 2000.[26] In December 2003 Abdul-Rauf signed with Ural Great of the Russian Basketball Super League.[27] In 2004, he signed with Italian Serie A club Sedima Roseto.[28] Averaging 18.4 points and 2.2 assists per game in the 2004–05 season he signed a contract with Udine in July 2005, but he sat out the entire season due to a torn achilles tendon.[29][30][31] For the 2006–07 season, he came out of retirement for the third time in his career to play for Aris Thessaloniki.[32] In November 2007 he signed a contract with Al-Ittihad of the Saudi Basketball League.[33] In August 2009 he signed with Basketball Japan League team Kyoto Hannaryz.[34] He averaged 17.9 points in 38 games in his first season in Japan.[35] In July 2010, he re-signed with Kyoto Hannaryz for the 2010–11 season.[36]

He is currently playing in the BIG3 basketball league for the 3 Headed Monsters. In 2018 he placed 5th in 3-point field goal percentage hitting them at a 45.5% clip.

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
* Led the league
Source:[37]

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1990–91 Denver 671922.5.413.240.8571.83.1.8.114.1
1991–92 Denver 811119.0.421.330.8701.42.4.5.010.3
1992–93 Denver 818133.5.450.355.9352.84.21.0.119.2
1993–94 Denver 807832.7.460.316.956*2.14.51.0.118.0
1994–95 Denver 734328.5.470.387.8851.93.61.1.116.0
1995–96 Denver 575335.6.434.392.930*2.46.81.1.119.2
1996–97 Sacramento 755128.4.445.382.8461.62.5.7.113.7
1997–98 Sacramento 31017.1.377.1611.0001.21.9.5.07.3
2000–01 Vancouver 41011.9.488.286.759.61.9.2.06.5
Career 58633626.7.442.354.9051.93.5.8.114.6

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1994 Denver 121228.3.370.324.9351.52.5.4.112.9
1995 Denver 3225.3.364.1671.0001.71.7.7.013.3
Career 151427.7.369.286.9561.52.3.1.113.0

Personal life

Abdul-Rauf was introduced to Islam when he was given the book The Autobiography of Malcolm X by his LSU coach, Dale Brown.[38] He was introduced to the Quran during his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets and converted to Islam shortly afterward.[38] He changed his name from Chris Jackson to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1993.[39] He is the father of five children.[40] Following his NBA career, Abdul-Rauf moved to Florida after his house in Necaise, Mississippi was burned to the ground in 2001.[41][42][43][44] Investigators determined it was arson, and the FBI investigated, according to the Clarion-Ledger, but no one was ever charged.[45] In December 2001, Abdul-Rauf appeared on an episode of HBO's "Real Sports" where he stated that he thought the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. were an inside job and suggested that Israel might have been involved in the attacks.[46]

National anthem controversy

Abdul-Rauf is perhaps best known for the controversy created when he refused to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner" before games,[47] stating that the flag was a symbol of oppression and that the United States had a long history of tyranny.[48] On March 12, 1996, the NBA suspended Abdul-Rauf for his refusal to stand, costing Abdul-Rauf $31,707 per missed game.[49] Two days later, he worked out a compromise with the league, whereby he would stand during the playing of the national anthem but could close his eyes and look downward. He usually silently recited Islamic prayer during this time for those who are suffering from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds.[50]

In an apparent publicity stunt linked to this controversy, four employees of Denver's KBPI radio station were charged with misdemeanor offenses related to entering a Colorado mosque and playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" on a bugle and trumpet, in a response to Abdul-Rauf's refusal to stand for the national anthem.[51]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The city of Gulfport honors Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf". WLOX13. December 29, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Danois, Alejandro (June 4, 2014). "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, aka The Artist Formerly Known as Chris Jackson". TheShadowLeague.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Mahmoud Abdul-Rouf (formerly Chris Jackson) Bio". LSUsports.net. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ Howard, Johnette (March 27, 1994). "With Very Strong Will, Abdul-Rauf Finds a Way : Basketball: Tourette's syndrome, an oft-misunderstood neurological disorder caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, goads Nuggets's star along". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Boy's Alumni" (PDF). mcdonaldsallamerican.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 7, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Mississippi Mr. Basketball". REAL GM. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ Astramskas, David (November 21, 2012). "College greats: Chris Jackson – Best freshman ever? The original unstoppable partner of Shaq before Kobe & Penny". ballislife.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Top individual March performances". ESPN. March 13, 2008. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Rebel Basketball Historical Timeline". olemisssports.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Final 1989 Division I men's basketball statistics report – LSU" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  11. ↑ Zierk, Court (November 12, 2009). "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: A Portrait of Perfection". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  12. ↑ Rhoden, William (February 10, 1990). "Jackson Explodes for 49 In Wild L.S.U. Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  13. ↑ "LSU retires Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf's No. 35 jersey". ESPN News Services. 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  14. ↑ "1990 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Year-by-year NBA All-Rookie Teams". NBA. February 26, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  16. ↑ Feinstein, Andrew (February 13, 2009). "A history of Nuggets in the dunk contest..." SB⋆NATION. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Nuggets Awards". NBA Hoops Online. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Player Season Finder: For single seasons; played in the NBA/BAA; in the regular season; from 1946–47 to 2018–19; requiring Free Throw Pct >= 0.9 and Free Throws >= 125; sorted by descending Free Throw Pct". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  19. ↑ "NBA Most Improved Player Award Winners". NBA.com. June 21, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  20. ↑ "NBA ROUNDUP : Regular Referees Get a Thriller". Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1995. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Abdul-Rauf Scores 51 Points As Nuggets Hold On at Utah". The New York Times. December 8, 1995. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  22. ↑ Sanchez, Robert. "The Conversion of Chris Jackson". The Denver Magazine. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Nuggets Unload Rose, Abdul-rauf In Trades". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 14, 1996. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  24. ↑ Shapiro, Mark (June 19, 1998). "Abdul-Rauf Leaves NBA For Turkey". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Fenerbahce reject Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf quits basketball". Hurriyet Daily News. June 24, 1999. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Grizzlies sign G Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf". SLAM! Basketball. August 20, 2000. Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Ural Great Sign Duo". FIBAEurope.com. December 9, 2003. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Una stella musulmana della NBA per Roseto Preso Abdul Rauf, fu prima scelta di Denver". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). October 22, 2004. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Mahmoud Abdul Rauf #5". Lega Basket. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Abdul Rauf a Udine Poz verso Málaga?". La Gazzetta dello Sport. July 31, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Becirovic chiude il mercato Fortitudo". La Gazzetta dello Sport. August 18, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  32. ↑ Αμπντούλ Ραούφ και με την βούλα (in Greek). sport24.gr. October 23, 2006. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Ex-NBA Player Abdul-Rauf Is Ittihad's Prized Recruit". Arabnews.com. November 23, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  34. ↑ Odeven, Ed (August 29, 2009). "Ex-NCAA star Abdul-Rauf signs with Kyoto Hannaryz". Japan Times. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  35. ↑ Kerby, Trey (August 3, 2010). "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is still playing basketball". YAHOO! Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Abdul-Rauf to return to Hannaryz". The Japan Times. July 31, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  37. ↑ "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf NBA stats". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  38. 1 2 Spears, Marc J. (October 17, 2017). "Being Muslim in the NBA". Andscape. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  39. ↑ Maisonet, Eddie (March 25, 2014). "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: Here, gone and quickly forgotten". SB⋆NATION. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  40. ↑ Harris, Matthew (August 1, 2013). "Post-basketball, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf embraces the simple life". The Advocate. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Fire engulfs Abdul-Rauf home". CBC sports. July 30, 2001. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  42. ↑ Sierra, Jorge (February 4, 2010). "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: "After the anthem fiasco, no team wanted to touch me"". hoops hype. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  43. ↑ "NBA guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf house goes up in flames". News on 6. Tulsa, Oklahoma. July 30, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Basketball Star's Home Burns To The Ground". WLOX. Biloxi, Mississippi. July 30, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  45. ↑ Post, Gillian Brockell | The Washington (July 23, 2019). "A national anthem protest ruined his NBA career. Now former Nuggets star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is being honored by LSU". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  46. ↑ "The revival of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf". ABC News.
  47. ↑ Diamos, Jason (March 21, 1996). "PRO BASKETBALL;Abdul-Rauf Is Calm In Face of Controversy". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  48. ↑ Home, Hostile Home, New York Times (August 8, 2013)
  49. ↑ Hodges, Jim (March 13, 1996). "NBA Sits Abdul-Rauf for Stance on Anthem". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  50. ↑ "Abdul-Rauf Will Stand—and Pray". Los Angeles Times. March 15, 1996. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  51. ↑ "Charges Are Filed In Mosque Incident". The New York Times. Denver (Colo). Associated Press. March 24, 1996. Retrieved September 21, 2010.

Further reading

  • Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf; Nick Chiles (2022). In the Blink of an Eye: An Autobiography. Kaepernick Publishing. ISBN 978-1595911209.
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