Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

This article is about the basketball player whose birth name was Chris Jackson. For other uses, see Chris Jackson (disambiguation).
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

Abdul-Rauf while playing in Japan.
Personal information
Born (1969-03-09) March 9, 1969
Gulfport, Mississippi
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight 160 lb (73 kg)
Career information
High school Gulfport (Gulfport, Mississippi)
College LSU (1988–1990)
NBA draft 1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career 1990–2011
Position Point guard
Number 3,1
Career history
1990–1996 Denver Nuggets
1996–1998 Sacramento Kings
1998–1999 Fenerbahçe
2000–2001 Vancouver Grizzlies
2003–2004 Ural Great
2004–2005 Sedima Roseto
2006–2007 Aris BC
2007–2008 Al-Ittihad
2009–2011 Kyoto Hannaryz
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 8,553 (14.6 ppg)
Rebounds 1,087 (1.9 rpg)
Assists 2,079 (3.5 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (born Chris Wayne Jackson on March 9, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. Abdul-Rauf played basketball for Gulfport High School before enrolling at Louisiana State University to play college basketball for the Tigers.

His nine-year NBA career, spent with the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies, was marked by an appearance in the Slam Dunk Contest as well as by one of the most accurate free-throw shooting records ever. Considered one of the greatest free-throw shooters in the history of the game, Abdul-Rauf missed the all time free-throw shooting NBA season record by only a single miss in the 1993–94 season. He sparked controversy for refusing to stand for the national anthem, and calling the flag of the United States a symbol of oppression. After his NBA career, he played in multiple leagues around the world.

Early life and career

Abdul-Rauf was born 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 that he and his brothers were not able to have proper nutrition.[2] Abdul-Rauf missed the fourth grade and, later on, he was placed in special education classes.[2] He suffered from 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]

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 record in scoring for a freshman with 53 points against Florida.[2] On March 4, 1989 he scored 55 against Ole Miss to break his own record, also setting career-high for three pointers made with 10.[3][7] In the same game Ole Miss's Gerald Glass scored 53, making their 108 combined points the most ever by two players in a 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-Americans.[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]

Professional career

Abdul-Rauf was selected with the third pick in the 1990 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.[13] In his first season in the NBA he was selected in the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.[14] 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.[15] Abdul-Rauf led the league in free throw percentage in the 1993–94 and 1995–96 seasons.[16] He played with Denver until 1996, and was a key player on that team, winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1993.[17] In November 1995 he scored 30 points and a career-high 20 assists against the Phoenix Suns.[18] On December 8, 1995 Abdul-Rauf posted a career-high 51 points against the Utah Jazz.[19][20] In June 1996 he was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a deal that involved six players and three teams.[21]

In 1998 Abdul-Rauf signed a two-year, $3.4 million contract with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball League.[22] He left the club without finishing the season, stating he would retire from basketball due to loss of interest in the game.[23] After not playing for the entire 1999–00 season he signed for to the Vancouver Grizzlies in August 2000.[24] In December 2003 Abdul-Rauf signed for Ural Great of the Russian Basketball Super League.[25] In 2004 he signed for Italian Serie A club Sedima Roseto.[26] 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 was left out for the whole season due to a torn achilles tendon.[27][28][29] For the 2006–07 season, he came out of retirement for the third time in his career to play for Aris Thessaloniki.[30] In November 2007 he signed a contract with Al-Ittihad of the Saudi Basketball League.[31] In August 2009 he signed for bj league team Kyoto Hannaryz.[32] He averaged 17.9 points in 38 games in his first season in Japan.[33] In July 2010, he resigned with Kyoto Hannaryz for the 2010–11 season.[34]

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:[35]

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1990–91 Denver 67 19 22.5 .413 .240 .857 1.8 3.1 .8 .1 14.1
1991–92 Denver 81 11 19.0 .421 .330 .870 1.4 2.4 .5 .0 10.3
1992–93 Denver 81 81 33.5 .450 .355 .935 2.8 4.2 1.0 .1 19.2
1993–94 Denver 80 78 32.7 .460 .316 .956 2.1 4.5 1.0 .1 18.0
1994–95 Denver 73 43 28.5 .470 .386 .885 1.9 3.6 1.1 .1 16.0
1995–96 Denver 57 53 35.6 .434 .392 .930 2.4 6.8 1.1 .1 19.2
1996–97 Sacramento 75 51 28.4 .445 .382 .846 1.6 2.5 .7 .1 13.7
1997–98 Sacramento 31 0 17.1 .377 .161 1.000 1.2 1.9 .5 .0 7.3
2000–01 Vancouver 41 0 11.9 .488 .286 .759 .6 1.9 .2 .0 6.5
Career 586 336 26.7 .442 .354 .905 1.9 3.5 .8 .1 14.6

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1994 Denver 12 12 28.3 .370 .324 .935 1.5 2.5 .4 .1 12.9
1995 Denver 3 2 25.3 .364 .167 1.000 1.7 1.7 .7 .0 13.3
Career 15 14 27.7 .369 .286 .956 1.5 2.3 .1 .1 13.0

Personal

In 1991 he converted to Islam and changed his name from Chris Jackson to his current one in 1993.[36] He is the father of five children.[37] After his basketball career was over, Abdul-Rauf moved to Atlanta, since his house in his hometown was burned to the ground in 2001.[38][39]

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,[40] stating that the flag was a symbol of oppression and that the United States had a long history of tyranny.[41] He said that standing to the national anthem would therefore conflict with his Islamic beliefs. On March 12, 1996, the NBA suspended Abdul-Rauf one game for his refusal to stand. Two days later, the league was able to work out a compromise with him, 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.

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 provocative response to Abdul-Rauf's refusal to stand for the national anthem.[42] Like Abdul-Rauf, the DJs were briefly suspended but ultimately they publicly apologized and reconciled with the mosque community.[43]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The city of Gulfport honors Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf". WLOX13. 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. 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". LA Times. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Boy's Alumni" (PDF). mcdonaldsallamerican.com. 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. 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". New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  13. ↑ "1990 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Year-by-year NBA All-Rookie Teams". NBA. February 26, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  15. ↑ Feinstein, Andrew (February 13, 2009). "A history of Nuggets in the dunk contest...". SB⋆NATION. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Nuggets Awards". NBA Hoops Online. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  17. ↑ "NBA Most Improved Player Award Winners". NBA.com. Jun 21, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  18. ↑ "NBA ROUNDUP : Regular Referees Get a Thriller". Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1995. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Abdul-Rauf Scores 51 Points As Nuggets Hold On at Utah". New York Times. December 8, 1995. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  20. ↑ Sanchez, Robert. "The Conversion of Chris Jackson". The Denver Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Nuggets Unload Rose, Abdul-rauf In Trades". The Philadelphia Inquirer. June 14, 1996. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  22. ↑ Shapiro, Mark (June 19, 1998). "Abdul-Rauf Leaves NBA For Turkey". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Fenerbahce reject Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf quits basketball". Hurriyet Daily News. June 24, 1999. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "Grizzlies sign G Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf". SLAM! Basketball. August 20, 2000. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  25. ↑ December 9, 2003. "Ural Great Sign Duo". FIBAEurope.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  26. ↑ "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.
  27. ↑ "Mahmoud Abdul Rauf #5". Lega Basket. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Abdul Rauf a Udine Poz verso Málaga?". La Gazzetta dello Sport. July 31, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Becirovic chiude il mercato Fortitudo". La Gazzetta dello Sport. August 18, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  30. ↑ Αμπντούλ Ραούφ και με την βούλα (in Greek). sport24.gr. October 23, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Ex-NBA Player Abdul-Rauf Is Ittihad's Prized Recruit". Arabnews.com. November 23, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  32. ↑ Odeven, Ed (August 29, 2009). "Ex-NCAA star Abdul-Rauf signs with Kyoto Hannaryz". Japan Times. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  33. ↑ Kerby, Trey (August 3, 2010). "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is still playing basketball". YAHOO! Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Abdul-Rauf to return to Hannaryz". The Japan Times. July 31, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf NBA stats". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  36. ↑ Eddie Maisonet (March 25, 2014). "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: Here, gone and quickly forgotten". SB⋆NATION. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  37. ↑ Harris, Matthew (August 1, 2013). "Post-basketball, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf embraces the simple life". http://theadvocate.com. Retrieved April 29, 2015. External link in |publisher= (help)
  38. ↑ "Fire engulfs Abdul-Rauf home". CBC sports. July 30, 2001. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  39. ↑ Sierra, Jorge (February 4, 2010). "Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: "After the anthem fiasco, no team wanted to touch me"". hoops hype. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  40. ↑ Diamos, Jason (1996-03-21). "PRO BASKETBALL;Abdul-Rauf Is Calm In Face of Controversy". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  41. ↑ Home, Hostile Home, New York Times (August 8, 2013)
  42. ↑ AP (1996-03-24). "Charges Are Filed In Mosque Incident". Denver (Colo): New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  43. ↑ Grewal, Zareena (2004). "By the Dawn's Early Light: Chris Jackson's Journey to Islam". New York (NY): Cinema Guild. Retrieved 2016-08-24.

External links

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