Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf facts for kids
Abdul-Rauf with Kyoto Hannaryz in 2010
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 9, 1969 Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S. |
| High school | Gulfport (Gulfport, Mississippi) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 162 lb (73 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | LSU (1988–1990) |
| NBA Draft | 1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall |
| Selected by the Denver Nuggets | |
| Pro career | 1990–2011 |
| 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 | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 8,553 (14.6 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,087 (1.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,079 (3.5 apg) |
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (born Chris Wayne Jackson on March 9, 1969) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for nine years. His teams included the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, and Vancouver Grizzlies.
Abdul-Rauf played college basketball for the LSU Tigers from 1988 to 1990. He was recognized as a top college player during both seasons. The Denver Nuggets chose him as the 3rd overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft. Abdul-Rauf won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1993. He also took part in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 1993 NBA All-Star Weekend. He was known as one of the best free throw shooters in the league. After his time in the NBA, he played in many other basketball leagues around the world.
During his early years with the Nuggets, Abdul-Rauf became a Muslim. He was inspired by The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the Quran. In 1993, he officially changed his name from Chris Jackson to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. He gained a lot of media attention during the 1995–96 NBA season. This happened when he chose not to stand for the U.S. national anthem. He did this as a protest, believing the flag of the United States was a symbol of unfairness. Abdul-Rauf later agreed to stand. However, he asked to be allowed to raise his hands in dua (a form of prayer) during the anthem. In 2016, his anthem protest was talked about again. This was because of similar protests by Colin Kaepernick and the 2016 NFL kneeling protests.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
Abdul-Rauf was born Chris Jackson in Gulfport, Mississippi. He was raised by his mother, Jacqueline Jackson, along with his two brothers. His family faced poverty, and sometimes they did not have enough food. Abdul-Rauf missed the fourth grade and was placed in special education classes. He also had a mild form of Tourette syndrome, which was not diagnosed until he was 17.
Despite these challenges, Abdul-Rauf became a very talented basketball player. He played for Gulfport High School. In his final year of high school, he averaged 29.9 points and 5.7 assists per game. He was also chosen for the McDonald's All-American Game. Abdul-Rauf was an amazing free throw shooter. In one practice, he made 283 free throws in a row. He was named Mississippi Mr. Basketball twice, in 1987 and 1988.
A middle-school girls' coach discovered Abdul-Rauf playing basketball during lunch. He had never played in an organized game before. The coach saw his skill and convinced his mother to let him play organized basketball.
College Basketball Career
Abdul-Rauf was an outstanding freshman player for LSU. In just his third game, he scored 48 points against Louisiana Tech. He set a scoring record for a freshman with 53 points against Florida. On March 4, 1989, he scored 55 points against Ole Miss. This was his personal best and included 10 three-pointers. In that same game, Ole Miss' Gerald Glass scored 53 points. Their combined 108 points were the most ever by two players in an SEC game.
In his freshman season, he played 32 games. He set the NCAA record for points by a freshman (965) and points per game by a freshman (30.2). He was named SEC Player of the Year. He was also a First-team All-American. In his second year, his scoring average was 27.8 points per game. On February 10, 1990, he scored 49 points and tied his record for three-pointers. He was named SEC Player of the Year and First-team All-American again. After two great years at LSU, Abdul-Rauf decided to enter the NBA draft.
In 2020, LSU retired his #35 jersey to honor his achievements.
Professional Basketball Journey
The Denver Nuggets picked Abdul-Rauf as the third player in the 1990 NBA draft. In his first season in the NBA, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. Even though he never dunked in a real game, he took part in the 1993 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. This happened after the Nuggets' general manager sent a video of Abdul-Rauf's dunking skills to the NBA.
Abdul-Rauf was the best in the league at free throw percentage in the 1993–94 and 1995–96 seasons. His free throw percentage of .956 in 1993–94 is one of the highest in NBA history. He played with Denver until 1996. He was a very important player for the team, winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1993. In November 1995, he scored 30 points and had a career-high 20 assists against the Phoenix Suns. On December 8, 1995, Abdul-Rauf scored a career-high 51 points against the Utah Jazz. In June 1996, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings.
In 1998, Abdul-Rauf signed a contract with Fenerbahçe in Turkey. He left the team before the season ended, saying he would retire from basketball. After not playing for the entire 1999–00 season, he signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies in August 2000. In December 2003, Abdul-Rauf signed with Ural Great in Russia. In 2004, he signed with Sedima Roseto in Italy. He averaged 18.4 points per game in the 2004–05 season. He signed with another Italian team, Udine, in July 2005. However, he did not play the entire season because of a serious injury to his achilles tendon.
For the 2006–07 season, he returned to play for Aris Thessaloniki in Greece. In November 2007, he signed with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. In August 2009, he signed with the Basketball Japan League team Kyoto Hannaryz. He averaged 17.9 points in 38 games in his first season in Japan. In July 2010, he signed again with Kyoto Hannaryz for the 2010–11 season.
As of 2025, he is playing in the BIG3 basketball league for the 3 Headed Monsters. In 2018, he was ranked 5th in 3-point field goal percentage, making 45.5% of his shots.
Personal Life
Abdul-Rauf learned about Islam when his LSU coach, Dale Brown, gave him the book The Autobiography of Malcolm X. He learned about the Quran during his first year with the Denver Nuggets. He became a Muslim soon after. He changed his name from Chris Jackson to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in 1993. He has five children.
After his NBA career, Abdul-Rauf moved to Florida. This was after his house in Necaise, Mississippi was destroyed by fire in 2001.
See also
In Spanish: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf para niños
