Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf is one of the most underrated stars in NBA history, playing for 9 seasons and winning Most Improved Player in 1993.
Rauf is known for his off-court advocacy which many claimed killed his career, but he knew what he brought onto the court. A few possessions of one-on-one basketball against Michael Jordan at a Nike camp proved to him he could be a baller in the NBA.
“The defining moment was at the Nike Camp. Michael Jordan was there, he was so close I could reach out and touch him. I am just admiring his body man, he was so cut up. He’s in his prime. He asked me to come out to the basketball court. At the top of the key, he gives me the ball and says ‘I want you to come at me, young fella’. I said okay, I get it, I give him a jay up real quick and I take off left, he’s coming but I run through and I go straight up, take something off, and score. It’s over. He gives me the ball again, I get it, and I go through my legs. Crossover, I lay him up twice. He asked me for the ball and said go sit down. After I did that, I had a conversation with myself. ‘I just scored on Michael Jordan twice, it was easy.’ It just took me to a whole other level. If you thought I was training then, it just took me to a whole other level. I wanna feel this all the time.”
"Man, I just scored on Michael Jordan twice? … It was easy."
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf reflects on the moment when he knew he could face anyone. https://t.co/l0h9yDYNqL
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 27, 2023
Rauf played for the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings in his career and averaged 19.2 points in his highest-scoring seasons for Denver. He has had a 50-point game and is one of the few players in modern history to have had a 20-assist game. Rauf was the first NBA athlete to kneel during the national anthem, sparking widespread controversy at the time.
Mahmoud-Abdul Rauf Would Always Take A Stand
The modern era of NBA players feel comfortable with using the NBA court to speak out on major political and social matters, especially when it comes to race relations. The 2020 Bubble saw various examples of this, with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ court along with social messages at the back of jerseys and players kneeling during the national anthem.
When Rauf kneeled in 1996, the league promptly suspended him. His house was allegedly burned down by the KKK, and he was mocked openly in the media. Nowadays, Rauf was a trendsetter for what NBA players like LeBron James can do now with their platform. However, it did cost him millions and a long career in the league.
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