“It was nice to score 32 on Michael Jordan”: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf on Beating the 72-10 Bulls Team in 1996

Akash Murty
|PublishedFeb 14, 2023

“It was nice to score 32 on Michael Jordan”: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf on Beating the 72-10 Bulls Team in 1996

Image Credits: Twitter

Only a few people in the history of the game can proudly say put up a show on Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the 90s. One of them we all know is the man who dared crossing him over and tell the world of his arrival on the biggest stage, that’s of course Allen Iverson. However, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf also did it against a prime MJ as well.

One of the biggest ‘what ifs’ of the NBA, the 6ft 1” point guard, who played in the league for just 8 years before getting blackballed for his stance on the National Anthem, recently reminisced about one of his many terrific performances on the grandest stage for basketball.

Also read: “Patrick Mahomes Can Be Football’s 1st Michael Jordan”: Max Kellerman, Who Once Called Tom Brady a ‘Bum’, Snubs Him For GOAT as Chiefs Win Super Bowl LVII

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf remembers his 30-ball against Michael Jordan and the 96 Bulls

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls held the NBA record for most wins until Stephen Curry and Co broke it in 2015-16. That 72-10 team is arguably the NBA’s greatest team of all time.

Abdul-Rauf and his 35-47 Denver Nuggets cost that team one of their losses. His 32 points on his opposite number (MJ) were enough to cancel out 6ft 6’ guard’s 39 who was playing point guard in the game. He recently talked about it on All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.

“They put [Michael] Jordan at the point guard, they were trying to run him at the point… and I was the third visit [guarding MJ].” Rauf revealed. “I’m tryna kill him, tryna get him off of me immediately, which ended up working. But I tell guys all the time, ‘It was nice to score 32 and beat ‘em, but I would flip it round and have the championship.”

Also read: John Havlicek vs Michael Jordan: How Does Celtics Legend Match Up To His Airness?

It might have been Abdul-Rauf’s last meaningful season, but he made sure NBA fans remembered him

A man who was going to be out of the NBA in a couple of years stole that one victory away from MJ which would have still kept them 73-9 as NBA’s most win in a regular season.

He did it when the Bulls were on a 10-game win streak and 41-3 in the season. Makes it even greater, doesn’t it? But, he got a ban just after that great individual season for him.

As soon as that career high season ended for him, he started getting treated differently for something he stood for, that actually could have been appreciated in today’s world. Alas! It had to end that way, he would have have been an all time great.

Also read: “Michael Jordan Palmed Mary J Blige’s Behind”: 50 Cents Once Gave His 2 Cents On Bulls Legend’s Frisky Encounter

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

Share this article