In every era of the NBA, there appears a player who is seemingly ahead of the pack. A pioneer, in some sort. NBA historians look at these outliers as the beginning of trends and often remark about how they would have been better served in a version of the NBA that embraced the change they pioneered.
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One such player from the 1990s, seen as a player “ahead of his time” often, is Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Rauf, born Chris Jackson, is widely referred to in NBA circles as “Steph Curry before Steph Curry” and was an extremely skilled guard.
But, growing up in poverty meant that making the NBA wasn’t a given for the former Denver guard. When questioned about the same by Jamal Crawford, however, Rauf had a precise moment to point at, as the day he knew he would make the NBA. And, it involved none other than Michael Jordan.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf attended a Nike Camp in Jordan’s presence and went up against MJ.
Michael Jordan, at the peak of his powers, was arguably the greatest basketball player the world had ever seen. MJ was the complete package – shooting, defending, competitive burst – name it, he had it.
Naturally, when he got an opportunity to go up against MJ, Rauf may not have fancied his chances. But, what happened afterward, in Rauf’s account, was the assurance he needed regarding his chances in the NBA.
In an interview with Jamal Crawford, the 1993 Most Improved Player winner shed light on his MJ encounter. Crawford had asked Rauf when he knew he could cut it with the best. Rauf’s response painted quite the story indeed.
“The defining moment was at the Nike camp. Michael Jordan is talking to us….He’s in his prime….And out of all the people, he asked me to come out to the basketball court. He said ‘I want you to come at me, young fella, with everything you have’. So, I get it, and I give him a jab real quick. And, I take off left. He’s coming, but I run through it. I score. He gives me the ball again…I just land on two, I don’t want to establish a pivot. I get it, I go through my legs, crossover. I lay him up twice. He asked me for the ball. He said ‘Go sit down’….I just scored on Michael Jordan twice…It was easy.” described Rauf of his duel with MJ.
Scoring twice on someone who has won Defensive Player of the Year honors before he was league-bound certainly helped Rauf identify his place in the NBA.
Such an introduction warranted a much more illustrious career, though. But unfortunately, that wasn’t how exactly things panned out, for the former Denver Nuggets guard.
How did Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf fare in the NBA?
Rauf was one of the best shooters the league had seen at the time and boasted some range. The former Most Improved Player combined handles for days with his shooting and posed a problem unlike any, for opposition defenses.
However, with spacing not being a key aspect of the game, Rauf’s game necessarily did not translate to much success. Despite his incredible skill set, Rauf never even made an NBA All-Star game. Regardless, Rauf enjoyed a solid career and was a respected name in the league.
Furthermore impactful arguably were the political stances Rauf took during the course of his career, however. The guard had once refused to stand for the American national anthem in protest. Rauf even stood up against the systemic oppression by police forces in America, even referring to the national flag as a symbol of oppression.
Some believe it was this, more than the era, that failed Rauf’s potential. Regardless, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf seems to have cemented a legacy for himself in basketball. “Steph Curry before Steph Curry” is certainly a moniker worth being remembered by.
