Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf – formerly known as Chris Jackson, and also known to the Basketball fandom as Stephen Curry from the 90s.
Advertisement
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was a guard from LSU who in the 90s played like he was from the future. The 6’1 Mississippi-born guard had handles like how Stephen Curry does currently.
A shifty guard with an arsenal of shots that were unheard of in the 90s, Rauf was on track to be one of the best guards in the league. His stock may have fallen off drastically since he retired, but people who watched the game keenly in the 90s know what he was worth.
At his peak, he averaged 19 points and 7 assists, while shooting an incredible 93% from the line and 40% from beyond the arc. In any era ever, that is borderline All-Star status. Rauf was holding his own, in a league that was dominated by Michael Jordan.
The best part about this man? He was the FIRST option over SHAQUILLE O’NEAL at LSU- the most dominant big man ever. That speaks volumes about his talent, and what he could have been, had it not been for the league deciding to make an example out of him.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf aka 90s Stephen Curry would have been akin to Kyrie Irving in today’s era for holding his values sacred
After converting to Islam, Chris Jackson was Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf to the world. He believed in religion, and how they were against oppression of any kind. According to him, The United States flag was a symbol of tyranny, with all the history that transpired for the 220 odd years up until that point. For that reason, whenever the national anthem was played, he did not stand up for it.
He was seen multiple times absent from the lineup or continued to perform his stretches, which baffled the reporters at first. When they finally asked him the reason behind it, they were livid.
All of a sudden, a nation rallied against him, calling him names. He was targeted continuously, to the point where aggressors burnt down his house.
Rauf refused to stand down, even citing that he would leave basketball if it came to work or beliefs. Kyrie Irving said the same thing, and he still is playing in the league.
Rauf was hounded out of the league, and a career that was projected for greatness came crashing down. The man was truly Colin Kaepernick and Stephen Curry 1.0. A revolutionary on and off the court, the NBA was not ready for him.
The fans and the league do not talk about him now – they will have to air out the dirty laundry. If you want to him play, one can tune in to the Big 3 league – he can still shoot!
