Birthplace: Gulfport, MS
Height: 6'1"
NBA Seasons: 9
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf returns as co-captain for the 3 Headed Monsters, contributing leadership and offensive prowess to a seasoned batch of athletes that have competed together since 2017.
The prolific scorer threw up big numbers in 2019, leading his team in assists with 1.9 per game. He had a 3-point percentage of .368, and almost half of the points he scored that season came from behind the arc. One three-pointer, along with a steal, helped the Monsters clinch the third-place game victory.
The point guard was a major element of the 2017 and 2018 3 Headed Monsters’ clutch seasons (both of which resulted in playoff runs), hitting four game-winning baskets in those first two years. In 2018, Abdul-Rauf finished eighth in total field goals, seventh in assists, and sixth in three-pointers.
Abdul-Rauf, whose given name was Chris Jackson before converting to Islam and changing it in 1991, was taken with the third overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. He twice led the league in free throw percentage, and in 1993 he was named NBA Most Improved Player. In 586 career games, he averaged 14.6 points and 3.5 assists per game.
As a standout player at LSU, then-Jackson was the SEC Player of the Year as a freshman in 1989, when he set several freshman scoring records, and again in 1990. He earned first-team All-America honors both years as well.