Birthplace: Gulfport, MS
Height: 6'1"
NBA Seasons: 9
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf will return to the 3 Headed Monsters as a co-captain.
Abdul-Rauf and his signature pull-up have made him a consistent source of scoring for the 3 Headed Monsters. Abdul-Rauf was well ahead of his time during his NBA days about the value of the pull-up from deep, and he’s brought that experience to the BIG3, and has been a major contributor to the 3 Headed Monsters throughout their four consecutive playoff runs.
Abdul-Rauf, who was known as Chris Jackson before converting to Islam 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, Abdul-Rauf 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.