Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
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Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (born March 9, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. He was born Chris Jackson but changed his name upon his conversion to Islam. He attended Louisiana State University and was selected with the 3rd pick in the first round of the NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets in 1990. He played with Denver until 1995, and was a key player on that team, winning the most-improved player award in 1993. Abdul-Rauf later went on to play for the Sacramento Kings and later the Vancouver Grizzlies. He led the league in free-throw percentage in 1994 and 1996.
Since retiring from basketball, he has built a mosque in his home town of Gulfport, Mississippi, and has become an Imam.
He is perhaps best known for the controversy he created when he refused to stand for the Star Spangled Banner before games, stating that it conflicted with his Islamic beliefs. Abdul-Rauf was also a role model in overcoming the challenge of Tourette's Syndrome to have a distinguished athletic career. He is also one of the inventors of the sweeping backwords hook shot.