USA Today via Reuters
Dec 2, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) looks to the sideboard for a replay after initially being called for his sixth foul, before the call was successfully challenged during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 2, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) looks to the sideboard for a replay after initially being called for his sixth foul, before the call was successfully challenged during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
NBA superstar Stephen Curry is arguably the best shooter ever. It is safe to say Curry has revolutionized the game of basketball with his shooting prowess over the years. Now, almost every team is trying to emulate what the four-time champion and the Golden State Warriors do best. But most fall short. However, there have been some great shooters who created the platform for someone like Curry to thrive in the future. While we remember names like Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, and even Dell Curry, we forget some. One such player was Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
Two-time All-American with LSU, Abdul-Rauf was selected as the 3rd overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 1990 NBA draft. He was one of the best shooters at the time and won the MIP award in 1993. But his NBA career came to a shocking end in 1998 and the former guard believes he was blackballed.
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Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf on being blackballed
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf opened up about his NBA career during a recent interview with Andscape. During the interview, he talked about being blackballed. After the MIP award in 1993, Abdul-Rauf had one of his best seasons in 1996. He averaged 19.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game and was one of the best players for the Denver Nuggets. But he sparked some controversy when refused to stand for the National anthem and called the U.S. flag a symbol of oppression in the same season.
He was then traded to the Sacramento Kings the next season and was out of the league after just three years. Abdul-Rauf “definitely” believes he was blackballed. ?I literally shied away because I don?t want to be reactionary,? Abdul-Rauf said. ?And I?m thinking about things and I?m processing and I?m looking at patterns. And I know that we have a system of laws that don?t always apply, but we do have a system of laws.??
He added, ?They can?t come out and say, ?We are firing him because of X, Y, and Z.? Because now there?s a lawsuit and there?s millions and millions of dollars at stake. So sometimes what they do is, ?Well, let?s diminish his minutes.? ?
The sharpshooter noted that it was really hard for him and his family after his NBA career came to an end.
Stephen Curry compared to Abdul-Rauf
In 2016, legendary coach Phil Jackson compared Stephen Curry to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Only the Golden State Warriors superstar has a better free throw percentage than Abdul-Rauf.
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Furthermore, legendary shooter Reggie Miller once admitted Abdul-Rauf had one of the best shooting touches ever during a podcast. But the way his career ended was unfortunate.
