Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was the last pick in the inaugural BIG3 Draft. He is the oldest player in the league. But, the man Phil Jackson, Michael Rapaport and Dale Brown recently called “Steph Curry before Steph Curry” may just be the biggest surprise of the 2017 season.
The Lexington Herald-Leader recently caught up with Abdul-Rauf to talk about his return to professional basketball – specifically his return to Rupp Arena, the iconic Kentucky court where the BIG3 will play on Aug. 6.
As the story noted, Abdul-Rauf hasn’t been in Rupp Arena since Feb. 15, 1990, when he was a star guard for LSU (known at that time as Chris Jackson). He scored 41 points against Kentucky that night.
Now 48, can Abdul-Rauf still be a scoring machine? He’s in terrific shape, training every day. Clips of him flat out embarrassing a defender in a pick up game recently leaked to House of Highlights (see below).
“It’s in my DNA,” he said. “It’s therapeutic.”
Literally. Abdul-Rauf was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome as a teen, and he says that exercise relieves the symptoms of the neuropsychiatric disorder. It also keeps his skills sharp enough to compete with much younger athletes.
“They seem to be amazed at my quickness and ability to still get off my shot,” he said. “My strength is pretty much still there. My conditioning is still there. I think I’m still pretty quick to get where I want to go. Not the 20, 25-year-old quick. But I’m not complaining.”
Abdul-Rauf will play for the 3-Headed Monsters in the BIG3, alongside captain Rashard Lewis, co-captain Jason Williams, Kwame Brown and Eddie Basden. The coach of the 3-Headed Monsters is Gary Payton.
