Stand (2023) Movie Script

1
[Abdul-Rauf]
Onceyouseesomething,
youcan'tunseeit.
EspeciallyasaBlackyoungman,
especiallyasanathlete,
we'retaught
tostayinabox.
Tobequiet.
[reporter]
Investigatorsareclaimingarson
intheearly-morningblazeat
thehomeofMahmoudAbdul-Rauf.
Abdul-Raufbelievesthefire
wasraciallymotivated.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Mississippiburning.
Whenit'sallsaidanddone,
noonewantsyou
tocriticizeAmerica.
But,asJamesBaldwinsays,
that'sapart
ofbeingapatriot.
[commentator]
Mahmoud,dribblespasttwo,
andatwo-pointer!
[commentator2] Mahmoud,
that'sdeep!It'sgood!
[ShaquilleO'Neal]
Hewasn'tgood,hewasgreat.
Hewasn'tgreat,
hewasoneofthegreatest.
[commentator]
Mahmoudthrowsoneupagain.
Whowasthisdude
torchingtheLakers?
[commentator]
Mahmoudpullsthetrigger...
Itwasthisdude
thatcan'tmiss.
[Polynice]Ineversaw
somebodyshootlikethat.
ThatwasStephCurry,
beforeStephCurry.
Thequickness,thecreative
flairhehad,therange.
[commentator]
MahmoudagainstStockton,
26feetaway.
Idon'tknowhowmanypeople
givehimenoughcreditfor
hisstyleofplay.
[Rose]Towatchhim
haveTourettesyndrome
andstilldestroy
thebestplayersintheleague,
like,Iusedtositback
andbelaughing.
[commentator]
Abdul-Raufisonfire!
IhadnochanceagainstMahmoud.
Hewasscoring50
inagame.
Justlightingitup.
Thegreatestperformance
I'veseenever.
ItlookedlikeIwas
watchingGodplaybasketball.
[commentator] Onesecond,
forthegame!Yeah!
[DaleBrown]
Oneofthegreatestplayers
inthehistory
oftheNBA
wascheated
outofhiscareer.
[reporter] TheNational
BasketballAssociationis
inastandofftonight
withahighly-paidplayer.
Thisisthemostnotorious
figureinAmerica.
TherewereFBIagentshaving
tositinthestands.
[Abdul-Rauf]They'resaying
it'sawaronterrorism,Ithink
that'saeuphemism
forawaronIslam.
Mahmoudneversaid
"I'mgonnaburnthehousedown."
[crowdbooing]
ButtheKlanburned
hishousedown.
Howaboutthat?
[staticwhining]
I'msick,
sickofwaitinginvain
Tiredofplayingthegame,
thinkingofmakingachange
Finallybreakingthechains,
everyphase
Everyhappening,craze,
whenit'ssaidanddone
Myheadis
rightbackinahaze
I'mready
forthenextchapterandpage
Tostartactingmyage
andpartways
WithBlackThought
frombackinthedays
I'mstargazing
fromthebackofthestage
Questioningifwhoy'all
praiseisworthyofpraise
What'sthephrase,
"bygonesisbygones"?
Niggaswhousedtobe
theunderdogsisicons
Peoplesaythelightshines
onceinalifetime
Isthismidlifekindacrisis
alittlebitlikemine?
I'mthinkingnotnow
butrightnow
Ineedsomekindasign
thatthefutureisbrightnow
Ifuckaround,dotheright
thinglikeSpikenow
Thequickandthedead,
whichoneis
mylookalikenow?
I'mmovingahead
Everything'schanging
aroundme
AndIwanna
changetoo...
[softrollingwaves]
[Abdul-Rauf]
Juniorhighschool.
IrememberthatIwas
walkingtowardsthebeach.
AndIrememberseeing,
asclearas
youseethesunoutside,
theKuKluxKlanmarching
downthebeach.
Itwasjustmind-blowingtome,
youknow,toseethat.
AndIcanremember,
asachild,wondering,
"Iwonder
who'sunderthosemasks.
Iwonderifit'ssomeone
thatIknow,
thatIseeeveryday,"right?
Andmostlikelyitis,
andsoyou...
youknewthatyou...
youhadtotreadsoftly.
Youhadtoplay
thegame.
Igrewupinaneighborhood
calledSoriaCity.
Fourorfiveblocks
fromtheGulfofMexico,
threeblocksfrom
thetraintrackwhichseparated
theBlackneighborhood
fromthewhiteneighborhood.
Theghettoes
inthoseneighborhoods
don'tlookasnice.
Oldhomes,shacks,
it'sdefinitely
astarkdifference.
Growingupinmysituation,
withoutafather.
Havingamother
that...youknow,
weallhaveourlimitations,
andshehadhers.
Youknow,having
eighthgradeeducation.
Havingtoraisethreeboys,
there'sonlysomuch
thatshecandoforyou.
Shecan'tgiveyou
whatyouneverhad.
Andsoyou'rekindof
lefttoyourown.
[DavidJackson]Iremember
whenChriswouldcomehome.
Thereweretimes
therewasnothingtoeat.
-[gunshot]
-Iwouldgrab
-mypelletgun.
-[gunshot]
Youknow,Ishotthesquirrels,
cleaned'em.
-Shotdoves,cleaned'em.
-[gunfire]
Itwasn'tshootingforfun.
Itwasshootingforsurvival.
[Abdul-Rauf]Asachild,
Imean,youadapt.
Soyoudon'treally
understandit
whenyou'relivingthroughit,
asyoudowhenyougetolder
andyougoback,
andyou'llbelike,wow,
welivedinthissituation.
Dayinanddayout.
Everydayyouwakeup.
Youseeit.
Igrewup
inareligiousfamily.
Churchoneachcorner
fromwhereIstayed.
Anditwasalways,youknow,
preachedtome,
theimportanceofnotjust
prayingforyourself,butpray
forothersmorethanyourself.
Iusedtohave,periodically,
conversationsaskingpeople
doyouknow
whomyfatheris?
Myolderbrother'sfather
waswhite,Iknewthat.
Myyoungerbrother'sfather,
Ievensawhim,
hewasanAfrican-Americanguy.
Iwaslike,
whyoutofallyourchildren,
I'mtheonlyone
thatdon'tknow?
Andshenevertoldme,still,
butshesaid,"He'swhite."
Ican'tsaythis.
Iwantto,
butIcan'tsayit.
ButIwannagothere,
butIcan'tdoit.
[Abdul-Rauf]Noonecould
givemetheanswers.
Youknow,
evenuptothisday,
Noonehasbeenable
togivethemtome.
It'savoidthere.
[David]It'sapart
ofyouthatyoudon'tknow,
andtheonlything
youcanfigureoutis,
okay,IknowwhereIget
thesetraitsfrom.
Youknow,thesecome
frommymother,
'causeIknewmymother.
Buttheunknownpart,
yousay,okay,
this...thishasn't...
couldcomefrommyfather.
Fourthgrade,
Idecided,man,
Iwannabe
thebestbasketballplayer
thereisintheworld.
Now,asachild,
you,tenyearsold,
youdon'tknow
howpeoplearetraining,
butinyourmind--"Igotta
trainharderthananybody."
[LeonardBennett]Hewasa
littlekidwithabigredAfro.
Wecameout
to2ndStreetPark,
anditwasraining,
butlike,"Man,
IguessI'llgobackhome,"
'causeitstartedraining.
Hewaslike,"Man,I'mgonna
goouthereand...shoot."
"Gooutandshootwhere?"
Hesaid,"Goout,
shootat2ndStreetPark."
Isaid,"Man,it'sraining!"
[thundercrashing]
Hehadthisthinginhishead,
andthismightsoundcrazy.
Hetriedtohit
asmanyshotsashecould
beforetheraindrops
hittheground.
Hehadacrazyimagination
withthatbasketball.
Hehadimaginaryfriends
outthere.
Hewouldplayagainst--
four-on-four,
five-on-five,byhimself,
withhisimaginaryfriends
on2ndStreetPark.
Basketballforme,kindof...
andIknowitsoundsweird.
Itkindoftook
theplaceofmyfather,
becauseIspent
somuchtimeonthecourt.
Yeah,Iwannatakecare
ofmymother,Iwanna
takecareofpeople,
Iwannatakecareofmyfamily.
[clearsthroat]
ButIwaslike,
"Maybe,ifIbecomesogreat...
atwhatI'mdoing...
that,whoeverheis...
willwannaknowme.
Andbeapartofmylife.
SoIhadachip
onmyshoulder.
ThefirsttimeInoticed
somethingwasdifferent
aboutme,
Iwas...
inthethirdgrade.
Iwouldgetup
inthemorning...
andI'malwayslike...
somethin'have
tofeelright,
orIcouldn'tgofurther.
Likeevengetting
outofthebed.
Everylittlepieceofclothing.
IfIputmyshirton.
Takeitoff.
Itmaytakeme45minutes
justtobeabletogetdressed
andgetoutthehouse.
[David]Hewouldgetdown
andtiehisshoe,
andhewouldtakeitapart,
andhewouldputitbackon,
he'dsay,"Man"...
andhe'd...justdoit,
andjustkeeprepeatingit,
overandover
andover,"Man!"
[Jacqueline]
Open,closing,open,closing
therefrigeratordoor.
Iwasjust--
"Shutthedoor,
andletitbe."
Iwouldthrowmyarm.
Itwouldbepainful.
[echoingthuds]
Poppingmyneck,
Imean,pain,
tothepoint
whereitfeelslike
yourskullishitting
yourbrain,
likeyou'reabout
tohaveananeurysm.
Idon'tknowwhatitis.
Uh,Iwastoldbyadoctor,
andhesaid...
"Hehashabits,literally.
Hehashabits,
theycomeandtheygo."
So,thisis
whatIwouldtellpeople.
"Hey,what'swrongwithyou?"
Ihavehabits.
Theycomeandtheygo.
I'mlookingintothemirror.
I'mlike,
"Please,God...
pleasehelpmestop."
Isaid,"Isthiswhatpeople
seewhentheyseeme?
Ilooklikeamonster."
Somebodytoldme
atthatage,theysaid,
"Godgiveseverybody
astrengthandaweakness.
Buthegivesyouthatstrength
toovercomethatweakness."
You'vegivenmebasketball,
loveofbasketball,
tocalmthisthingdown.
Togiveitabalance.
[commentator]
CentralJuniorHigh
basketballplayer
ChrisJacksonis
asuper-player
withsupertalents.
Chris,whocanjamtheball,
carriesa22-point
scoringaverage.
He'sprobablyone
ofthemostproficientshooters
thatI'veeverhad.
Ijustgooutandtrymybest.
WhenIendedup
gettingtohighschool,
therewasnoquestion
thatIwantedtobe
thebestbasketballplayer.
Iwenttoseehimplay
atGulfportHigh.
Hehadtheball,
hewassurrounded
byeverylastoneofthem.
Thiskidwent
throughtheirlegs,
andIsaid,
Lord,holyJesus!
[chuckling]
Idon't--Icouldn'tbelieveit.
[commentator]
Ahugecrowdshowedup
atJacksonStateUniversity
thisevening.
Thisyoungman
righthere,
ChrisJacksonofGulfport.
[youngAbdul-Rauf]Ireally
can'trememberthefirsttime
Itouchedit,
butwhenIdid,
youknow,
thatwasmylove,youknow?
Justtheideaoftrying
togetitinthatlittlehoop
and,youknow,and...
practicingsomuch
Ijustgrewtoloveitmore.
[interviewer]
Youcouldn'tputthatballdown.
Inevercouldputitdown.
[Bennett]
LakeCharles,Louisiana.
Wegointhegym,
Imean,it'spackedout.
Standingroomonly.
Coachhadthisplay,
ifyouwannacallitaplay.
Thisfist...
andwejustflattenedout.
Justgoone-on-one,
one-on-oneallgamelong.
Andwe'djust
standthereandwatch.
We'djustwatchtheshow,
'causetherewas
gonnabeashow.
Wounduphitting,
like,55inthegame.
[applause]
He'scertainly
thebestoffensiveplayer
I'veevercoached
oreverseen
inhighschool,
that'sforsure.
[cheering]
[Abdul-Rauf]
Myhighschoolcoachwas
CoachJenkins,BertJenkins.
HewasaWorldWarIIveteran.
Hehadhislegblownoff,
andsoheworeapegleg.
Verydisciplined.
Nononsense.
[Bennett]Weshotfreethrows
beforepractice.
Wehadtoshoot25,
Ithinkitwas,
andifyoudidn'tmiss,
you'djustkeepgoing
untilyoumissed.
[GeraldAustin]Chrisgot
startedonedayinparticular...
oneoftheplayers
toldme,said,
"I'mgonnagoliedown,
takeanap,
wakemewhenit'sover."
[laughing]
That'swhenhehitthe283.
[commentator]
Lastyear,JacksonledGulfport
tothestate5A
statechampionship,
averaging
over25pointsagame,
fiveandahalfassists,
andthreerebounds.
Thesportsbible,
Smith&Streets,
saysJacksonis
thebesthighschoolguard
intheUnitedStates
thisyear.
Youcanimagine
howmanycollegeswouldlike
toseehimplayforthem
nextseason.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Basketball,Ilovedit,
gavemesomething
tolookforwardto.
Atthesametime,
everythinghadtofeelperfect,
andsoitwasliterally...
IthoughtIwas
gonnadieeveryday.
Now,Icouldhave
nineshotsinrow...
ifIrelaxedonesecond...
Igottastartover.
Ifthere'soneglitch
inthemove,
Ihavetostartover;
thatdrill
ofgoingthrough
tenshotsmaytakeme
anotherhour,
hourandahalf
tomakealltenstraightin.
ButIwouldrealize,
whenIwouldworkthathard,
therewouldbe
amomentwhenI--
breathingsohard,
butthenyourbreathingslows.
Onceitslowsdown
toadegree,
there'sthismoment
whereI'mtotallystill,
andthat'sthemost
peacefultimeinmylife.
Iliveforthosemoments.
Thosemoments,forme,
ofstillness,arepriceless.
They'repriceless.
[echoingbreathing]
[OwenMiller]
Wewereatabasketballcamp
atMississippiState.
Myparentstookusupthere.
Andourfirstnight
inthatdormroom,
itwas...
excuseme...
um,itwashard,
watchinghimgotosleep.
Iguesstheway
todescribeit,itwaslike,
somebodyelsewasinsidehim,
andhewas
fightingthisperson.
Weknew
therewasaproblem.
Butwedidnotknowwhat.
Wehadacoachcomein
towatchuspractice,
andafterpractice,
hesaid,"Coach,Inotice
Chrishasgotalittletick."
"Well,yeah,"Isaid,
doctors,theyjusttoldhim
itwassomethinghe'doutgrow,
andhesaid...
"No,hewon't."
Hesaid,"Icantellyou
exactlywhathe'sgot,
he'sgotTourettesyndrome."
Andhesaid,"Iknow
becausemysonhasit."
Mrs.Jenkinswas
takingmehome
onedayafterpractice,
andshebasicallyaskedme
thatmymother
wouldmind,right,
ifherand...
andCoachJenkins
sawtoitthatIwent
andsawadoctor.
[doctor]
Whenwastheveryfirsttime
younoticed
anykindofticks?
Iwouldsaytheninth...
juniorhigh,
ninthgrade.
Okay,andwhatwas
theveryfirsttick...
thatyouhadatthattime?
Um...um...
Iguesstappingonthings
andstufflikethat.
Blinking,eyebrows,
movingmyhead,
youknow,
itwaslikethatandstuff.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Hewentstraighttoit,hesaid,
"So,doyouknow
what'sgoingonwithyou?"
Isaid,"No,that's--
that'swhyI'mhere."
Hesaid,
"YouhaveTourettesyndrome."
Tourettesyndromeis
aneurologicaldisorder
thatusuallystarts
inchildhood,
butmaypersist
throughadulthood.
Theystarthaving
involuntarymovements
suchasblinking,
facialgrimacing,
headjerking,
shouldershrugging.
Theyalsohaveavariety
ofbehavioralproblems
suchasobsessive-
compulsivedisorder.
Insomeways,actually,
thosesymptomshelpedhim
tobecomeasuccessful
basketballplayer.
Icanremember,
likeyesterday,man,
justfeeling
a...tonofrelief.
Like,justahugeloadwas
takenoffofmyshoulders.
There'sanameforit?
Andthatitdoesn't...
doesn'tmean
thatI'mcrazy?
Iwasabletowalktoschool,
"IhaveTourettesyndrome."
Right?
Andsayitproudly.
[doctor]
Okay,juststandthere.
[Jacqueline]Ididn'tknow
hehadthatproblem,
andonceIrealizedit...
mademecry.
Icriedmanydays.
'CauseI'mholleringatmyson
forsomething
hecouldn'tcontrol.
[Abdul-Rauf]Iwasgetting
lettersfromcolleges
alloverthenation,
andalotofthatcame
asaresultofgoing
totheNikecampinPrinceton.
[commentator] Basketballis
thenameofthegamethisweek
atPrincetonUniversity.
Manycollegecoaches
andNBAplayers
aregiving
firsthandinstruction
tothe110bluechippers.
[Abdul-Rauf]
MichaelJordanwasthere.
I'monthebottomrow
ofthebleachers.
Just,outofnowhere,
helooksatme,
says,"Comeouthere,
youngfella."
Saidokay.
SoIstepout,
andI'matthetopofthekey.
Andhegivesmetheball,
hesays,"Iwantyou
tocomeatme
witheverythingyouhave."
Youknow,andI'msittinghere,
like,man,thisis...
oneofthemoments
I'vebeenwaitingfor.
AndIremembergetting
aballinmytriplethreat.
Igobetweenmylegs,
andIlean.
Icrosshimover,
Ilayhimupontheotherside.
AndIremember,
whenIsatdown,
thewholetime
I'msittingthere,
Isaid,
ifIcandothisonhim,
I'montosomething.
Like,allofthisstuff--
I'vebeendoingthis
sinceelementary.
Alotofthesemoves.
Cross-over,bop-bop-bop.
Workingonthisday-in
andday-out,consistently.
Andthesemovesareworking.
It'slike,I'mnothaving
tochangemuchofanything.
[cheering]
[Bennett]Oncehebecame
ahighschoolAll-American,
goingtoTarCityHeelswaslike
travelingwiththeBeatles.
Imean,
thosegymswasjam-packed.
Idon'tcarewherewewent,
itwasjam-packed.
[cheering]
[Abdul-Rauf]
NorthCarolina...
I'mlookingatthem
alittlebit.
AndGeorgetownandLSUalso,
youknow,I'mlookingatthem.
[DaleBrown]Thefirsttime
IsawChrisJackson,
therewasalmost
anangeliclooktohim.
Hegrewupinabjectpoverty.
Hehadalways
hadaperpetualsmile.
Idon'twannagetdramatic,
butsomethingspiritual
abouthim,
justagoodhumanbeing.
[Abdul-Rauf]Isaid,
"I'mgoingtoLSU,
andthat'smydecision."
[Brown]Everybodyreally
didn'tknowmuchabouthim.
Hewas...fromMississippi,
sodidn'tgetasmuchpublicity.
[announcer]
6'1"freshman
fromGulfport,Mississippi,
#35,ChrisJackson.
[crowdroaring]
[Abdul-Rauf]
WegointoFlorida.
They'rethenumberoneteam
intheSEC.
Thestandsarefulltocapacity.
-[commentator] Lookatthis.
-[commentator2] They'dbetter
getinhisface.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Thegamestarts.
Ijustknewthat
IjustfeltthatIwas
inthezone,butIdidn'tknow
howgoodofazoneitwas.
[commentator]
Popthrough,dipsy-doo!
Oh,afade-back,baby!
Floridacouldn'tstop'em,
theytriedeverything.
Theydouble-teamed,
theyzoned,theypressed.
[commentator] There'sthenew
recordagainstFlorida.
Jacksonhas53.
Hejustwentthrough'em,
andjustwithease.
[Abdul-Rauf]Afterthegame,
I'mgoingintothelockerroom,
we'reexcitedthatwewon.
CraigCarse...
grabsmeandshakesme.
"Man,youjust
scored53points!
Theywannaseeyou
outsidenow!"
WhenIcamearoundthatcorner,
wejustbeatFlorida.
Theygiveme
astandingovation.
Like,they'reclapping.
Butnow?
Myfeelingsshift.
I'mscared.
BecauseI'msayingtomyself,
man,thisis
happeningtoofast.
I'mthinking
I'mmagethitbyatrain.
Ican't...Icouldn't
embracesuccess.
Icouldn'tenjoyit.
'CauseI'malwayslooking
aroundacorner.
Thisistoogoodtobetrue.
Thingslikethisdon't
happentopeoplelikeme.
Igotatargetonmyback.
Can'trest,
can'tbecomfortable.
Gottakeepmoving.
I'mfightingagainstfears.
I'mfighting
againstfeelinginadequate.
I'mfighting
againstinsecurities.
I'mlike,man,
Igottamakeit.
Igottagetthroughthis,
ormylifeisover.
[commentator]
Twenty-oneseconds!
-[whistleblowing]
-[crowdcheering]
[commentator]
Feastyoureyesonthefreshman.
[crowdcheering]
[ShaquilleO'Neal]
I'msignedwithLSU.
Oneday,I'minthehouse,
whenthere's--
LSUabouttoplayGeorgetown,
andIseehim,
ChrisJackson.
AndI'mlike,
"Whatisthat?"
[commentator] Andhereis
ChrisJackson,#35.
[Shaq]Smooth.
Jumpingwassmooth.
Hadtheprettygame.
[commentator]
Jackson,downinthemiddle.
AnditlookedlikeIwas
watchingGodplaybasketball.
[whistleblowing]
[commentatorchatter]
[JalenRose]Iwasstill
inhighschoolatthetime
andanticipating
goingtocollege.
Iwasbeingrecruited.
AndIwaslike,
"Waitaminute...
heafreshman?"
[reporter]
ChrisJacksonis
oneofthemosttalked-about
collegefreshmen
tocomealong
insometime,
and SportsIllustrated
releasedaspecialfeature
onthehotshotfreshman
fromGulfport,
withChris
rightsmackonthecover.
Well,hewas
almostthefirstone
thatwaslike
aminiatureguy
thatledtheteaminscoring.
'Causeusuallythesmallguy,
hisjobwastobe
atraditionalpointguard,
seteverybodyelseup.
So,hewassomething
thatjustjumpedoffthescreen
andhadacrazywowfactor.
Iabsolutelyremember
whenIfirstheardof
MahmoudAbdul-Rauf,
andatthattime
hewasChrisJackson,
andhewas
asuperstaratLSU.
Andhewasbyfar
themostexcitingplayer
towatch
inthenation.
[crowdcheering]
Iwasinhighschool
atthattime,
andthat'sthetime
whenyou'relooking
atthesecollegeguys
inareallyaspirationalway,
'causethey'reastepahead
ofyou,andthey're
whereyouwannabe:
playingcollegebasketball.
Ijustrememberhim
justbeinglethal
fromeverywhere.
Justlightingitup.
Ijustwantedtoseehim
shootallthetime.
[laughing]
Pullingupfromafewfeet
andfromhalf-court,
hewastrulyStephCurry
beforeStephCurry.
[StephCurry]
Thecreativeflairhehad,
range,
theytrytomake
thosekindof
correlationstotheway
thatIplaynow.
[commentator]
Stephforthewin!
[cheering]
Balanceof,like,
inside,outsidegame.
Handles,beingable
tokindofjustshoot
atthedropofadime.
Andwe're...both
notthetallestguys.
Hewaskindofapioneer
inthatsense.
Idon'tknow
howmanypeoplegivehim
enoughcredit
forhisstyleofplay.
[crowd,chanting]
Four,three,two,one!
[cheering]
[Abdul-Rauf]Thenextyear
Icamebackasasophomore,
andwebroughtinShaquille.
Shaquillelooked
likejustadifferenttype.
Thisdudeishungry.
He'sabeast.
AndthenStanleywasn'tthere
thefirstyear,
sowehad
thesetwo7'2"guys.
[commentator] Robertsfor
twopoints,backintothegame.
[cheering]
[Rose]StanleyRoberts
andShaquilleO'Neal.
Thelattertwogentlemenare
mountainofmen.
Whenyousee
thebuildofShaq...
[commentator]
InsideO'Neal...
That'showStanleyRoberts
wasalsobuilt.
[voice]
Goodone,Stanley!
Anditwasn'tnoquestionwho
thebestplayerontheteamwas.
[commentator] Chrisspins,
shootstheballaway...
[cheering]
Therewasaprofessional
jealousythere
withmeandhim.
Mylasttwoyears
inhighschool,
Iwastheman,
butthen,
whenyougettocollege,
nah,you'renottheman
anymore,brother.
Heis.
Anditwasjust,
"Hey,Chris,hey,Chris,
hey,Chris,hey,Chris."
Nobodysaid,"Hey,Shaq."
[StanleyRoberts]Atthattime,
thosetwojustdidn'tvibe.
Iwascaughtinthemiddle,
butmythingwas,
Chriswastheman.
Imean,hewas...
theshow-stopper.
[whistleblowing]
WhenIsaytheterm,itwaslike
watchingGodplaybasketball,
heshoots100shots,
hegonnamake90of'em.
I'minthegymdoor,
watchinghim,
andhe'sstrokingit,
bah-bah-bah-bah...
he'sjustshooting
andshootingandshooting.
Andhewouldget
to97,98,99,and100.
Andifthat100onewasn't
pretty,he'dstartallover.
AndIsaid,"Okay...
Iwannabethat."
[Roberts]You'dhearhim
comedownanddribbletheball
downthecourt,
andhe'dgo"Aah!"
andthrowhisheadback,
andIusedtoaskhim,
Iwaslike,
whenyoumakeamove,
andyoudo
ahead-fake...
isthattheTourette's,
oristhatyouactually
givingahead-fake?
It'shardtoguardaguy
whenhehasthattick.
Hedidn'tlike
takinghismedication.
Hehatedhismedication.
Becausehefeltlike
itbroughthisgamedown,
socertaingames,
hewouldn'ttakeit.
Theyendedupputtingme
onHaldol.
Itwasused
forpsychopathicpatients
tobasicallycalmthemdown.
Youwereconstantly
gainingweight,
sleepingallthetime;
youazombie.
MyfirstyearatLSU,
Igofrom172
myfreshmanyear,I'm185.
Hewasespeciallyconcerned
aboutthesideeffects
oftheHaldol.
Drowsiness,weightgain,
thoseweresome
ofthesideeffects
thatwereofconcern.
Istilllookback,
andIsay,man,I...
stillholdtheall-time
freshmanscoringrecord
at30.2pointsagame.
Overweight.
Icanonlyimagine
ifIwasinmyplayingweight.
[crowdbooing]
MississippiState...
whenIheaded
tothecourt,
assoonas
thefanssawmybody,
itwassome
oftheloudestboos
I'veeverheardinmylife.
[crowdbooing]
[booingcontinues]
It's--Ithought
thebooingwasforme.
I'msureitwas
forChrisJackson.
[crowdbooing]
MississippiState,
theywere...
I'mnotgonnathrow
theR-wordaround,
-theyweredifferent.
-[crowdbooing]
[Abdul-Rauf]Andofcourse
youwouldhearpeople...
youwouldhearpeoplesaying,
"Who'syourdaddy?"
[Shaq]Who'syourdad?
Who'syourdad?
So,Ilook
atMaurice,I'mlike,
"Whoaretheytalkingabout?"
Hesaid,"Yeah,
Chrisdon'tknow
whohisfatheris."
Theybotheredhimthatgame,
'causeChrisis
fromMississippi.
[Brown]"Who'syourdaddy?"
"Who'syourdaddy?"
Itwassickening,
preposterous,
Icould'veregurgitated.
[Abdul-Rauf]
ThiswasMississippiState.
Therewasnolet-up,
andyoucanjustfeel...
inthatarea,
justtheairofracism.
[crowdbooing]
[commentator] Lookatthat...
justping-ponginside...
andO'Neal...
brokenup
andstolenbyLSU,
thenrightbacktoBurns
fortheslam!
[cheering]
[Shaq]Itwas
aclosegameso,ofcourse,
Browncallsatimeout.
Allright,
sowhat'rewegonnado?
-[crowdchanting]
-Chrissaid,"Fuckthat,
gimmetheball,"
andwhenhesaysthat,
giveittohim,
moveouttheway.
[commentator] Eightpoint
MississippiStatelead.
Jackson,countit!
Jacksongoesup--
unbelievable!
[commentator2]
Uncanny,everybodyknows
whathe'sgonnado,
andhestillgetsawaywithit.
[commentator] Let'ssee
ashegoesrighttothethree,
he'sgottwomen
trailinghim,
there'sthefoul,
itdidn'tgo,
butJacksonwillshoot
threefreethrows.
I'veneverseennothinglikeit.
Greatestperformance
I'veseen,
ever,inthehistory
ofbasketball.
[commentator] That's
39pointsforhimtonight.
IdoneseenJordan,
IdoneseenBarkley,
IdoneseenIsaiah,
Magic,Kobe,Penny,
Iain'tnever
seennothinglikethat.
Onthecourt,
showinghisactions,
hewasperfect,
buthewasveryshy.
He--andhedidn't
speakupalotoftimes.
Hedidn'tlikeconfrontation.
Peopleaskmeallthetime,
"Whatwashelike?"
Andmyansweris--
isveryastonishingtopeople.
Idon'tknow.Ofcourse,
wesaweachotherinpractice,
butafterthat
Ineversawhim.
Youknow,
Idon'treallygoout,
andthat'swhat
Imainlydo,youknow,
-myfreetimeis--
-Youdon'tgoout?
Ihaven'tbeenout
sinceI'vebeen--beentoLSU.
Ijuststayinmyroom
andlistentomusic
andjustrelax.
Iremembergoingin--
goingintoChris'sroom
duringtheday,
inbetweenclasses,
andhewaslayingonhisbed,
andhewasreading
TheAutobiography
ofMalcolmX.
CoachDaleBrowngaveme
theautobiographyofMalcolm.
IneverheardofMalcolm
atthatpoint.
It'sembarrassingforme
toevensaythat.
Andthemoment
Istartedreadingthebook,
Icouldn'tputitdown.
Ijustbecamefascinated
withtheperson,
howhismindworked.
Ipraythatyouwillgrow
intellectually,
sothatyoucanunderstand
theproblemsoftheworld
andwhereyoufitinto,
inthatworldpicture.
AndIpray
thatallofthefear
thathaseverbeeninyourheart
willbetakenout.
[Abdul-Rauf]Hewasfearless
inspeakinghismind.
Seemednottocare
whatpeoplethought.
Ididn'thavethat.
So,asI'mreadinghislife
andbeingaBlackman
andgoingthrough
hisexperienceswithracism
andeverythingelse,
and--andthen
showingthatstrength
infrontofeverybody,
whitepeopleincluded,
andIdidn'tseethis
inmyfamily,I'mlike,
"Oh,thisisdifferent."
Iwenthomeoneday.
And,whenIwenthome,
I'minmymom'shouse,
andIopenuptherefrigerator,
anditwas,like,empty.
So,Igointothebathroom.
AndIleanonthesink,
thesinkfallsin.
Atthatmoment,allof...
thisisjust
comingdownonme,
man,you'reeating
threemealsaday,
you'retraveling,
gotallofthisgoingon,
andyourmom
andyourbrotherhere,man.
Emptyrefrigerator,
tore-uphouse.
Iwalkedoutthathouse,Isaid,
"Man,tohellwiththis!
Damnit,I'mgoing,
I'mleaving!"
Isaid,"I'mnotcomingback
toLSU!I'mgoingpro!"
Mydreamstartedback
comingupinMississippi,
ontheplaygrounds,
whenIusedtoplayball.
Uh,hoping
thatsome--someday,
somethinglikethiswould
happenforme...
and...it'ssoclosenow,
andI'mexcitedaboutit,
andhopefully
everythingwillworkout.
Hehaddeclaredtothedraft,
andheaskedme
torepresenthim,
andtherewere
somerumorsgoingaround
that,whenhewasatLSU,
theyhadtotakehim
inthedressingroom
andlayhimdownonatable,
inordertocalmhimdown
atthehalf,
forhimtogobackout
onthecourtandplay.
[Abdul-Rauf]Oneoftheguys
inOrlandoaskedme,
hesays,"So,doyouthink
Tourette'saffectsyourplay?"
Doesitlooklike
itaffectsmyplay?
Youwereafflicted
withTourette'ssyndrome?
Howdoyouthink
thatcouldaffect,inanyway,
theopinion
oftheNBAscouts?
Iftheydon'tunderstandwhat--
whatTourette'sreallyis,
Ithinkitcan
affectthemagreatdeal,
but,uh,Tourette's,
somethingforme,
Ithink
it'shelpedmeifanything
becauseitmakesyouwanna
dothingsoverandoveragain.
Iwrotealetter
onbehalfofChristotheNBA
that,inhiscase,
theTourettesyndrome
shouldnotinterfereatall.
[EddieMiller]Itook
thatlettertoChicago,
andwhenwegotthere,
Idisseminatedit
toalltheteams.
Hewentfrom13thtothree.
Withthethirdpick
ofthe1990NBAdraft...
theDenverNuggetsselect
ChrisJacksonfromLSU!
[applause]
[Abdul-Rauf]
Iwasnervous,man,Iwas--
Iwas,like...
Iwasgrateful,Iwashappy,
butIwasalsoscared.
Becauseit'sthatfearof
"something'sgonnahappen."
[Abdul-Rauf]Thisis
likeadreamcometrueforme,
beinghere,
thisisagreatcity,
andI'mgonnado
whateverIcanwhileI'mhere
to,uh,trymybest
andtomakethisteamawinner.
Theoff-seasonbeforeDenver,
Iwaslistening
tothewrongpeople.
Theysaid,"Man,
whenyougotothatnextlevel,
oh,you'regonnahave
topickupsomeweight."
[reporter]Whatabout
thecriticswhosaythat
ChrisJacksonneeds
tofillout--
heneeds
tophysicallymature--
acouplemoreyears,
atleastanotheryear,
beforehe'sready
tocomeout?
Well,um,Iknow,
mentallyandphysically,
Ineedto,
youknow,improve.
Especiallygoing
intotheNBA,youknow?
And,uh,Ithinkthat...
Ineedtoget
ontheweightssome
andgetalittlestronger,
ofcourse.
AndsowhatIdid,
Ibegantoeat.
Iwasworkingout,
butIwasn'tworkingout
ashard,because
I'mtryingtogainweight.
AndIendedupgoingtoDenver,
backtowhereIwas
myfirstyearatLSU,
like180-somethingpounds.
Butthistime
Iwas19%bodyfat.
Denvernow,
it'ssnowing,it'sgloomy,
I'mnotaccustomedtothat.
SoIbecamedepressed.
[commentator]
ChrisJacksonjustcannot
findthehoop.
[BernieBickerstaff]
Becauseoftheweight,
hehadlosthisquickness.
Thatreallyhinderedwhohewas
asabasketballplayer.
Becausethatskillsetwasgone.
Hewasbasicallyslow-mo.
[commentator] Westheadsaid
inthelockerroom
followingthegame,
Jacksonwas
doubledover
withexhaustion.
Iwas--Iwas
reallytiredlastnight.
Ihadtokeeppulling
myselfoutsome,but...
it'sgonnatakesometime
formetogetadjusted
totherunningstyle.
[Abdul-Rauf]PaulWesthead
wantedarun-and-gunsystem.
AndIcouldrememberhim
tellingusthathewantstobe
thefirstcoach
inthehistoryoftheNBA
thatscores200points,
notwinachampionship,
notwin--
haveawinningseason,
buttoscore200points.
Winorlose,
ouropponentswillbe
very,verytired.
Now,I'moutofshape,
andhistrainingcamps
weresuchthat
wewouldhavetourdays,
andyouprobablyhave
a20-second
waterbreakonetime.
Youknow,wecan't
getdownoneachother,
andsometimes
asituationoccurs
where,youknow,
thingsarenotgoingwell.
Idon'tseeanysubstance
inthat,I,um...
youknow,everyone's...
kindofseesthings
differently,Iguess.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Goingthroughdepression,
anxiety,stress,
havingTourettesyndrome...
Iwasmiserable.
Wewouldlookathim,
and...wewouldgiggle.
Andhe'dgiveus...
giveusalookrightthere,
butalwayssmiled.
Itneverbotheredhim.
AndI'msureitdid.
'Causeitwouldbotherme.
[WalterDavis]
Iwouldapologizetohim
forlaughing,youknow.
Isaid,"Someofthethings
youdoisfunny."
Andhesaid,
"I'mnottryingtobefunny."
Idon'tthink
theteammateswereeducated.
[KeithGlass]
Theyviewedhimasajoke
orasoutofcontrol.
Imean,whatkindof
anenvironmentisthat?
Yougottasitdown
andeducateyourteam.
Fanswouldsay
justhorriblethings,
andtheywouldalwaysbe
justoutofreach,
but,youknow,
"Hey,stoptwitching!
You'refreakingmywifeout!"
Youknow,thingslike
thatwouldcomedown,
and,youknow,
youcanheareverything.
[Abdul-Rauf]
AndI'mcountingmymoney,
'causeI'msayingtomyself,
Idon'tevenknow
ifIwannadothisanymore.
HewasadevoutChristian.
HadthatBible
ontheairplane,
he'dreadit,underline.
Timegoeson.
AndIgetacall
fromtheRockyMountainNews.
Hesaid,"Here'saquote
bythegeneralmanager.
IfChrisJackson's
gonnamakeitintheNBA,
he'dbetterpickupabasketball
insteadofhisBible."
Ourconcernwas,
"Hey,youhaveanobligation
toplaybasketball,
that's--that'swhyyou'rehere.
So,hopefullythatdoesn't
hinderwhatyou'reherefor."
[Abdul-Rauf]Atthattime,
Iwashavingissues
withmyfaith.
Ididn'talwayshave
myBibleonme.
Ididn'teventake
theBibleontheroadwithme.
Iwassayingthat
IwasaChristian,right?
For...thepublic.
ButIwassearching.
Itbegantobotherme
becauseI'mjustthinking
abouttheideology
inandofitself,
and,afteraskingquestions
timeandagain,
hearingthesameoldresponse,
eitheryoujustgottabelieve,
oryoucan'tquestionGod,
andtome,
thatwasunacceptable.
Isaid,"Youknowwhat?
Godgivesusamind
tothinkwith."
Andoneday,Iwastalking
toafriendofmine.
Islamcameup
inconversation.
AndIsaid,
"You'reinterestedinIslam?"
Hesaid,"Yeah,you?"
Isaid,"Yeah,man,
I'veneverlooked
intoitdeeply,
butI'vebeenreading
theautobiographyofMalcolm,"
andhislifeintriguedme.
Andhesaidthatthere's
amasjidonEvansStreet
inDenverthatwecango
andpickuptheQuran.
Isaid,"Let'sgo."
[softsinginginArabic]
Andsowegottothemasjid,
andtherewas
thisMuslimbrother
tendingtothegarden.
Wewentinthebasement,
hegaveustheQuran.
Iwentbackhome,
Iopeneduptwoorthreepages.
AndIlooked
acrossthetable.
Isaid,"Man,
Idon'tknowaboutyou.
Mysearchisover,
I'mgonnabeaMuslim."
[Mahershala]
Ithinkeveryconversion
issortofabreadcrumb
foryourown.
Andseeingthosejourneys
andthethings
thatsparkthosethings
wassomethingthatIalways
foundreallyinteresting.
Igrewupinchurch,
andmymom's
anordainedminister,
butIwasreally
questioningwhyIbelieved
whatIbelieved.
AndIdidn'thave
goodanswers
forwhyIbelieved
whatIbelieved.
ButthebestanswerIhad,
andIstartedcallingit
"mamafaith,"wasbecause,
whenIgotdowntoit,
itwasreallyme
followinginline
withwhatmyfamilydid.
[manspeakingdistantly]
IknewaboutMuhammadAli,
toreadingabout
MalcolmX'sconversion,
toMahmoud'sconversion.
AndthenasIbegan
toeducatemyself
tosomedegree,
landingonhowIslam...
described
therelationshiptoGod
andGod's
relationshiptoman,
thatjustmadesensetome.
[singingMuslimprayer]
[allreciting]
[Abdul-Rauf]
Allofthisoccurred
rightattheend
ofmyrookieyear.
[speakingArabic]
[Abdul-Rauf]
Andattheendofthatyear,
IembracedIslam,
andmylifechanged.
Idon'tknowifyouever
hadthisexperience...
it'slikeallthequestions
Ihad,youknow,
wetalkaboutintuition
andallofthat.
Itwasacalmness,
itwasacertainty
thatIneverfeltinmylife.
AndthemorethatIread,
themoreIengaged,
themoreitsolidified
thestrengthinwhatIbelieve.
Andtotestmyknowledge,
totestmyviews,
toseewherepeopleare,
andthenthere'saconstant
back-and-forthwithlearning,
andthen,
aftertheconfidencegrows,
youdevelopcouragenow.
Sothere'salwaysthispush
toworkonyourself.
ThenIstarttraining.
Then,beforeyouknowit,
Ihadlost
about40poundstotal.
Gotdown
tomyplayingweight.
[Bennett]
HewantedtomirrorMalcolmX
atthatpointintime
inhislife.
Pullinghisselfup
bythestrapofhisboots
whenhewasdown,
andmakingsure
thathislegacywasn't
gonnabeabust.
[commentator] ChrisJackson,
thisisthefirsttime
seeinghimthisyear,
howthinheis.
Hehaslostatonofweight.
[crowdroaring]
Hegotback
tobeingwhohewas
andwhatgothim
tothispoint
ofbeingdraftedintheNBA.
[Hastings]Hecomesback
andheisaproathlete.
Imean,he'sgot
aproathletebody.
Hewaslean.
Hewasquicker.
Heputsomeserioustimein.
[Abdul-Rauf]
DanIsselcomesinnextyear.
Beforetrainingcamp,
Dansitsmedown.
Hesaid,
"Ijustwantyoutoknow...
thosepreviousyearsare
inthepast.
It'sanewslate.
AsfarasI'mconcerned,
you'retheguy,
it'syourstolose."
[commentator] Hereis
Jacksonforthree--gotit!
[crowdcheering]
[Abdul-Rauf]Thisis
whereIwantedtobe,
andthisiswhere
Iplanonbeingforawhile,
andjust,uh...
enhancingtheteam
asmuchaspossible,
andmyself.
[IceCube]Whoisthisdude
torchingtheLakers?
Like,whoisthisdude
thatcan'tmiss?
[commentator]
Jacksonforthethree--yes!
It'snotjusttheshot,
it'sthedribbleskills,
thehandles,
Theall-aroundgame.
Chriswentout,
gothimselfingreatshape.
Lostabout23pounds.
Andhehasbeenterrific
fromthefirstday
oftrainingcamp.
He'soneofthebest
freethrowshootersinhistory.
DanIsselputshim
inthestartinglineup,
andhejustseemed
tohavegottenit.
Therewasatime
whereIfeltlike
hehadachancetobe
thebestguardintheleague.
Betweenthelegs,
behindtheback,
zoom-zoom-zoom-zoom-zoom.
Pumpfakeit,
everybodyflyingby.
[commentator]
...Jackson,hereheis!
Forthreeandthegame!
[crowdroaring]
[commentator]
Whatawaytogo!
[Abdul-Rauf]That'swhenIhad
the19-point-somethingagame.
AndthenIgot
MostImprovedintheNBA.
Ifitwasn'tforAllah
andtohavegonethrough
whatIhavegonethrough...
andtobetouchedbyHim.
Imean,Iliterally
wouldbeouttheNBA.
[Krieger]Isselwithhisarm
aroundChrisJackson
becamea--sortofaniconic
picturefromthatyear.
[softchatter]
[knockingondoor]
Welcomehome,Mama.
[delightedscreams,laughter]
[applause]
Thisdefinitelywas
adreamforme.
Growingup,thiswas
oneofthefirstthings
Iwantedtoaccomplish,
wasgetmymomanewhome
andtowhere
shecouldsay,"It'smine."
Icanfeelit
likeitwasyesterday.
Iwasshowingher
allaroundthehouse,
and...youknow,
furniture
andhowthingswere
and...whenitwasover,
youknow,
Iwalkedoutside.
AndItoldher
Ilovedher.
AndIthankedher
forallthethings
thatshe'sdoneforus.
Andonmywayback,
Iliterallytoldmyself,
"IfIdiedrightnow...
I'msatisfied."
Andatthatpoint,
somanythingswerehappening.
Ihadalready
becomeaMuslim.
AndIrememberbeing
inthemasjid,
andIheardtheimamsay,
"Ifyouhavethemeans,
youmustpreparations
togotohajj.
ToMecca."
Itwasanexperience
ofalifetimeforme.
WhenIgotback,
Iremember
goingintotheoffice
oftheimam.
Theysaid,"Well,
haveyouchosenaname?"
Isaid,"No."
Isaid,"Ionlyknow
afewnames."
Youknow,theMuhammadAli's,
KareemAbdul-Jabbar's.
Andtheysaid,
"Mahmoudisagoodname."
Andtheotherguysaid,
Ithink,"Iheard
Abdul-Rauf"isagoodname.
Mahmoudis
"elegantandpraiseworthy."
AndAbdul-Rauf,
Abdulis"theservantof,"
al-Rauf,
"themostkind."
Andsotheystartedcallingme
MahmoudAbdul-Rauf.
[commentator] 6'1"guard
fromLouisianaState,
#3,MahmoudAbdul-Rauf.
Andthatwas
abigstoryalso,youknow?
"Whatdoyoumean,
changeshisname?"
Peopleintheearly'90s
didn'tunderstandthatstuff.
[Shaq]Mythingwas,
"Hey,man,yourmama
namedyouChris,
I'mcallingyouChris."
Like,what'sup,ChrisJackson?
"Mahmoud,mybrother,"
andhewasserious,
soafterthat,
Iwouldnevercallhim
Chrisagain.
[Abdul-Rauf]
TomanyAfrican-Americans,
ournamesarenotournames.
Theyhavealegacy
thatcomesfromslavery.
Whenyoudenyaperson
justthecommondecency
torespectthefact
thatthey'recalling
themselvesbyanothername,
tous,isveryoffensive.
Youknow,
oncehebecameaMuslim,
itwaslike,
"Oh,he'saterrorist!"
Youknow,
that'sthego-tomove.
[Bennett]
Theydidn'ttaketoitatall.
Somepeoplewas,youknow,
stillcallinghimChris
justtopisshimoff.
[Rose]
IntheUnitedStatesofAmerica,
peopletakethat
waytoopersonal.
Thisismybody,
mybeing,mytemple.
Myname.
Myreligion.
IfIchoosetochangeit
fromCassiusClay
toMuhammadAli,
itgetstreateddifferent.
IfIchangeit
fromLewAlcindor
toKareemAbdul-Jabbar,
hegetstreateddifferent.
[Mahershala]I'vealwaysbeen
quietlyfascinated
bypeoplemaking
hugelifechanges.
Like,youknow,
I'mmaputdownthisthing
thatmakesmeexcellent,
andI'mactuallygoing
to,like...
spendthebulkofmytime
inservicetoGod.
[Abdul-Rauf]Thetransition
thatIwasgoingthrough,
Imean,Iwaswearing
shalwarkameezes
withcombatboots,
kufihat,
miswakinmymouth,
thinkingthoseculturalthings
makesyoumoreofaMuslim,
'causeIwasgoing
throughchanges.
[ShaheedAli]Ithink
withMahmoud,hetook
someofthetraditional...
valuesofIslam,
anditkindarubbedpeople
thewrongway.
[Miller]Iwannasay
itwasataGulfportHigh
basketballgame,
andMahmoudcameback.
Mymotherwashere,
andIknowMs.Lilwashere.
Theywenttohughim.
Andhestoppedthem,hesaid,
"I'msorry,Ican'ttouchyou."
Hoo,thatreallystirred
somethingsup.
[Shaheed]
IntheMuslimculture,
moresointheMiddleEast,
andincertainpartsofAfrica,
you'renotsupposed
totouchawoman
that'snotyourwife
orclosefamilymember.
Becauseofalot
ofthesexualdesires
inthewindowofthesoul,
youshouldjust
trytorefrain,
stayawayfromthat.
That'smoretradition
andnotreally
partofthereligion.
EventheChristians
andtheJews
inthatpartoftheworld,
theyadoptthatsocialpractice.
WhenMahmoudfirst
comeintoIslam,
therewassomuchinformation
comingtohim,
thatalotofstuff,
hehadtoevolvefrom.
[Miller]
Ms.LiltookhimtoHouston
andcaredforhim,
andhowhecan'ttouchher?
Thatgotaround,
andthat'swhenalotofpeople
turnedonhim.
[reporter] Jacksonisaware
hisconversationhas
causedhardfeelings
amongsomehometownfriends
inMississippi,buthesays
that'snotimportant.
I'mjusttrying
tolivemybestforAllah
and,uh,dothebestIcan.
AndIcan'tworry
aboutmaterialthings
orwhatpeoplesay
orthinkaboutme.
I'mlivingforGod.
Iguessthattypeofbehavior
isnotnormal
withNBAathletes.
Usedtousgoingout,
gambling.
I'mjusttryingtolearn,man,
I'mtryingtobeapart
ofsomethingbigger.
You'reobligatedtopray,
asaMuslim,fiveprayers.
AndaMuslim'slifeis
arrangedaround...
notyourwork,
notallofthat,it'slike,
okay,prayersupposedtobe
cominginatthistime.
WhereamIgonnabe?
'CauseIwannamakesure
I'mconscientious
ofthosetimes.
There'sfasting.
Voluntaryfasting.
Notjustdoing
amonthofRamadan.
Also,youhave
theTahajjudprayer,
thenightprayer,
whereyoubreakyoursleep.
It's--noneofitisstuff
thatyoupublicize.
So,allofthosethings
wetrytodo.
I'llneverforget,
onetimeIcameintoyourroom,
whereclearly
youwastryingtopray.
-Youwastryingtodo...
-[laughing]
I'mknocking
allonthedoor.
Ididn'treallyunderstand,
andyouwaslike,
"Man,youknowwhat?
-Comeonin,man."
-[laughing]
[Hastings]Irememberhehad
hisprayerrugwithhim,
goout,disappear,
boom-boom-boom.
Thenhewouldcomeoutand,
youknow,drop30on'em.
[commentator]
Mahmoudfromwaydowntown!
Thatisatriple.
[Rose]Igotachance
toplaywithhimasarookie,
andhewas
theoppositeofmyself.
-[crowdroaring]
-[whistleblowing]
Iwasthemember
oftheFabFive.
Iwasloud,Iwasbrash.
Hewasquiet.
Hewassubdued.
Andhewasmeticulous.
Hewascrazycompetitive.
Andhewantedtogo
atJohnStockton
andKarlMalone,
becauseJohnStockton
broketheassistrecord.
[crowdroaring]
[commentator]
Stocktonwiththeball--
andit'stakenaway
byAbdul-Rauf.
They'llnevercatchhim.
Allthewayforalayup.
Score!Rauf...
Asanathlete,youtrytobe
inthosezonesasmuchas
humanlypossible.
Andthatwas
definitelyoneof'em.
[commentator]
Tonight,McNicholsArena
intheMile-HighCity
isjam-packed
toseetheNBA's
numberoneroadshow,
theChicagoBulls,
takeontheDenverNuggets.
Youknowabout
theBulls'41-3record.
TheNuggets,meanwhile,
struggling,18-26.
Buttheyarelookingtostepup
tothebestintheNBA.
[Rose]Whenyou'replaying
againsttheBulls,
it'slights-camera-action.
Buttheyain't
comingtowatchyou.
TheycomingtowatchMike
andScottie
andDennisRodman.
[commentator] Andthetap
controlledbytheNuggets.
MahmoudAbdul-Raufsetsitup.
Myfocuswas,
I'mgonnatryto,like,
evenmoreso
annihilateyouearly.
["Charge"hornsblaring]
MahmoudAbdul-Rauf--onthree!
Mahmoudgot
thislittlelookonhisface.
Iwaslike...
Mahmoudtakingitpersonal?
Andtheydidn'thaveachance.
[commentator] ...matchup
forMahmoud,Kerr'sgothim.
[crowdroaring]
[Kerr]Iremember
Ihadnochance
againstMahmoud.
Nochance.
[commentator]
Mahmoud,20-footer.
-[crowdroaring]
-[Kerr]Hewas
oneofthemostdifficultguys
intheleaguetoguard.
[commentator]
MahmoudshakingKerr--three!
[crowdroaring]
Ijustremember,
overandoveragain,
onedribble,
twodribblepullups.
Risingup,
andhewasmakingeverything.
[commentator]
TheBullstrailbyfive.
Underfourminutestogo.
Abdul-Rauf...
whatashot.
[commentator2]
Hecamebackthere.He'sgot30.
[commentator]
WhatdotheysayhereinDenver?
Rauf,thereitis.
Wewereyoungandtalented,
andweendedupbreaking
thatwinningstreak.
[commentator]
MahmoudoverHarper--
short--Mutomboisthere!
Mahmoudtofollow--yes!
[applause]
TheDenverNuggets...
haveended
theChicagoBulls'
clubrecord
18-gamewinningstreak.
[Abdul-Rauf]Eventhough
itwasagreatyear,
it'slike,okay,
grateful,it'sreal,
I'mexcited.
Youstartthinking,man,
Igottabeready.
Thisistoogoodtobetrue--
somethinggonnahappentome.
[voice]
Hey,thisMahmoudthing
hasreallytouchedoff
somenerves.
[voice2] I'mgoing
tothegametonight,andI...
well,Ihope
whenhe'sintroduced,
everybodyboos
asloudasIdo.
MynicknamewastheHitman.
[interviewer]
How'dyougetthatnickname?
Radiostationsare
inbusinessforonereason
andonereasonalone,
andthat'stomakemoney,
andthat'swhattheydo,
and,youknow,
ifyou'regonnabe
indrivetimeradio,
youhavetomove
theneedle
inordertokeepyourjob.
Oh,saycan...
Nuggetsbench,ofcourse,
isrightnexttowhere
wesit,
andInoticed
thatMahmoudwasnotstanding
forthenationalanthem.
AndIassumedeverybodyelse
noticedthattoo.
Gobacktoourforefathers.
Mygrandfatherfought
onthebattlefieldsofFrance.
MyfatherservedonaB24
duringWorldWarII.
That'swhattheanthem
standsforandtheflag,
andthat's
whatitstandsfor,forme.
Irememberthenextday,
ofcourse,Ibroughtitup
ontheair;noonehad
writtenaboutit.
Noonehadtalkedaboutit.
Andwebroughtitup,
andofcoursethatcaused
thefirestorm
thatyoucanimagine.
Mahmoud,canyou
justansweronequestion?
[DanRather]TheNational
BasketballAssociation
isinastandofftonight
withahighly-paidplayer
whorefusestostand
forthenationalanthem.
[crowdbooing]
[reporter]
ExpectRauf'sreception
toberatherhostile.
[booing]
[Abdul-Rauf]Holdon,stop,
goback,beforethat,
becausethisisimportant.
Oh,say
Canyousee
[Abdul-Rauf]Iwas
notstandingfortheanthem
probably,giveortake...
fourtosixmonths
beforeitwasactually
madepublic.
Itstartedwith
allthebooksIwasreading.
Youknow,
theNoamChomsky's.
TheGoreVidal's.
TheHowardZinn's.
Allofthesebooks,
andthey'retalkingabout
thissense
ofAmericanexceptionalism
andAmericaninnocence.
Like,whenAmericadoesthings,
theywannaclaiminnocence.
YouhadRodneyKing.
Youhadthebombing
oftheWorldTradeCenter.
YouhadtheGulfWar.
Over90%ofitsexistence,
fromtheinception
ofthiscountry,
they'vebeenatwar.
There'salwayssomething
goingon,inthiscountry.
I'mcomingacrossinformation
nowthatI'mreallyoffended.
IfeellikeI'vebeencheated.
Ifeelliketheeducational
institutionscheatedme.
Youknow,oneoftheworst
thingsyoucandotoaperson
isdenythem
ahistoryofthemselves.
Andaknowledgeofthemselves.
Now,theyaresymbols,right?
Theyaresymbols
thatrepresentasystem.
Andwe'retaught
wedon'tstandforanything
butforAllah.
AndwhatAllahhasestablished.
ButamIsayingthateverything
inAmericaisbad?No.
There'sgoodthatexists,
butwhereverthebadis,
evenasaMuslim,
wedon'tstandforit.
Theultimatemeasureofaman
isnotwhere
hestandsinmoments--
ofconfidentmoments
ofconvenience,
butwherehestands
inmomentsofchallenge
andmomentsofcontroversy.
I'mprocessingallofthis,
andI'mreadingabout
thestoryoftheprophet,
I'mreadingabout...
youknow,theseconcepts
ofnationalism.
Igottadosomething.
Itmaynotbe
thegreatestfeatintheworld,
butdamnit,
I'mgonnadosomething.
Injusticeanywhereisathreat
-tojusticeeverywhere.
-[applause]
Istartedbyjust
keepingthistomyself.
Thisismystruggle.
I'mjustnotgonnastand.
Hewouldjuststayintheback.
That'swhathewasdoing.
Outoftheway.
Mindinghisownbusiness,
likeotherplayers.
[Hastings]Andweblewitoff.
Wasn'tabigdeal.
Didn'tsee--hecamein,
hestartedthegame.
Heplayedfine,
everythingwasokay.
TheNBA,whonoticeseverything,
neversaidaword.
Neversawit,nevernoticed,
neverbroughtit
toourattention.
Atthatmoment,
Idon'tthink
anybodycould'veforeseen
whatwasabouttohappen.
Keepthecamerasmoving,
'causeI'mkindafast.
Hewasagoodplayer.
Hewasreallygood.
Ilikedhim.
Butthestancehetook,
peopledidn'tlikeit.
Theywereagainstit.
Nextthingyouknow,
they'recallingtalkradio.
Thenextthingyouknow,
televisioncamerasshowup.
Itseemedliketherewas
alittleextracameramen
attheshootaround
thannormal.
Andso,whenitwasover,
theyrushedin
andwantedtositmedown.
Atthispoint,Idon'tevenknow
whatit'sabout.
AndIthinkthefirst
questionwas,"So,
whatdoyouthink
abouttheAmericanflag?"
It'sclearintheQuran
whereIslamistheonlyway,
andtostand
foroneortheother
isdenyingtheother.
It'salsoasymbol
ofoppression,
uh,oftyranny.
Ijustdon'tlook
attheMuslimissue.
Ilookat
theCaucasianAmerican,
IlookattheAfricanAmerican
beingoppressedinthiscountry,
so,uh...
andIdon'tstandforthat.
Idon'tcriticizethose
forstanding.
So,don'tcriticizeme
for--forsitting.
Tome,I'mlike,
that'sabalancedstatement.
I'mnotsaying
thatyou'reallbad.
Butofcourse,
themediadoesitsjob.
Tyranny,oppression,tyranny,
oppression,tyranny,oppression.
[reporter] Abdul-Raufisopposed
tostandingfortheflag.
[reporter2]
Whichhecalledasymbol
ofoppression,oftyranny.
[reporter3]
Oppressionandtyranny...
[overlappingvoices]
[staticcrackling]
Themedia,Ithink,
alotoftimes
isnotsomuchbiased
asitislazy.
TheSupremeCourtevenissued
it'sconstitutional
toburntheflag.
[Aldridge]Someonegiving
anuancedexplanation
aboutthehistory
oftheUnitedStates,
that'snotasoundbite.
[reporter]Heclaimsthat
theAmericanFlag
isasymbolofoppression.
Thatmakesit
apoliticalstatement.
Andso,inaflash,
he'saverycontroversialfigure
onanationallevel.
-What'swrongwiththatguy?
-Hesignedonthedottedline.
-That'stherulesofthegame.
-Americaisthereason
whyhe'smakingthebigbucks,
andImean,
heshouldatleastrespectthat.
Ithinkheshouldrespect
theUnitedStates.
AskMahmoudifhe'drathernot
getpaidinAmericandollars.
Ithinknotstanding
forthenationalanthem
isdisrespectfultothecountry
andthosewhohave
givenustherighttostand.
-[booming]
-Atthatmoment,youjustknew
hislifewouldnot
bethesame,
becauseofthewayitwas
receivedbyMiddleAmerica.
TheNBAhadtostepin.
Whataretheygoingtodo
whenaplayerdoesn't
standfortheanthem?
I'mcomingtothegym,
we'replayingOrlando.
Iwalkinthegym,
I'mgettingready
toputmystuffdown.
JimGillensays,"Hey,
Berniewantstoseeyou."
Administratively,
wehadtocleanitup,
becauseitimpactedtheNuggets,
itimpactedtheNational
BasketballAssociation,
anditwasabigscene.
AndBerniesaid,"Peoplefrom
theNBAwannatalktoyou."
I'venevertalked
toDavidStern.Notonce.
ButI'massuming
thatheprobablyput
hisclosestpeople
onthephone,
andtheybegan
totalktome.
Tryingtoconvincemetostand.
Theseare
thepeoplewhopayyou.
They'vegottheserules,
sowehavetoadheretoit.
Isaid,"I'mnotstanding
sodowhatyouhavetodo."
Youhavetheability,
ifyoucan'tdoit,
walkaway.
Gotfreedomofchoice
todothat.
SoI'mlooking
atBernie,Isay,
"Well,look,
canIgogetdressed?"
Hesays,"No,"
Isay,"Whatdoyou..."
"You--"
Isaid,"Now?!"
I'mthinkingyougottago
throughlegislation.
Isaid,"Well,
canIputmyclotheson
andgoout
andsupporttheteam?"
Hesaid,"No,theydon'teven
wantyouonthepremises."
SoIgotupandwentdown,
gotmystuff,theywerelike,
"What'sup?"Isaid,
"Y'allhaveagoodgame."
Mahmoud,canwejust
askyouonequestion?
MahmoudAbdul-Rauf
didn'tplaylastnight,
andunless
hechangeshisstance,
hewon'tbeplaying
forawhile.
Heissuspended
indefinitelybytheNBA
forrefusingtostand
duringthenationalanthem.
Nuggetspresident
andheadcoach
BernieBickerstaffwasasked
aboutthecontroversy,
butherefusedtocomment.
Therewasnosocialmedia.
Therewasn'tcellphones.
So,Ihadanansweringmachine
intheoffice.
Withinanhour,
itwasmaxedout.
From TheOprahWinfreyShow,
JesseJackson'soffice,
fromBrotherFarrakhan'soffice.
Onandon,
thecallswerecoming
fromeveryareaofsociety.
Themajornewsoutletswanted
totalktohim.
Theywantedplayers'opinions
oftheirteammate.
Howtoughhasitbeen
forhim,Jalen?
Well,Idon'tknow,heseemed
likehe'sbeenhandlingitwell.
Imean,youknow,
Mahmoud'sthekindofguythat
hewouldonlydosomething
ifhethoughtitwasright
sohedoesn'tfeel
thathe'sdoneanythingwrong.
Wewereconfusedbecause
thisis,like,unprecedented.
Youcouldgetsuspendedfor
doingsomethingpeaceful?
Idon'tthinkit'sfair.
Ithink
alotofguyswill...
won'thave
muchtosayaboutit,
becausethey'reafraid
oftherepercussions.
Youknow,inourcountry,
freedomofspeech
hasbeentakenwaytoofar
witheverything,
butyouknow,I...wouldlike
tohearhissideofthat.
Irespecthimasamanfor
making,youknowwhatImean,
standupforwhathebelieves,
youknowwhatImean,
Idon'tthink
heshouldbesuspendedforit.
You'regonnagetpaid
fourorfivemilliondollars
justtoplayagame,
don'tsitthere
andsayyou'renotgonna
standupfor,what,twominutes.
That's,uh,
Mahmoud,youknow.
Andpeoplehave
differentbeliefs,
andrightnow,
hehasdifferentbeliefs.
Youknow,
peopleshouldrespectthat.
Iwantedtojust...
reachouttohim
andsay,"Hey,man,
halfmyfamilyisMuslim.
Iunderstand."
Butwhenyoudocertainthings
atcertainmoments,
youcannotallowpeople
tointervenewith
whattheythinkyou'redoing.
Themessagehastobeclear.
Ihatetosayitlikethis,
sometimesyouhave
toplaythegame.
It'sallaboutcorporations.
Andthecorporatementality
isverystrict.
Theleaguesaystheyjust
wanthimtoplaybyitsrules,
whichmeansAbdul-Raufwill
remainsuspendedwithoutpay,
untilhestands.
Igotaletterfromtheleague
thatheviolated
theNBAOperationsManual,
whichisnoteven
negotiatedwiththeunion.
Sothat'swhytheunionwas
solidlybehindMahmoud,
andIknew,ifMahmoudwanted
toplay,hewouldplay.
Here'ssomebody
that'ssoverydisciplined
abouthislife,abouthisgame,
abouthisreligion,
Mahmouddoesn't
seehimselfasamartyr
or,like,
doinganythingspecial.
He'slike,"Thisis
therightthingtodo."
[reporter]
Latethisafternoon,
Abdul-Rauf'sagentread
astatement
fromhisclient.
"Myintentionswerenot,
inanyway,
tobedisrespectful
tothosewhoregard
thenationalanthem
asasacredceremony."
Myconcernwashowhewas
goingtobesociallypersecuted
andhowthemediawas
goingtocomeathim.
"IamanAfrican-American,
acitizen
ofthiscountry,
andonewhorespects
freedomofspeech
andfreedom
ofexpression."
ShareefwentonnationalTV
andreadastatement,
anditsaidunderneath--
itsaid"ShareefNasir,
MahmoudAbdul-Rauf'sagent."
Towardtheendofthatseason,
Iwasterminated.
Shareefbecamehisagent.
[AprilDotson]
SharifandMahmoudhad
afriendshipthatturned
fromabestfriendsituation
toabusinesssituation.
Andyoulookatlife,
youlookatsociety,
andyoulook
attherelationships
withtheBlackworld
andthewhiteworld.
Themanybarriers
thatarecreated.
Youknow,we'reinaleague
whereyougotsomany
African-Americansthatplay,
butyouhaveverylittle
African-Americancoaches;
youhaveverylittle
African-American
trainers,right?
Youalsohaveafield
wherethere'snotalot
ofAfrican-Americanagents.
AndI'mlike,well,whynot
trytobringsomebodyelseup
thatneededachance?
Thatlookslikeme.
Givethemthatopportunity.
Idon'tknow
whenyouwantmetoopen
thiscanofworms,
buthewasbeing
pushedandpulled
hiswholelife.
EitherbyTourette's,
orbycoaches,
ornowbythereligion.
[reporter]
HakeemOlajuwon,
aMuslimandNBAstar,
doesn'tunderstand
Abdul-Rauf'sinterpretation
ofIslamicscripture.
Islamicteachings
requireeveryMuslim
toobey
andrespectthelaw
ofthecountries
theylivein.
There'snothinginIslam
againststanding
foranationalanthem
ofanycountry,
whetheryouagree
ordisagreewiththatcountry.
SowedisagreewithMahmoud
fornotstandingonthat.
Idon'tagree.
Idon'tbelievein...
if...ifyou'reinRome,
doastheRomansdo.
MyfirstallegianceistoGod,
irrespective
ofwhereverI'mat.
Noteverylawisjust.
Atonepoint,
slaverywasthelaw.
Atonepoint,
segregationwasalaw,
justbecauseit'salaw
doesn'tmean
itshouldbehonored.
Ithinkthething
thathurtMahmoudmostwere
thepeoplethatknewhim,
howtheykindofturned
theirbackonhim
andhowtheydidn'tunderstand
anddidn'taccept
hisposition.
[crowdbooing]
[Mahershala]Iremember
beingnervousforhim.
Igotreallyworried
forhiscareer,
andtherewasn'treally
anyoneelseonboard.
Heseemedlike
hewasclearlyonanisland,
andIdon'tthink
anyonefeltlike
thatwasnecessarily
gonnaendwell.
[Shaq]
Nationalanthem,verysensitive.
Oncetheythinkyou're
disrespectingthiscountry,
theydon'twannahave
aconversation.
[Nasir]Revokehiscontract,
takehismoneyaway,
tellhimtogobacktoAfrica.
Thatwasthetalk
thatyouwouldhear
comingoutofthemedia.
I'mconstantlyhearing
allofthisstuff,
man,I'm,like,furious.
Onenight,Iendedup--
Iwassoangry,
Istarted
breakingoutinasweat.
Mystomachwasinknots.
Mygumsstarted--
like,itfeltlike
somebodywasairing'emup.
Iwenttothehospital,
theysaid,
"You'rehavinganulcer."
'CauseIwasholding
somuchin!
Iendeduptalking
toaguythat'smymentor,
andhewastellingme,
hesaid,"Listen,
youcanchoose
togoforward,
andyou--
andyouarejustrighttodoso,
oryoucanchoose
totakeanotherapproach.
Prayingforthose
whoareoppressed..."
Thatmadesense,
butpartofme
didn'twannadoit.
BecauseIknew,
inthemindsofpeople,
they'dsay,
"Oh,he'scompromising."
Thecompromisewas,
wegethisfineback,andhewas
allowedtostand
andpraysilently.
AmIsorryforit?No.
DoIfeelI'mwrong
fordoingwhatIdid?No.
ButinIslam,um...
ifthere's
abetterapproachtothings,
um,it's--it'sonlywise
totakethatapproach.
I'llstand,
butI'llofferaprayer
forthosewhoaresuffering.
[reporter]
TheNuggetshittheroad
withMahmoudAbdul-Rauf.
Thestandoffaboutstanding.
TheNBAwon.
[reporter2]TheNuggetsare
inChicagotonighttoplay
MichaelJordan
andtheChicagoBulls.
Shouldbeinterestingtosee
ifthatChicagocrowd
boosMahmoudAbdul-Rauf.
Thisis,like,themost
notoriousfigureinAmerica.
I'mnotheretotalk.
I'mheretoplaybasketball.
Ifyouwannaaskme
aboutbasketball,
I'lltalkabout
basketball.
[Krieger]
InChicago,CNNisthere,
thenetworksarethere,
thisis
thesortofepitome
ofthecablenewscycle.
BernieBickerstaffiscornered
byamassivemediahorde.
[reporter]Howlongdoyouthink
beforethiscircusends?
Uh,whenyouguysturnitloose.
[reporter]Doyouthink
it'sgonnacontinueand--
Youhavetoanswerthat,when
areyougonnaturnitloose?
Itwasjustvolatile,
andeverybodywantedtoknow
whathewasgonnado
fromdaytoday.
Willhestand?
Willhesit?
Youknow,Ilikeallmyplayers
tolineupandbeattentive.
Idon'tnecessarilyagree
withwhathe'ssaying,
butIrespecthis...
freedomto...
toexpresshimself.
[reporter]
Doyoufeelfocusedtonight?
Oh,yes,Ifeelgood.
Readytoplay.
Iwasworriedabouthim.
Havingtohear
aboutthreatsonhislife,
andFBIagentshaving
tositinthestands.
-[crowdcheering]
-[announcer] Goodevening,
ladiesandgentlemen.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Itwasapackedhouse.
Forsomereason,
itfeltlike,
didy'allgiveout
extratickets?
[crowdbooing]
[Sheppard]Therewas
alotofhatredthere.
Peoplewavingflags.
They'rebooinghim,
they'reyellingthings.
Itwasugly.
[announcer] Pleaserise
forthenationalanthem.
Oh,say
Canyousee
Bythedawn's
- earlylight...
-[crowdbooing]
[booingovertakessinging]
[booingcontinues]
[Glass]
Duringtheanthem,
Iknewhewasnervous.
Andhisteammates...
surroundedhim.
Anditlookedtome
liketheyweretrying
toprotecthim
fromallofthiscrap.
[Ellis]Itoccurredtome
that,Iwaslike,wow,
thisisreal;
I'venever,ever
hadasituation
whereapersonindividually
-wasbeingbooed.
-[crowdbooing]
[Abdul-Rauf]Thispatriotism
andthislovefortheanthem...
whiletheywere
singingtheanthem...
alotofpeoplebooing,
disrespecttheanthem.
-[crowdbooing]
- ofthefree...
[booingovertakessinging]
[booingincreases]
[Kerr]Lookingback,
IwishIhad
saidsomethingtohim.
Itwasatime
whenathletesdidn't
speakoutmuch.
Wedidn'thavethis...
socialjusticemovement
that'sgoingonnow.
Youdidn'thavesocialmedia,
soitwas...
reallyanisolatedevent
thatkindof
caughteverybodyoffguard.
[David]
Itwasalloverthemedia.
Anddeepdowninside,
justsaid,man,
Ijustwish
hehadneverdonethat.
Thinkingaboutallthework,
allthelongnights,
thelongdays,
thehotsun,
thenoteating,youknow?
Momgoingthrough
whatshewasgoingthrough,
and...allthatforthis.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Ihadagarbagebagfull...
ofhatemail.
Deaththreats.
Itwasdisturbing.
Therearenowords.
Youdon'tgetit
unlessyou'veexperiencedit.
Youpulluptothehouse,
andyourwindshield's
beenbashedin.
Goingtorestaurants,
andhimmaybenot
feelingcomfortablebecause
ofthelookshe'sgetting
andwonderingifhisfoodis
gonnabehisfood,
orifit'sgonnabehisfood,
andsomethingadded.
Thiswasaneveryday,
regularthingforus.
Soitwashard.
Weneedoneball.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Berniecallsme.
Andhesaid,"Thereare
toomanydistractions."
Hewaslike,"Look,whydon't
youjustendthisyear?"
Weneededtomoveon,
'causethiswas
nolongerabout
whatweweretrying
toaccomplish
asabasketballteam,okay?
Andthatwaswin
basketballgames
andbecomesuccessful.
This--Thiswasadistraction.
So,whenyouhavedistractions
andthosethings,
youhavetofindways
toeliminatethem.
Thisismyhumbleopinion.
Ineveryarenawegoto
outsideofourown,
wegetbooed.
Peoplelooking
togetintoourheads.
That'snotadistraction
forathletes.
Youlookattheseason,
howitstarted.
Fifty,30,phenomenal!
Whywouldyougetrid
ofapersonlikethat?
Wewere...withit,okay?
AndsoSacramentowasreceptive,
sosometimes
changesofvenue
helpseverybody.
[Hastings]He'syour
headachenow,yourproblem.
Wecan'thandle
theheadache,we'retired
ofthepublicity.
Moveon.
[Rose]BernieBickerstaffwas
putinanawkwardspot...
becausenotmanytimes
doesaBlackman
notonlyhavetheopportunity
tobeaheadcoachintheNBA
butageneralmanager,
andwhenyou're
inthatposition,
corporateAmerica,thesponsors,
theyonthephone.
AndI'mprettysure,forBernie,
hehadtolookatitlike,
thatifIprotecthim,
theygonnaostracizeme,too.
[commentator]
Goodlook,goodexecution.
They'relookingforascreen,
thereitis,
andthat'sanice
littleshotrightthere.
We'regettingone
ofthebestplayersinthegame,
andyouguysalllookingathim
likehe'sapariah.
Thatreallybotheredme,
'causeIlovedthisguy,
andIwantedtoplaywithhim.
[Bennett]Whenhewentto
Sacramento,hewasn'tplaying.
So,Isaid,ooh,
he'sgonnabeintrouble.
[sighing]
He'sgonnabeblackballed.
AndIthink
that'swhathappened.
"Blackball"iscertainly
notanofficialterm.
Someonewhois
beingblackballed
isbeingmadeunabletowork
inacertainenvironment
orinacertainplace,
inthiscase
inacertainsportsleague,
bythepeople
whocontrolthemeans
ofhiringpeople
forthatsport,
Anditseemedclear,
aftertheNuggets
tradedMahmoud,
whoatthetimewas
theleadingscorer
ontheirteam,
thattherewas
verylittleinterestinhim
aroundtheleague.
Well,obviously
hewasn'tblackballed.
HewenttoSacramento.
Theanswer'sinthe--
thepudding,right?
Itdidn'thappen.
[Abdul-Rauf]Thatyear,
theycameoutwithaspecial,
withthetopfreethrowshooters
intheleague.
Notoncedidtheyshowme.
Isaid,"Oh,
that'swritingonthewall."
Tomjanovich,
afterplayingus
inSacramento,
wasinthelockerroom.
Tomjanovichwaslike,
"What'sgoingon?
Whyaretheynotplayinghim?"
Theysaid,"Whenwecome,
weorganizeourdefense
tostophim."
Iwas,like,untouchable.
Iseewhat'shappening.
Andthen,atsomepoint,
IfellintowhatIdid
myfirstyear,like,
oh,forgety'all,then,man.
SaidIain'tgonnabe
puttinginallthiswork.
Startedgainingweight,
I'mlike,
I'mgivingthem
whattheywant.
[commentator]
Abdul-Rauf...
Mahmouddidn'tplayverywell,
andsoitwaseasy.
Ifyou'renotplayingwell,
andthere'sacontroversy,
it'sreallyeasy
togetridofyou.
[Abdul-Rauf]Thatyear,
theywantedtosignmeback,
buttheywantedtogiveme--
like,lowballme.
AndonprincipleIsaid,man,
trickit,I'mgoingoverseas.
Isaid,justonprinciple,
I'mgonnaleave.
IendedupgoingtoTurkey.
Thatlastedforabout
maybethreemonths.
Myheartwasn'tinit,
soIleftearly.
Vancouversaid,
"Ifyougetinshape,
you'regonnaplay."
Isaid,"Okay,deal."
[Rose]
Irememberhewasplaying
withtheGrizzlies.
Vancouver.
I'mlike,theygotmyguy
inSiberiaoverhere.
[Abdul-Rauf]After
myfirstyearinVancouver,
wentbackhome,
establishedamasjid,
andsoIbecametheimam
forsomeyearswhileathome.
Askingforit...
Hadawifeatthetime,
andIwashaving
myfirstchild,Ali.
Duringthattimeis
whenwe'relookingtobuild
ahouseon53acres
inKiln,Mississippi.
Iwasalways
alittlebitsurprised
thathewouldwannamove
toHancockCounty.
Yeah,yeah,alotof...
justbereal,it'sjusta...
Ijustdon'tknowwhya....
aMuslimAfrican-Americanman
wouldwannagolivethere.
[Abdul-Rauf]
ButI'mthinking,look,man,
thisisalotofland,
alake,greatopportunity.
Istartbuilding
agigantichouse.
Oneday,
goingouttotheproperty,
youcouldseetiretracks.
Lookedlikeabigoldtruck
thatraninto
theframeofthehouse,
whenitwasbeingframed,
toredown.
Dealtwithit.
Sometimegoby,
wecomebackout...
youseeKuKluxKlaninsignia,
I'mstilllike,
"Okay,I'mstillmovingin."
Whenwegetitallbrickedup,
Igetacall
fromasisterinourcommunity
namedIvy.Itwasabout
fouro'clockinthemorning.
Wokeusup.
Shesaid...
"Turnonthenews."
[fireroaring]
[reporter] Investigatorsare
claimingarson
intheearly-morningblaze
atthehome
ofMahmoudAbdul-Rauf...
[Dotson]
I'mwatchingthenews,
andI'mwatching
myhouseinflames.
Itwaslikeaclip
outofabadhorrormovie,
exceptthisismyreallife.
[reporter]
Thesix-bedroomsix-bathhome
wassupposedtobe
theRaufs'dreamhome
inthecountryside.
[ominousmusic]
[birdstweeting]
[Abdul-Rauf]
Idorememberonestatement
thatwasmadethat--
thatcametrue.
SaidbeforeImovein,
thatitwouldbeburneddown.
Thisisjustanindication,
Ithink,of...
howfarwegottago
intermsofhumanrelations
inthiscountry,period.
Forsomethinglikethis
tohappen.
ForMahmoud,
thewayhehandledhimself
wasalwayswithdiscipline
andclass.
Especiallywhentimesgotrough.
Henevergotmad
attheestablishment
andsaid,
"I'mgonnaburnthehousedown."
ButtheKlanburned
hishousedown.
Howaboutthat?
[Abdul-Rauf]
There'sapartofmethat,
whenIseestufflikethat,
Ihavethatanger,
butit'salmostlike...
[sighing]
Igottachuckle
tokeepmesane,right?
Everytimesomethinghappen
tome,I'malwayslooking
at...itcouldbeworse.
Itcouldbeworse.
[sirenbuzzing,wailing]
[policewhistling]
9/11happened.
AndIslamhasbecome
thenewboogeyman.
Everynation...
ineveryregion...
nowhasadecisiontomake.
Eitheryouarewithus,
oryouare
withtheterrorists.
[applause]
[Mahershala]
InAmerican,pre-9/11,
Muslimswereableto...
navigateandmovearound
inthecountryacertainway.
Irememberdoingashow,
andIwasoneoftheprinciples
ontheshow.
Itwasmyfirstbig
televisionopportunity.
Andthen,
whenthetowersfell,
itwaslike
therewasthisdrasticchange,
andIwasexperiencing
somethingthatwassobeyondme
thatIdidn'thave
anycontrolover.
Itwasathing
whereIwas,like,
Isawmyself
beingphasedout.
And19episodesin,
Igotfired.
-[recitinginArabic]
-[Glass]Iwouldhavepreferred
ifIwasMahmoud'sagent
atthattime,
torepresenthim
onSeptember10th,
youknowwhatImean?
'Cause,September12th,
itwashardtorepresent
aMuslimplayer
namedMahmoudAbdul-Rauf.
[crowd]
Nomosque!Nomosque!
[woman]Thisisnot
aboutpeacefulIslamicpeople.
Thisisaboutextremistgroups
thataregoingtobehere.
[man]Idon'twannago
throughtheConstitution.
Iknowwhat
theConstitutionsays.
Buttheyarespitting
inourface.
Themosquepeople.
[crowdshouting]
[Abdul-Rauf]
Inthemidstofallofthat,
Igotacall
fromHBOSportsTalk,
andtheysaid
HBOwannacomeinterviewme.
[Dotson]Iusedtotell
Mahmoudpoint-blank,
Ihateforyoutogive
interviewsbecause,whenyoudo,
youdon'tgetajob,
andpeopleburndownourhouse.
Ididnothaveanytrust
thattheyweregoingtobe
objectiveintheirreporting,
andIfeltthat
itwasaroundaboutway
toputabullseye
onhisback
andpullthetrigger.
ButMahmouddoes
whathewantstodo.
Idon'tfeellike
beingdiplomatic,
sowhateveryouaskme,
we'regoingforit.
Hesitsmedown,
andthefirstthinghesays,
helooksatme...
"Sodoyouthink
BinLadendidit?"
[laughing]
I'mdefinitely,atthispoint,
notconvinced...
thatOsamaBinLaden
wasinvolved.
Heisasuspect.
There'snoevidence.
Youthink
it'slikelythatArabs,
Muslimswerenotinvolved
inthisthing?
It'slikely,Iwouldsay,
thattheyweren'tinvolved.
-Werenot.
-Right.
They'resaying
it'sawaronterrorism,
butIdon'tbelievethat
that'sthecase.
Ithinkthat'saeuphemism
forawaronIslam.
Ispokemyconscience,
andImentionedsomethings
thatpeopledidn'tlike.
Iposedquestions
thatpeopledidn'tlike.
YouthinktheIsraelismight've
beenbehindwhathappened
-onSeptember11th?
-Idon'tknowwhowasbehind.
There'sastrongpossibility
thatalotofpeople
could'vebeenbehindthis.
AllI'msayingis...
thesearequestions
thatarevalidquestions.
So,don'tjusthaveme...
justbecausethemediawanna
pointthefingeroverhere,
justtojumponthatbandwagon
whentherearealot
ofotherquestions
needtobeanswered.
I'matthatpoint
inmylifenow,
thetruthmeansmoretome
thananything.
I--I'vemadeadecision
thatI'mgonnaliveanddie
withafreeconscience
andafreesoul
whetheranybodylikesitornot.
Doyouunderstandhow...
-It'sunpopular.
-Imean--unpopular,Imean--
Chaotic,allofthosewords.
"Crazy"istheword
Iwasgonnause.
Right,right,right.
Man,itwas
anextensiveconversation,
whichwasterriblybutchered.
AndIsaidthistohim,
Isaid,"Butifyouthink
thatI'mgonnacompromise
myintegrity
andthetruthforapaycheck,
youmustbeoutyourmind."
Whyaren'tyouintheNBAtoday?
Ithinkthat...
itposesaproblem...
fortheNBA'simage...
tohaveaguy...
that'swilling...
tospeakhisconscience,
evenwhen
it'snotpopulartodoso.
Theinterviewwentfrom,
like,sixhours,
tothesnippetthatyousee,
andatthatpoint,Icouldn'tdo
anythingbutdropmyhead
becauseIknewtheyhadbotched
everythingthatwassaid.
Afterthatinterviewaired,
that'swhenmycareerwas
beheadedforgood.
Icalledaround,
andIhadseveralconversations
withanumberofteams
intheNBA.
ThePhoenixSunscalledmeback
andsaid...
"Ihavenointerest
insigningMahmoud,
anditdoesn'thaveanything
todowithbasketball."
[Abdul-Rauf]Aguyfrom
theClipperscametome.
Assistantcoachorsomething.
Andhesaid,
"Weneedaguard."
ElginBaylorwants
totalktoyou."
SoIendedupcoming,
andI'msittinginthestands,
andIseeElgin
atthescorer'stable.
Afteraboutmaybe
15,20minutes,
theguycomes,
hesays,"Mahmoud,
Iapologize.
Elgindon'twannatalk
toyouonaccount
ofwhatyousaid
onHBO."
[chuckling]
Youalreadyknew
IhadanHBOinterview
beforeyoucalledmehere.
Soyoumust'vewentandsaid
somethingtosomebody,
andtheysaid,
"Hey,no,absolutelynot."
[Kerr]Heplayed
nineyearsintheleague.
Aplayerlikethat,
who'sthatskilled,
shouldhavea15-yearrun.
Itdidn'tdawnonme
thathewaspotentially
beingblackballed
bytheleague.
Butthat'smyownnaivete.
[Shaq]Hejusttook
alifeofhisown,
anditseemed
likehewasblackballed.
Idon'twannausethatword,
butkindaseemed
likehewasblackballed,
justkindafadedaway.
Henevergot
theopportunities.
[Polynice]Hegotbanished,
hegotthrownout
withthebathwater.
Allofthat.
Theyjustdidn'twanthim
apartoftheNBAanymore.
So,whateverterminology
thattheywantedtouse,
that'swhathappened
toMahmoudAbdul-Rauf.
[IceCube]Withoutthatstand,
hewould'veplayedanother
seven,eightyears.
There'ssomanyguys
goodenoughtoplay
thatdon'thaveajob
becauseof...otherthings.
Thisisan"otherthing."
[Roberts]
Becausehespokehismind
andwhathebelieved,
youblackballhim,
youruinhiscareer.
Youcuthis--
hislifelineoff.
It'sallabout
revenueforthem,
andifonefanthinks
somethingiswrong,
thenthey'regonnatry
tofigureout
howtomakethatonefanhappy,
andthat'snotright.
IfIweretohavea$5bill,
andIhadtolayiton
washeblackballed,
orwasn'the,
andthisisallthemoney
I'mgonnahave
therestofmylife...
I'dsayhewasblackballed.
[softsob]
That'snotright.
Oneofthegreatestplayers
inthehistoryoftheNBA
wascheated
outofhiscareer.
Sosomebodyneeds
tospeakup,
andifyoudon'tspeakup,
you'reacoward.
[Rose]He'sallowed,
inmyopinion,
toexpresshimself
howhechooses.
Ithoughtthat's
whatbeingafreecountry
wasactuallyallabout.
PeoplegotmadatMahmoud
fornotstandingfortheanthem,
forthesamereason
hemaintainedhisdignity
whenhelosteverything.
Hisreligion.
Theywantedhimout,
byallmeans.
MahmoudAbdul-Raufwas
"whiteballed"fromtheNBA.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Iwentthroughaperiod,
andIdon'twantanybody
tohavepityforme.
Andthereareevenpeople
thataresoclosetome
thatdon'tevenknowthis,
butIliterallywentbroke.
WhenIsaybroke,"zero."
Iwaslivingwithmysister...
withourfivekids...
togive
somesenseofnormalcy.
[Abdul-Rauf]
I'minthisbighouse
withnoheat,
balledup
inablanket.
Tryingtostaywarm.
Goingback
towhatIusedtodo,
eatingrice,
butter,things.
Tryingtofigureout,
man,what--
whatinthehell
amIgonnado?
It'shardgoing
fromsomebodywho'sbeen
inthespotlight
yourentirelife,
entire,andnow,
there'snospotlight,nothing.
[Abdul-Rauf]Sometimes
wehavetogosolow,
whetherit'straumatic
orwhathaveyou,
toopenoureyes.
And,atthatmoment,
youareinawayrebirthed.
Iprayedalot.
Iwaspatient.
Andsomebodyaskedme,
"Hey,man,wouldyoutrain?"
Iain'tevenknow
whattheycharge,
butIknowIneededtoeat.
Pushit,pushit,faster!
Comeon,pushyourself!
[Sheppard]Heworks
withseveralNBAplayers.
He'saskilldevelopmentcoach
thatgetsplayersready
forthedraft.
Heworkswithyouth.
He'safantasticdeveloper
oftalent.
[Abdul-Rauf]Go!
Go!
[Abdul-Rauf]Intheprocess
ofthat,someonecalledme.
Hesaid,"Hey,man,
wewannainviteyoutospeak."
Jumpedonit.
Iwentout.
Ididn'tknow
hewasfilmingit.
JustlikeMalcolm,
whenhesaid,
"Look,itdoesn'tmatter.
Youknow,yourcolor,
religion,orwhatever."
[Abdul-Rauf]Heendsup,
withoutmypermission,
puttingitonYouTube.
Beforeyouknowit,
Istartgetting
alotofspeakingengagements.
Moneystartrollingin.
Ithelpedalot.
Thatcamefromconstant,
day-inandday-out...
[Abdul-Rauf]
Ineveryareaofmylife,
I'mtryingtoleave
nostonesunturned.
[thunderrumbling]
[Dotson]
IfyouknowMahmoud,
youknowthat
he'salwaysstriving
tobebettertomorrow
thanheistoday.
ButIthink
thatalotofthings
mayhavecausedhim
tobemoreclosedoff.
AndIthinkeverythingcan
betracedbackto
howhealwayswantedtoknow
whohisfatherwas.
[Abdul-Rauf]Iremember
mymotheronherdeathbed,
shewasbattlingcancer,
itwasverypainfulforher.
Iwantedtoaskher
whomyfatherwas.
It'sapieceofmyhistory
that'smissing
thatI'dliketoknow.
Butmyheartwouldn'tletme,
becauseIdidn'twanther
thinkingthat
mewanting
theanswertothat
wasmoreimportant
thanwhatshewasgoingthrough.
So,Ijustletherdie
withthatonhersoul.
[softchatter]
[Dotson]
Nothingcouldeverchange
howmuchheloved
thatlittlewoman.
Hejustwantedtoknow.
AndIknowthat
thathurthim
'causeshewouldnottellhim.
[Abdul-Rauf]
EspeciallyasAfrican-Americans,
ourhistoriesinsomanyways
havebeenerased,
andIthinkit'simportant
toknowourhistory.
Notjustwherewecomefrom,
butalsoitgivesyou
asenseofwhoyouare.
Iwannafindout
everythingthereis
possiblytoknow.
Wehavebeen,
throughoutthisjourney
andprocess,talking
toyourfamily.
Theywannameetyou.
[Abdul-Rauf]Ifapersonis
willingtomeetme,
attheminimum,
I'mgonnameetyou.
Iliketobuildbridges.
-Howyoudoing?
-Brian.
Allright,Mahmoud,
nicetomeetyou.
Nicetomeetyou.
-Chip.
-Allright,Chip.
[Abdul-Rauf]It'sbeen,
like,53years.
Youknow,wehadagenealogist
todothehomework
thathasledmetothispoint.
YouputGulfport
onthemapinmybook.
Iappreciateit.
Iappreciateit.
[Berry]Yourfamily...
isoneofthefoundingfamilies
intheGulfportregion.
Youcomefrom
abasketballfamily.
Oneofyourrelatives...
WendellLadner,
playedintheABA
withDr.J.
andalso...
withoneofyourNBAcoaches.
[Abdul-Rauf]Youknow,
whenIthinkaboutMississippi,
whenIthinkabout
justthelegacyofslavery...
[softsobs]
watching...
mymotherstruggle...
andthen,afteralife
comesintothisworld,
thatyoudon't
acknowledgethat.
Especiallyifyouwerewealthy
andyouweredoingwell,
knowinghowwewereliving,
nofoodattimes,
noclothes.
Thepossibility
ofyouknowingallofthistime
andjustsayingnothing.
Youknow,tome,
that'sacoward.
I'vedealtwiththis
foryears.
I'veusedit
asatooltodriveme.
Uh,butstill,
it'samissingpiece.
I'mnotsaying
it'safullrelief,
butit'ssomething
thatIcan,youknow,
atleastIcan
tellmychildren.
Youneverknow
howthatcouldimpactthem,
motivatethem,
'causeinformationispower.
Throughout
thecourseofmylife,
fromtenyearsoldon,
I'dgrowncomfortable
ofthefactthat
thisissomething
thatI'llprobablyneverknow,
anditdidn'tstopme
frompursuingmydreams.
I'mrelentlessinthepursuit
ofstrivingforthetruth,
andstriving
tolivethattruth.
Evenamidsttheflaws.
[Rose]Mahmoudhad
totakeaturbulentride
oftrauma,ofneglect.
That'showwegettreated
whenwetakeastand
thatmassmediaandAmerica
doesn'tnecessarilyagreewith.
[crowdmurmurs]
[reporter]49ersquarterback
ColinKaepernicksays
hedidtherightthing
whenhesatout
thenationalanthem
aheadofhisteam's
preseasongameonFriday.
WhenIsaw
Kaepernick'sprotest,
Iwouldsay
historyrepeatsitself.
I'mgonnacontinue
tostandwiththepeople,
withoutbeingoppressed.
[crowdbooing]
[Abdul-Rauf]Justtosee
whathewasgoingthrough,
theridicule,theremarks,
thedeaththreats.
He'sun-American,andhedoesn't
deservetobeinourcountry.
Allwhite--
alllivesmatter!
[Abdul-Rauf]
Theplayingtimereduction.
Isaid,"Wow,
thislookssofamiliar."
Getthatsonofabitch
offthefield,rightnow.
Out.He'sfired.
He'sfired!
[crowdcheering]
[Abdul-Rauf]
Oneofthedifferences
wassocialmedia.
Allright,
wedidn'thavethatluxury.
Peoplecangeton.
Throwpictures.
Showthatthey'renotstanding.
"Isupportyou."
Andmillionsseeit.
Soitkindof
forcessometimes
themediatosay,
"Areyougonnabewiththem,
orareyougonnago
againstthegrain
-ofallofthesepeople?"
-[leader]Nojustice!
-Nopeace!
-Nojustice!
[Krieger]
Mahmoudwascaught
inasortofanodd
historicalwindow.
Youhadprecedence
inKareemAbdul-Jabbar,
MuhammadAli,
andMalcolmX,
allofwhomgrew
outofavery
politicallyactiveperiod.
Fast-forward
towherewearetoday,
andyouhaveBlackLivesMatter,
andColinKaepernickgrows
outofthatperiod.
ForMahmoud
tocomeoutwhenhedid,
hedidn'thaveanycompany.
Hedidn'thave
alotofsupport.
[Aldridge]
Themediawasnothisfriend.
TheNBAcertainlywasn't.
Theplayerslefthim
outonanislandbyhimself.
So,everybodyoweshim
anapology.
Hedidn'tchange.
Theviewofhimchanged.
So,whenyoustarttalking
aboutthepeoplethatowehim
anapology,
thefans,themedia,
theleague,
thecoaches...
andtheplayers.
Becauseweshould've
coveredhim.
Weshould'vehadhisback,
andwedidn't.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Afteralloftheseyears,
whenIgo
throughairports,
andIgothroughcities,
Idon'tknow
howmanytimes
peoplehavecomeuptome,
andtheysay,"Man,
Ijustwannaapologizetoyou.
I--Ididn'tlikeyou.
Imean,Ithought
youwereseriouslywrong.
ButIwaswrong,
andIjustwannatellyou,
man,Iappreciateyou
fordoingwhatyoudid."
IfIhadahundreddollars
everytimeIheardthat,
I'dprobablyhavetheequivalent
ofanNBAcontract.
[Miller]Iasked
CoachJenkins,Isaid,
"Coach,youwent
toWorldWarII,
youlostyourleg.
Wereyoubotheredbythat
whenhedidn'tstand
fortheflag?"
Hesaid,"No,notatall,
that'soneofthereasons
Iwenttowar,
sopeoplewouldhave
thatrightinthiscountry."
Whenyouhave
somuchmisinformation
orhighlighting
ofdarkactions
bypeoplewhomayclaimto--
tobeMuslim,Ithink
it'sreallyimportant
tohavethemicrophone
onthesamevolume
forallthegooddeeds
andtheactsofgenerosity
thatMuslimsexhibit
aroundtheworld.
Ithinkit'simportant
becauseit'saboutbalance,
understanding
thatwe'reallhuman,
thatwe'reallessentially
madethesame
atouressence.
Andtherestofitis
somuchaboutourchoices.
Heblazedatrail,
andIknowthatwasnot
aneasything
byanystretch.
Youwannacelebrate
everythingthathe'sabout.
Notjustthatmoment,
butthatisahugemoment
toknowthathepavedtheway
forouropinionsandvoice
andwhatmatterstous,
outsideofjustputting
aballinabasket,
it'spartofusbeing
humanbeingsaswell.
Oneofmyfavorite
picturesinsports
-istheAlisummit.
-Loveit.
-It'sworthathousandwords.
-Yeah.
MuhammadAli,
JimBrown,
KareemAbdul-Jabbar,
BillRussell.
Game-changingagentsinsports
thatusedthatplatform
toallowtheirvoices
tobeheard.
ImakesureIsay,
"Hey,y'all...
-[chuckling]
-...don'tforget
aboutMahmoudAbdul-Rauf."
Idon'tthink
there'sanyquestionthat
hebelongs
inthepantheonofathletes
likeJohnCarlos
andTommieSmith.
Hiswillingnesstotakeastand
inanerawhereveryfew
proathletesdidthis,
youcanmake
averycredibleargument
thatitcosthim
hiscareertodoso.
Buthenevergavein.
Andheshouldbe
championedforthat.
Heshouldbecelebrated
forthat.
[Mahershala]
Mytruehopewouldbethat
athletes,entertainers,
actors,weren'tneeded
asmessagecarriers.
Butsometimes
ittakescelebrities
whohavethepower
tospeaktocertainissues
tostepup
andarticulatethemselves
onbehalf
ofthepeoplethatcan't.
Ithink
whathedidwassomature
fromthestandpoint
ofknowingthat,
thisisfinite,
youknow,thiscareer
andthistime,
thisgameisfinite,
butthesechoices,
mycontributionstothisworld,
like,thoseactions
haveadifferentshelflife.
[IceCube]Hegained
alotofmyrespect
forthestand
hetookintheNBA,
andthenwecomearoundwith
aleagueliketheBIG3...
tore-introducetheworld
toMahmoudAbdul-Rauf
asaprobasketballplayer.
[commentator]
Mahmoud,he'sgonnapullit--
[cheering]
[Rose]TheBIG3is
oneofthegreatestthings
toeverhappen
toretiredplayers.
Theystillinshape.
Theystilllovethegame.
Theystillwannagiveback
tothegame.
[commentator]
Thekickouttoboxmove!
Yes!
BeingapartoftheBIG3
afteralloftheseyears,
itre-created
thisconversation,
like,man,
y'alldidhimwrong.
He'sfifty-something,
andhe'sstillmovinglikethat.
InOakland,
hehadover20points,
andwe'dalwayshave
agame-winningshot.
[commentator]
Pull,forthree!Yeah!
[Abdul-Rauf]ThewayIused
totrain,andwhenI'mtraining
theseNBAguys,
Itell'emthesamething.
Ifyou'renotflirting
withdeath
orcontemplatingquitting,
you'renottryinghardenough.
[AmirAbdul-Rauf]
He'sagreatdad,
greatcoach,greatmentor.
Ifhedon'tthink
Ididsomethingright,
there'smanytimes
Ihavetogoover,
untilhefeelslikeIdo.
[Abdul-Rauf]
Thereyago!Good!
AllAmirwantstodois
topickup
wherehisfatherleftoff.
ToseeMahmoud'ssonplaying
forthesonoftheman
whowashisfirstagent,
youcan'tmakethatup.
[commentator] Here'sAbdul-Rauf,
againfromthree!
[IceCube]He'sgonnaplay
aslongashewannaplay.
Andwhenheretires
fromtheBIG3,
it'sgonnabeonhisterms.
[Hastings]Now,
wegettolookinhindsight,
knowingthethings
hewentthrough.
WhetheritwastheTourette's.
Whetheritwashisprotests.
Itfeltlikehegot
comfortablewithhimself,
andheacceptedwhohewas.
[Abdul-Rauf]Idon'tthink
wecantalktoanyone
whoreached
somelevelsofsuccess...
you'vehadtogothrough
sometypeofstruggle
togetthere.
GeorgeWashingtonCarversaid
noonehastheright
tocomeintothisworld
andgooutofit
withoutleavingbehind
distinctandlegitimatereasons
forhaving
passedthroughit.
[camerasnaps]
I'mgratefulforbeing
abletobedrafted.
I'mgrateful
tohavebeenabletoplay.
Butontheflipside
ofthattoo,
theNBAshouldbegrateful
thatwe'replaying,
'causeit'satwo-waystreet.
Iftheonlything
yourememberaboutMahmoud,
"Oh,mygoodness,
hehadaquickrelease,
hecouldplaybasketball,"
butIneverstood
foranything,
that'sawaste.
ButifIcansay,
"Okay,yougotthis,
itwasn'taslong
hemayhavepreferred,
butwow,
hetookpositions
thatwasbiggerthanhimself,"
I'mhappyaboutit.
I'matpeace.
Whatdidhedothatwas
sodamagingtothefabric
ofthiscountry?
Hesaid,"Idon'twanna
comeoutfortheanthem,"
thenationalanthem,
which,byitsveryplaying,
beforeeverysportingevent,
isapoliticalact.
Thepartoftheanthem
wedon'tsing,
thethirdstanza,
whichnobodysings,
'causeit'snottaughttothem,
isallaboutformerslaves
andmercenaries
fightingontheside
oftheBritish
andhowwewishthemnothing
butillanddeath.
Theanthemis
aninherentlypoliticalsong,
andweplayit
foreverysportingevent
inthiscountry,
andonepersonsaid,
"Youknowwhat,
Ihaveaproblemwiththat."
Andhedidn'tgettoplay
basketballasaresultofit.
Hiscareerended
becauseofit.
I'drathergobroke
andbeonthestreet,
thantolosemyprinciples.
AndI'mnotjustsayingthat
becauseitsoundspious.
AndI'mnot...sayingit
tomakeitsoundeasy.
-[crowdapplauding]
-Imean,that'shard.
Myexperiencehas
shownmethat
transformationispossible.
WhatIseeaheadformyselfis
tocontinuetotransform.
Tocontinuetoevolve.
[announcer] Pleaserise
forthenationalanthem.
Oh,say
Canyousee...
Bythedawn's
Earlylight
[Abdul-Rauf]
Mygreatesthope,
ifIwastomeetGodoneday,
andI'msittingthere
onJudgmentDay,
andhesaystome,"Mahmoud,
whatdoyouhaveforme?"
Man,ifIcansay,
"Idon'thavenothingleft,
Iusedeverything
yougaveme,"
that'smygreatesthope.
[rumblingtone]
[staticwhining]
[projectorwhirring]
Everything'schanging
aroundme
AndIwannachangetoo
There'sonethingIknow
Itain'tcool
bein'nofool
Ifeeldifferenttoday
Idon'tknow
whatelsetosay
ButI'mmaget
myshittogether
It'snowornever
Nowornever,
nowornever...
Ugh,I'msick,
sickofwaitinginvain
Tiredofplayin'thegame,
thinkin'ofmakin'achange
Finallybreakin'
thechains,everyphase,
Everyhappenin',craze,
whenit'ssaidanddone
Myheadis
rightbackinthehaze
I'mready
forthenextchapterandpage
Tostartactin'myage
andpartways
WithBlackThought
frombackinthedays
I'mstargazin'
fromthebackofthestage
Questionin'ifwhoy'all
praiseisworthyofpraise
What'sthephrase,
"bygonesisbygones"
Niggaswhousedtobe
theunderdogisicons
Peoplesaythelightshines
onceinalifetime
Isthismid-lifekindof
crisisalittlebitlikemine
I'mthinkin'notnow,
butrightnowIneed
Somekindofsign
thatthefutureisbrightnow
Ifuckaround,
dotherightthing
LikeSpikenow,
thequickandthedead
Whichoneis
mylookalikenow?
I'mmovin'ahead...