"My Story" NBA Legend Mahmoud Abdul Rauf

hamdulillah shadow la revolucion you have got shadow Anna Muhammadan underwater hundred assalammualaikum first I wanna thank you for opening your doors to to come out to listen to what I have to say I just talked to rule Muslims early as all that am i repeating myself on some of these things you can bear with me I like to give you just a brief history about my life and then from there going to some things I think are important for me the game my name is my home after all I'm from Gulfport Mississippi and I was born in a single-parent home and I was born in conditions kind of like many in America many throughout the world where I was surrounded with you know the prostitution drugs low income family my mother had an eighth-grade education and because of that education she wasn't able to provide us with the educational structure that we so needed and because of that early on in my life junior high school I was labeled as slow and learning and now get into some of that inshallah a little later but in light of all of that I'll be on welfare and growing up without a father and to this day I don't know who my father is the only thing that my mother ever told me was that he was a white guy and she went to her grave but I'm the only one of my brothers were gone another father my other two brothers older father his and so I struggled with that as a young man and in light of all of those things you know some people would say well you know the chances of becoming successful may be slim growing up in an environment like that why because there's a tendency that when we grow up in situations like that and we see these things every day around the prostitutes from around the drugs around the sex out of wedlock you know in teenage years we see all these things daily there's a there's a tendency to just accept it and you know we we say well this is just in so many ways our fate you know living in these conditions not everyone but some of us do and so a lot of people at an early age counted me out but I was blessed by Allah and I didn't grow up as a Muslim I grew up in a Christian background Baptist background in the south and I was blessed at a young age to know what it was that I wanted to do and for me that was to become the greatest basketball player that I could possibly become and basketball for me was the way out it was it was not something that I just wanted but it was something I thought I needed you know I didn't know who anticipated I didn't get the memo when I was young that I had a better chance statistically I becoming a doctor that a basketball player I didn't know that you know because we see images of athletes and entertainers which will help man and money and the fame so a man you know athletic I'm kind of fast I got a chance at this so this is a new basketball was something that I wanted so early on I charted out of course I trotted out a plan to say you know what at nine years old so I need to figure out how to best reach this goal how to best best become successful at this so the age of nine I would wake up at four some in the morning then I will be out my door I would wait to see my mother leaves yet even working father it's good and when she would leave I would be and it would still be dark outside and I had three cords and never the red that I will go to and I will go to the school on my way to the basketball court and this is nine-year-old Pierre thinking like this I'm thinking man I got to put the work the weight of my family on my back you know I'm putting all this with this this is a only chance I got it is sad that I thought this way you know but this is the way I thought you know I didn't I didn't know all of these details so I'm like I'm put you know I'm thinking it as this I got the world I got to get my mother and my brothers out of the ghetto I can't get a llama and so I wake up at 4:00 in the morning and when I see my mother leave and she didn't know for years that I was doing this when she would leave I'm I've been doing it's dark and I'm going down I'm dribbling on my way to the basketball but I'm imagining I'm playing against an invisible person and wherever I drew I'm imagining he's always this Coast fingertips hitting the ball even when I'm shooting disclose because we my and my thinking I'm saying you know what the imagination is the strongest thing you have if I can beat my imagination if I can escape my imagination human being case they would like your imagination came so this is the way I train and this is this and I will go to this court and I will train so hard that there were times literally I thought I was gonna die I'm not Allah is my witness and this is an elementary student you're doing this and it didn't matter if it was hot outside and didn't matter if it was cold it didn't matter if it was I would be getting dressed and I'm not saying that you have to go to this extreme but this is how bad I wanted is how I saw myself if you know I saw myself is basketball was something that I use I'm going to find me make me who I was you know so I use basketball to get notoriety I use basketball for a lot of things because again I didn't think I didn't see myself I was out of being a basketball player so I put all our marbles in advancement and there were days when I would be getting dressed and you and hear the Thunder it would be dark the Sun I mean the rain would be coming down torrential rain and I'm talking about lightning sheep you hear him and I'm walking out the door like this under sunshine I'm oblivious to all that I want to wear all that all I can think about I gotta make I just gotta make and I would do that year in year out I would come I would go come home sometimes my hands will be frostbitten allows my when his frosty night and I didn't know that you're not supposed to put hot water on cold man and I will come in in my help I'm gonna be dramatic child I really want you to get the fish you know come in the house turn on the faucet and it was like needles going through my hands you know and finally when I get warm and if we have anything to eat or whatever make me serve sandwiches sugar water all those things I get want back I'm training this is the way well there were times I literally I would train so hard I couldn't catch my breath I thought I was and Jesus were falling like oh my goodness hi honey I miss a lot of the time too I'm taking this too serious I need to slow down you know and this is how I would I would constantly train but a lot of great I lost the greatest because what's amazing about all of that I used to come home I used to take time out to come home and I would close my clothes my blinds curtains we can have blind curtains we didn't have central air and heat off the fan and one and I would close and make it dark and I would lay down and I would they use the word meditate nowadays I would pray I was leading our dream I would dream big I would see myself in MBA I would see myself doing right things for basketball and the more I dreamed it the more I felt like I can touch it but not only would I dream that I would go out and I would try to implement and the more I did that by the grace and mercy of Allah it's like when you decide to do something when you make a decision to do something and you move in the direction of that decision of what begins to open up doors for you and I remember the elementary school I should play against older guys all the time nice condition myself I just I mean just I would work hard and religiously it got to the point where I was in elementary and we play the team Westminister and the school was 43 to 46 they want but I have quite still about 43 points one game we lost 36 to 42 I had all 36 and then the word you know this guy all right and so this is a lot you know I sort seen I saw it saying the improvement I saw it saying the notoriety coming and again I will be brief as I began to play I move on to junior high school I'm in the seventh grade playing for the ninth grade starting all three years no numbers when I was in the seventh grade I was playing for the 10th grade Aug leading them in scoring 21 game but what's interesting is that even before that when I was in elementary school and I remember when I decided to do this I'm gonna backtrack just a little bit there was a lady named is cooking she was an aggressive old lady she always looking for talent trying to place you and I was playing on the playground right on the school's campus and right next door literally I could throw a rock and hit it there was a gym and kids when they're trying out veterinary school I didn't know it I was I was mad with my brothers 21 miss cookie drove up she said at the time my name is Chris Chris come in I walked those yes ma'am she's a good am proud I said what mister you have a snowman she don't worry about that you just going in trial she saw something I went in there I don't let go cannot vote for and I remember when I got on the court I was dueling through everybody I mean I'm thinking his five I'm thinking game with 21 first one in twenty one coach avid studies a son you had the right answer and my first game I had 21 points five and so I kept training and kept training so i go to i go to junior high i did the high school before i even get in my high school career my high school years I was already labeled as the first-team all-state before I played one high school in cuz if I okay this is a lotta pressure now I'm taking it all in no I'm Ben hen I came from a Christian background so I prayed all the time always praying to God praying and trying to move in the direction of my prayer praying trying to move in the rest of my private hoping and God will answer my prayers and out again they labeled me as the first-team all-state I get into high school and a lot is the greatest everything throughout my career that I drink does the whole thing I'm thinking psychology or whatever that so is you think it's so shall it be if you think it ought enough and you move in that direction you know it better chance of coming and coming like everything the 90 some percent of what I thought about it happened the way I thought about it because I put that effort killed God first kill Paul offers and I continue when that mental amnesia sometimes what was I just saying forgot first before that Allstate I'm going to high school under luck and my high school career my first year in high school I was 21 my second he is 32 my third year my senior is 28 we went to state back today I'm getting I'm getting letters from all over the country Georgetown North Carolina you name it I don't think there's a school that I get a letter I go to Princeton New Jersey am I going to my 11 and 12 a.m. I get invited to Princeton New Jersey and I've been working out hard to pray I'm the president of charities the top 110 quote of the best in the nation it's my first time ever getting on the plane never going out of state I was nervous and one fly a lifeline and I say hey I've come too far to turn back now I got to do it so I get on that flight I go there's a scout late they say he's never given anyone a five which was a high school two years in a row he couldn't be getting inside and I was coming out of high school as a number one guard in the nation one year Jordan had happened to have been named Michael Jordan was sitting in the bleachers I'm in the hot row he begins to talk to us splaining told us about the NBA what it's like how intensity is all that he pitched me out of the crowd asked me to come on the court he gives me the ball he says young fella I want you to try to come at me real hard give me the best you got I look at it I'm not scared I'm looking to do this is an opportunity because I can work in my behind up this is my opportunity to see right now if my training is paying off where I am where I stand with who they say is the best I've been going even 11 or going to the 12 I get the ball I give him a cup of jail and I take left I'm going I'm I'm moving fast my people that like my life to dinner I can feel him get him breathing down my neck I go up and I reach out to the goal I can see his hand close I flip it up baby store the ice for the hole in my insides are like oh he gives it to me again I'm like I'm not going to do the second thing so I get it I'm in place I go through my legs I cross him over I go to the right same thing laid it up ball comes out get it he asked for the ball back as go sit up they're going crazy I was going crazy I was acting like I mean I was cool if you saw me the outside of the look cool I'm laughing like I do it all the time but inside oh my goodness man I just going on joy twice it was easy wait I go home until my book is about to and I was excited but what that did for me it didn't sometimes things like that happen we get relaxed we feel I'm already today I took two can't tell me nothing that just that made me want to work hard because I wanted that feeling all the time I wanted to be get that feeling all the time and so I go little college getting all of these things I new high school I go to LSU my first year at LSU I remember the journalist he acts because of what do you want your career to say for itself what it's open I was man I was so serious young coming from a small town in Mississippi I'm in college now we playing against guys perhaps six six folding stronger faster all that jump higher I looked at myself man I say man I said if I could averaged 13 points and seven assists the game for my career at LSU I think that would be decently my first game LSU I had about 12 13 7 ok I'm in the first game stands setting it I had 21 I've noticed something go and sit beside of 21 points and I'm thinking this to myself I'm like man I'm doing the same moves I've been doing since elementary school I had to change nothing and they're working same almost Dale Brown stops man third or coming in we lost that game he says we don't need to scope I said coach I'll track my third game I'm a freshman I had 48 fourth game 36 fifth game national television number one team Florida in Florida I scored 53 I'm nervous I'm shaking I'm on the bus looking out the window crying like a baby I mean crying - listen I'm supposed to be happening this is too good to be true I supposed to be doing this right now I'm thinking to myself man and how am i give you by truck playing on crash I know something ever happen to me because this ain't spoke yeah we get on the plane it's raining and thundering and lightning normally the plane does this the plane is going this is moving like this like I said I knew it and we land we finally landed I'm getting off the pump getting off the plane I'm literally contemplating this time I'm like man I was thinking about going tell coach I said coach listen I want to play but I don't want to fly I didn't wanna play home games you can do it but I had to suck it off you know what if I'm gonna die I'm gonna die yeah we all gonna die so let me go ahead I come to father style so my career still to this day by the grace and mercy of Allah and allow some great because I say that I'm gonna go back that when you make a decision to do something you know I say when you take a step a lot to take many more with you right make your path easy the Naya everything pretty much I dreamt of came true the same numbers that I put up in high school 32 and 2811 to a preview a minute a minute my first and second Yenta LSU in high school there it was asking for autographs they had to bring security guard sometimes to take me to the bus same thing LSU I sing a hole right now it's been 25 years by the grace and mercy of Allah I still hold the single that the NCAA freshman scoring record throughout the nation nobody is probably the only person has come close to three points is Kevin Durant losing lead it still stayed easy when you make a decision Allah makes it easy okay it was you Dale Brown gives me out of the blue you talked about my education not having educational structure there's a lot of things I didn't know you know I'm in Mississippi I didn't know anything about the prints of Slade dr. Oman come out of Timbuktu you know and the powerful civilization Islamic civilization in Timbuktu hey they teach us that even though he was right up the street the Natchez he was enslaved in Natchez Mississippi two and a half hours three hours away from me we didn't know that you know so you know there's a lot of things up what I will say educational structure education instruction what was like where would I go what was that going you know a lot of things I didn't know I was talking about Doraemon oh shut it it means I need to go again it's been a long day brother's shooting Dale Brown I'm the Dale Brown and LSU gives me thought about the novel ends you know I'm inside me and say up until college I never heard about meta tag on the book that's a shame I get the book I'm reading I didn't know if I fascinated looking I transform his life came to person even I go to mine I get trapped into the NBA I've all for a long time I've been searching I had questions about Christianity and when I would ask questions I would always get two of the most universal answers always I mean I hear any question god I just got to believe that was unsatisfactory I'm like look man I'm I think oh god wants us the question if we questioning with the intent to know you know me I really think that but nobody could give me that so as as as I got to the NBA I've been friended this past is how steals our jobs came across this image my shorts crosses on the shoes I profess to be a Christian but really wasn't practicing because my mind was all over the place I knew there was something any know and all please God got me got me to this truth don't leave me stranded you know me so I met this person and he had a protege at the time named Mark James from New York and one day Mark James and I want to say and now in my home in Denver during my during my first year and the word Islam came money see you interested in personal you said if you say you I say yeah he said he worked at that boy said brother middle Muslim brother in the airport named Abdullah he said we could go to the Masjid on Eddy Street and pick up when I got the call home Bayon down saw brother he was tending to the guard said brother we were told him coming and gonna go ran from me he said sure very fair hospital took us down in the Masjid gave us a grand talk to us for a little bit I wasn't really listening because my thing I want to know what's in this book you know I was ready to go home I spent back home and I remember I got to the table he he had his I had mine I got to the table I was so excited I opened it up I can't remember which pain is already I remember opening up I'm reading the page I read two or three pages I look at Mark Johnson phenomenal about your own it was submissive done deal for me is it I ended up going to the message talking to his brother wasn't gentle on and off him tell me about different concepts and all of that and I was in my first year in the NBA after his little brick and reviewing that we had to go to or encouraged to go to his rookies in Utah I came back I went to the bastion and I'm races man come to LA and it's the best thing that is ever I mean oh my love a non wealth family children none of that nothing compared to the gift that Allah has given me to his name because it puts everything in perspective everything and and when I became a Muslim some interesting happy people started playing playing games you know they were looking to see how I want to see he really gonna practice this thing he just say he's a Muslim and so I began to pray I began to read I began to debate now it's on he's serious you know they began to question sometimes when I'm fast they will try to discourage me from fast look look madness this between man I love you don't have to like it but this is what I'm gonna do they would be mad at the fact that I'm fast you know the joints waiting but then that year I got the most improved in NBA then at the same time they begin to on see any because Akeem Olajuwon at one time he was not fast he went fast during game days and one day we were driving having a game and dinner when talking sober like I cook me some meat can i Vinita no oh yeah I was fasting a day hear me I got eat do you you guys nothing yeah that's all I know when I was told as what I do he said I don't have all my facts I don't know about you when I said I feel more focused and I'm gonna check I feel great so I'm good doing I don't do it so he started fast and one year CNN they didn't know they were doing it they were given dollar didn't know it but they reported that the Muslims in particular non booted and hockey their stats one of their Ramadan but before they was trippin bout my you don't need to do that you don't lose a lot of weight after that they have no pride I was looking forward to Ramadan I can't wait to see you then Gateway to work on Toluca and then you Amazo but becomes a lot you know the but they would play games you know we trying to fast are you trying to pray before game you're trying to pray after the game they said rooms up for you trying to rush you if you losing games because I would come in a lot of times I would break now come in and catch up and then wherever he was I'd follow the game playing but he got to the point sometimes we would look they would come and say yeah we got people they coming in late you know but even referring to me because I was fast I mean I was I was praying so but they would play these games but i'ma move a little further because you know as a Muslim it's possible especially for you young people is possible very proud Islam is so flexible it's lamb is so inclusive that you could be a basketball player you can be a baseball player and still be at the highest level of your Islam you never have to compromise it and the more that you stick to your guns people will try you it's like all says never will they be satisfied with you until they cause you to the Judy right but he says hold fast to that rumbles Ola right that's excessive man they want to try everybody knows but the more they see you sticking your gun believe me they will leave your home and that's what usually happens they just know that's my homes you guys go get up and up you can do it you don't do this leave belong the longer you come to work don't really leave them alone so you know it's possible as a Muslim don't don't ever compromise what you believe me yeah you know struggle look struck we talked about earlier you know I was talking to this lady at LA Fitness and she said you still practice as it was she said without follow religion so I she said well religion come from man and man is flawed and so we don't really believe we believe that Allah created man in the best of disposition the best of model I don't think he came out flawed but we I do believe that a lot places in the world with flaws exist because without flaws we couldn't elevate ourselves if everybody was perfect if everybody could play basketball what need would there be to Train cinema without her or without her P with no eating without wrong you would know right so we know through do Falls you can never been so strong it's like if I took we talked about her that took of his arm and we want to make a tool out of the army what I have to do to it I have to take that iron and then do severe heat after bang on in order to mold and shape it into a beautiful tool restful strolls diverse right we got you a lot gives us these struggles in order to what mode and shape us and frame us so that it can make us beautiful if we look at it that way so you know me but but as I began to read more you know the challenges don't keep coming as muscle got a welcome to all of what what are you trying to tell me through this challenge what am I supposed to get to it I know you're not gonna give me sell me a burden I can't bear I know this is meant to make me stronger technique then you receive that out of it what happens later is what ends my career innocence because I began to develop a conscience again I said early I grew up without the educational structure that many people need so there's a lot of things that I felt they cheated me because when I got on I stopped reading on my home and I let you teach me to roses this is right in front why would I know this and I started to be insulted and cheated right so now everything I got now read I'm like I'm trying to hurry everything I'm trying to discuss it right I'll give you know you made me mad I felt it you're cheating you starving in the ring I began to develop all the conscience so one day I stopped I just I'm looking at the flag and I'm looking at this symbol and I'm reading about America throughout the world and its involvement in a lot of places right you know writing resources killing folks and I'm looking at this symbol and it's a representation of this this is me I you got to make your decision about some what I wonder and I just couldn't see it as a king king do it so what I began to do for about three four or five months I begin this I begin to when they move the national anthem would come on I would act like I was stretching get ready for the game cuz I don't want to be so obvious but I'm still trying to figure this thing out what do i do stand sit stand sit so I'm I'm warming up some days it's on I'm looking or something like I'm looking for somebody I don't want to be in detention let me write I think I didn't want to be a part of that so one day the general manager comes assistant general manager comes in I'm holding system there was a guy who's been noticing for some time that you haven't been standing he said he would like to talk to you would you like to talk to this is coming at me as far as I'm concerned common knowledge we talk about it all the time on the street level bones I ain't seen another so I said sure I'll talk after that interview the next day in practice after practice floods of the Taylor campus camels was just here and I'm sitting here and they ask me questions so what do you think about the negra flag buh-buh-buh-buh-buh I give them my answer they highlight tyranny oppression that's the only thing they say they don't deal with the whole comment which was a balance company I said look it represents Tyrion impression but am i saying everything in America is bad no there's good that exists but whether the bad is even if it's in Saudi Arabia as a Muslim we don't stand for that's a valid statement right but they tear your question tearing your fresher sassanid my character I got to oceans because of that because I was holding back I wanted to say something woman I wanted to charge but I you know I was just holding back I got to oceans because then just listening today I think also Larry King and people want to come on and I was contemplating I just wanted to tell myself I'm and there's a brother that I talked to named Muhammad Allah see in DC I my dear and I wonder came back if it weren't for that brother am i coming back was in no way of compromise whatsoever but he told me he said he said it's your decision he said either way it goes who do you love you're not wrong you can stick to it or you can choose another course and this course won't be compromised but in actuality maybe to give you the upper hand so you can still be in that position in that NPA and hopefully ensure I'll be able to steal impact in that environment he said once the promised asylum and some companions were sitting and a Jewish funeral procession was passing by and the prophets stood and mostly after what do you know I step up he said that we fight against these people they kill us we kill them what are you spending for because I'm not standing for their cause I'm standing because Allah gave her life and a lot took a life away he said so you could stay why the anthem is being played but not for their cause and they could do off those who are dispossessed for press there also and so forth and angled out so mad when he told ya you know good I like to if something makes sense I hope that he reveals to me and I follow it but I didn't want to hear that at the time because it made sense I want to go and then I'm gonna go tell somebody something and I thought about and I had to suck up my pride I said you know what I'm gonna take that I knew after that they want to say it's compromises to compromise they want to see you compromise them after they find you $37,000 finding that's what they told you you never took anything come on shake a zipper c'mon never compromise on believin children I shall do the same thing again in this light old but these type of things when I make that stain it's like it's okay to be a Muslim and play basketball but it's not okay to be a conscientious Muslim to voice your concern about socio political and economic situation because they don't want this type of behavior to catch on so they have to make an example of they fit up training unit right now and this is right after we beat Seattle with the first eight C two years in a row to be the first C two years old we will become wait we will get mad at you they broke us up become so I go to Sacramento I have a history they started to slowly just erase me come from them from the book I bought a sacrament I knew it some talk message and walked away because I knew that once I went somewhere else my minutes were going to decline they because they can't do it quietly because it's obvious so my minutes began to decline I got less minutes first time in my career I got DNP did not play because the coach's decision I got a lot of old like wow how to the point to where Houston Rockets Tomjanovich came sacré known then someone was in locker room they came back told me second Tom Tom Tom Djokovic was like tripping like a wife they play this guy's and when we come to Sacramento we organize our defense around him to guard him why I played him they get a report on television that the best free-throw shooters in the history of the game I was number one willing number one in the league they not once showed me on TV as always just to is now usually when I didn't play reporters will come in the line so why are they playing alone the whole year I didn't have a handful of reporters ask me any here's like I was hands off to the meat you say why this is interesting and so after that after those years well I just you know I'm done I'm not I'm gonna just leave it long ago with seasoned Blaine so I went to Turkey a little bit didn't stay long had my first child said you're not done title politic set up going home you know I came back home spent about a couple of years I got a callback was named 19 Vancouver Grizzlies I don't know what to a lot allowed me to sneak back in the door he was sleeping a lot put him to sleep enough for me to sign the contract I got that first year was guaranteed second year was a dare option I told myself I'm not going to come back and less and give me your word that if I get into shape I'm supposed to Gideon that I'm gonna get some time I ended up getting into some shape they wanted to go beyond interlace I was an injured I was offended the first things I had a 20 something a minute meeting with him he was trying to convince me to gone said nah so you're not a man of your word I said you told me that I got to the shake that I supposed to give him that I was going to play I told you this is why I was coming cuz I've been in this situation before and I didn't want to be in him again and I said so say you're not a man of your word I've done everything underneath the Sun I said even your coaches and players are coming back and telling you my mood is dominating practice I was another one in the league at that time a number one of points per minute when I'm in the game I was a point per minute but I can't play you like him in mind so that that wasn't the wrong way okay that son but it really killed it I'm towards the end 911 happens but not Goldberg they want to do it everything and they call him prep him first they cost somebody else called unit prep you seen the interviews were bad at all these question didn't he'll call back yeah I think you had interviewed him yeah I think it'll be good so he comes down to Mississippi and I see on his face George guy I see on his face yeah I said he has an agenda so home and at that time I feel like playing I feel like being diplomatic so you know what meant you had whatever you asked and I'm just gonna give it to in chips is gonna be like that and i'ma tell you why I feel that way now I thought I've been cheated I've been lied to throughout my educational process and I meant the point my life now that it's like I told him I said mine I'm gonna live and die with a free conscience whether you anybody else like if there's something I want to say it might not come out the right way but I'm not holding back in him I'm not I'm not I'm not always right but if something I feel deep in my heart so I hate sleep is it something on my chest cuz I feel like a cow come on say I feel like I feel like a cowboy I don't feel like a slave I don't feel like it I had to begin to break those chains earlier because when I grew up in Mississippi I would see my mother than my parents you know because racism exists everywhere and I would see my mother's and my parents when they were confronted with right people they would put their head down to be submissive but behind closed door how I grade them and I would see this for years and then I found myself but I had it in front people nervous my field is about a wider field that's inaccurate so I had said you know I gotta break these changes and I won't ever be like this you should even say what you want to say and that's it and be comfortable with that so I began to do that with Bernie Bickerstaff the general manager and my agent at the time he was up he used to have he used to be these meetings and he would uh he would always refer to me as his son he was talking about his son more than me negotiate my contract so I had a meeting with my friend he's got to do it I gotta get I gotta get stronger and so when he I had a meeting with him I said mrs. Miller I need to talk to you about some he said yes son I said that's the first thing I said I'm not just him I said my mother is only one in grades she she was my mother and my father if anybody got a right to call me sighs my mother from now his first name basis to you and I'm looking right these rates first-name basis I said another thing we go in these meetings I said you talk about your son more than me you work for me I don't work for you he he look sickening who are you I just thought I had to do that you know so this is what now I feel so you don't understand when they see or he's not standing for the flag when they see this guy saying anything they don't want to choose they don't know where it's coming from that is not a guy trying to be a scholar he's not God trying to be recognized being oh he stands up as you know I'm teed off if I got something I'm not gonna hold back if I can if I got ad I got a dime if I'm gonna lose a job on the losing job my wife used to say oh my goodness she said every time somebody wanted to beat me you see they put you put you on say I think she said every time you get the interview somebody burned down a house we don't get no job up I say sweetheart I understand I said I apologize I said God knows I apologize I said but this is what you married and I said right now I came come back I said I got I just can't I say I'm sorry for any any any any trouble up with you I'm sorry but this is who you marry and I just I got to do it because I won't feel right if I don't you know so god this a feeling you came in and you said when people come in first thing on my end with this the first thing that people do any interview you they try to warm you up something on board when you came me we're going to last you he sits down in front of him he says so they've been laddie and man I started I start just they they butchered if you ever go back and look at it it's totally but you you know my answer at the time was no but if he did do it he was alone and I said there's a lot of questions that hasn't been answered you know that needs to be addressed and I start giving me all these things there was Jews on the other side of Manhattan on the filming the incident they were reported back to Israel for being part of the Mossad I said why don't you tell the public that I said there were ten billion dollars traded on the two same Airlines wanted to tell you I mean I was going I was getting a change as best I could he was looking where you get this information from and he wanted me to say well I was giving from Crescent or Muslim publication Wow smarter than that I said well I'm getting them from the spotlight I'm getting them from Washington report on Middle Eastern affairs he hesitated he stopped about two three times and you walked outside and talked to his guy cursing him out because this the guy that was calling him saying yes interviews what happened this is what he says but I was giving him some extra stuff in a detail his father he went ready for word and but you know after that interview they were supposed to hire me back being the fact that I was number one in the league and points for a minute after that interview I couldn't even get a trial with MPT nobody even wanted to see me come in the door co-manage alone even after the flag incident go angelo still in the NBA curricula my you called him saint man my bosom he's trying to talk he could have all not interested and it has nothing to do with basketball Ethan that's what he say he it has nothing to do with his skill just prejudice I was in California trying now trying to get back into them to the frail and plain somebody when the Clippers came say hey man we're looking for a guard okay Hyundai life I loved I love to play for you Elgin Baylor want to talk to you so okay me to the marks okay fine I come in the gym I'm the baby from the distance I'm in the same he's looking he's with a couple of guys he does bad he's looking up said the guy comes to talk to me same uncle now really apologizing which I was happy for he said Elgin Baylor don't want to talk to you on account of what you said on HBO I said man it's good as I appreciate you coming over here and telling me that I lost all respect for individuals like that because of the fact that you should know how much the media distorted owes you you called me here you couldn't come to me like a man and tell me yourself you need to know I write you and you just want to do that so I lost all respect but nothing what I'm trying to say is this at all what I just say that no matter what we go through in life Allah is our son he's the best to provide stick to your principles stick to your guns I lost millions of dollars somebody burned down my house Mississippi but that's not going to turn me in Sharma live and die as a Muslim whether you lighter than that hearing and and and that and of itself right is is the greatest gift the greatest accomplishment you know the logo game before struggle way you want to be strong right and so as Muslims as committed Muslims man your your your possibilities are great no matter what you go to these tests and these struggles are meant to make it stronger I promise you they are just believe in Allah believe that that's the case and just you just evaluate your values evaluated when you evaluate them you realize this is what I value once you bring your back away say it justice is what you value because it is truly what you value you're going to want to make it a part of your camera your personality and you're not gonna let anyone to turn you from you you won't be needed and need this to make me hold you know and stick today you know there's a George Washington Carver said something and on the end with it he said and I keep it at my kitchen it's a slammin even though he may not have been a Muslim he said no one has the right to come into this world then go out of it without leaving behind the stink and legitimate reasons for having passed we all have been given something by love the possibility of greatness and like a lot says well I'll write that in Santa Fe you know talking about that thing called time you had a box except for a certain amount certain certain little people right we have to take advantage of every second we should be thinking about what type of legacy do I want to leave because I don't have a right to come into this world well I'm feeling and go out of it without leaving behind the state and legitimate reasons for having passed early so think about that every day you know what it is that you want to leave is your legacy I mean you want to get slave to Allah or slave to this done some of them

Channel: Tawheed Center

Views: 243,210

Rating: 4.8800001 out of 5

Keywords: Basketball, Islam NBA, Sports, Quran, Islam, Muhammad, Youth, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Nouman Ali Khan

Id: SZoYTmb76bY

Length: 50min 50sec (3050 seconds)

Published: Sun May 19 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/GaffeGod]

Why was he blacklisted? I've only seen him in the big 3

Edit: thanks guys. Honestly had no idea. That fucking sucks. I respect his game tho. I can only imagine what he was like in his prime and what he was like live

[u/CryptoNite90]

SubhanAllah this was so therapeutic and amazing.

[u/Spoofcaptain]

Chris Jackson the best college player I’ve ever seen

[u/hahagamer7]

Damn, he's like Goku. Starting from the very bottom and training as hard as he can to become great.

[u/gun1gugu]

The land of the free... Yeah right... This man is an amazing basketball player, still hooping. It's fucking disgusting how they ruined his career, he was pretty much Steph Curry. I swear, 90% of his shots don't touch the rim. Swish and peace

[u/jessezoidenberg]

Greatest shooter I ever played with

-Shaq