There are players in the professional career is influenced by their personal lives from their own beliefs and their problems much more than we usually see on other athletes. Not necessarily worse, just the personal ends of course to collide with the professional. Creating stories, unique experiences in the landscape of basketball. Chris Jackson is one of those who in the course of his career to be remembered for some reason he found it. Tourette's syndrome, despite himself, is one of them. Disease, misnomer because technically this is not, which can range from very low to the invasion almost total inability to relate to other people. Involves tic, facial movements and verbal rash, uncontrollable. For
Chris Jackson has always been a rather visible on the playing field as in normal life. An unknown boy looked at most of six feet tall, occasionally stirring, but never imagined he could sit on the bed lying screaming because she could not sleep because the damn tic would not let him stay. Or pull and pull and pull and pull again, ad infinitum, until you leave automation mind saying that it was finally done everything perfectly. That the ball had not touched anything other than the retina, which was turned into his hands in the way they had to make that il movimento era stato fatto nel modo giusto. E che finalmente poteva andare a casa od uscire con gli amici. Paradossalmente, però, in mezzo 
alle mille difficoltà trovò anche il modo di aiutarlo nella sua carriera di giocatore. Perchè quei miliardi di tiri in solitudine lo resero uno dei più clamorosi tiratori che si siano mai visti a qualsiasi latitudine, a livello di percentuali, meccanica fluida e velocità esasperante di esecuzione. Ed in più, perchè nonostante tutto sviluppa un controllo mente/corpo superiore che sulle persone normali.
Tradotto, una coordinazione inarrivabile. Chris Jackson, dicevamo, anche se non è con questo nome che la maggior parte delle persone lo know, was born in 1969 in the state of Mississippi, in Gulfport, a mother who had symptoms similar to his son, the second of three, had three different men and that they had forgotten to do their fathers. Poor family, if not poor. Chris even go to school was a problem, it took an hour to get the pants, and once at school did not pray that those who remained cursed tic go away. Did not happen, the fact that the syndrome at the time he had not yet been diagnosed did not help him, not at all. Chris among other things spent a lot of time on the awesome playground. Pull. And shoot. And toss again. Until you reach perfection. What's more the little not even lacked the athleticism and speed, where "not bad" means that those parts in the state of Mississippi, had never seen a player remotely like before the arrival of Monta Ellis. The amount of records that led him to be settled one of the most hotly disputed by leading high school American college. Being able to afford to choose, eventually tick the box of Louisiana State University.
The first thirty years of media over the pass, no joke, each time setting a record for total points in a season for a freshman. Of all U.S. colleges. Robetta. The second year was confirmed, also earned the cover di Sports Illustrated. Ma soprattutto aveva ormai cominciato a far conoscenza con Malcolm X, con la sua autobiografia, e di riflesso con la religione islamica, di cui era più che intrigato. Andare avanti nel college però non era il caso. La madre non aveva nemmeno i soldi per comprarsi da mangiare, era il momento di passare professionista. Al draft del 1990 finì alla numero tre, ai Nuggets, dietro Derrick Coleman e Gary Payton. Le aspettative erano ovviamente altissime, tanto quanto la curiosità di vedere questo piccolo fenomeno che nel tornare in difesa strizzava la testa, strabuzzava gli occhi o saltellava di qua e di là. Tecnicamente il giocatore l'abbiamo già brevemente descritto: realizzatore semplicemente irreale, atletismo and enormous speed, shooting fast and lethal. Not a pure play, and being only one and eighty doubt resided there, but the eye for the transition is not never missed anyway.
The first two years are not good crabs: rookie is injured, and thrives on the ground does not do what the talent would allow him. Most of all, does not feel right with himself, weighed down by an environment, one of the NBA, he does not hear her. In 1993, the conversion to Islam, which by now had been kidnapped, it becomes official and definitive. "With my backg round as a Christian I was dissatisfied with some answers. Was like I was becoming someone I should not become " . Furono le parole di Chris Jackson. Non fu indolore. Ormai era sposato, con Kim, da cui cercò supporto, comprensione. Ma voleva anche che mettesse il velo in pubblico. In breve tempo arrivò il divorzio. Anche le altre persone a lui più vicine, dalla madre, ai fratelli, agli amici arrivando al suo agente, facevano fatica a capirlo, “ credevano che fossi una specie di automa che non sapeva pensare con la sua testa, come se qualche cellula fondamentalista mi avesse programmato per sfruttare il mio essere famoso per i loro scopi ”. Avrebbe dovuto anche cambiare il proprio nome, ma non sapendo nemmeno da dove cominciare, chiese a due imam di sua conoscenza. Uno disse Mahmoud, l'altro Abdul-Rauf, il nome era stato found. To prepare for the third year he trained nine hours a day, finding the time for prayers. Become another player, ending a 19 average, winning the trophy for the more advanced player (last year it was over ten points per game) and participating in the contest of the crushed, the first of two editions won by Harold Miner. Finally, the contract extension for another five years. As for her private life, but also influenced the conversion work. He could not shower naked with his friends, demanded a private room and observed the Ramadan in full NBA season, causing him to lose pounds and pounds of weight. Even respecting his views, was not easy to live with, not attending Environment NBA, finished the game retired at home reading Malcolm X or Martin Luther King was not changing.
The following year came close to a record historic total of 229 free throws he sent to the mark 219. The perfection of which we spoke earlier. Obviously, the first of the League with a resounding 95.6%. The "bad" is that instead of 219 if he had scored only one even more, would surpass the record every time, still unbeaten, held since 1980 by Calvin Murphy, who drew with 206/215 with 95.8% . In the years after the explosion, the figures came in slightly declining, 6:16 p.m. certain points a game does not identify a nag, but one that came from college with the reputation of one of the best filmmakers ever come out of there, they were still little. The best season in statistical, and talking about the most important career came in '95-96. Even in Denver, the averages were the same realization of the third year, 19.2, on the other hand improved significantly in assists, 6.8, plenty of top career. But beyond the statistics, there are four things that remind you of that year, one more than all. Fan twenty assists in November, against Phoenix, scored fifty points against Utah after a month, thanks to a 9 / 14 from three rather eloquent and disintegrated in Chicago the first 72 victories, still unbeaten record in the history of NBA. Lui li demolì, letteralmente, con 32 punti, nove assist ed un dominio imbarazzante.
Ma soprattutto, l' Anthem Controversy. All'inizio della stagione fece sapere ai Nuggets che non avrebbe partecipato all'inno nazionale di inizio partita. Disse che lo considerava un rituale nazionalistico cieco che dimenticava degli errori e delle barbarie fatte in passato. Per lui era peccato. Sotto precisa richiesta della NBA la cosa passò sotto silenzio, i suoi compagni lo tennero nascosto. Semplicemente, durante l'inno rimaneva negli spogliatoi o nel tunnel.
Fino al marzo del 1996, a stagione ormai quasi finita, quando quasi per sbaglio si trovò insieme alla sua squadra, durante l'inno. L'unica cosa che fece fu quella di sedersi nel momento esatto in cui tutto il palazzo si alzò. Un gesto senza precedenti. La NBA lo sospese a tempo indeterminato, in realtà sanzione rimossa dopo un solo giorno. Arrivò ad un compromesso per cui il giocatore sarebbe stato in piedi durante l'inno, ma con gli occhi chiusi ed il capo chinato in pre 
ghiera. Ma ormai il danno era fatto, l'opinione pubblica si spezzò in due. “ Non avevo n essun guadagno personale per farlo, o alcun motivo egoistico. So che quel che ho fatto non è sbagliato ”. Mentre la NBA, i giocatori, i tifosi, si schieravano da una parte o dall'altra, raramente la versione di Abdul-Rauf fu ascoltata. Questo not to affect its peace and security. " I feel a lot of things about me. I do not take it personally, I can not get mad at everyone for what they say about me. What would solve by doing so? . After the suspension returned to play, but his words did not do so for the money. " Things I think and I think when I am refused were not wrong. But probably not have represented the best possible approach. This has made me stronger, quieter, has strengthened my ideas. I did not want to be a problem of public order, but I had to live with it. It allowed me to reflect, think even more . In compenso dovette convivere con insulti, accuse di terrorismo – poche settimane dopo la sua conversione, più precisamente il 26 Febbraio del 1993, ci fu la bomba piazzata da Al-Qaeda sotto il World Trade Center che uccise sei persone e ne ferì oltre mille – ed insofferenza generalizzata.
Da quel momento anche nella NBA fu una vita difficilissima. Le sue parole “ spero che la gente capisca il mio punto di vista ” furono rispettate da alcuni ma non da tutti. Charles Barkley, uno che anche ora esprimerebbe la propria opinione anche sul colore dei jeans di un perfetto sconosciuto – allo stesso modo è assai difficile trovare una sua dichiarazione che non sia interessante – disse che would have liked that Mahmoud had been given more chances to reply, that they had given him the opportunity to explain their actions, statements that Muslim is not the same player will appreciate. The following year he was sent unceremoniously to Sacramento, and from there began its rapid decline as a NBA player. Two seasons in which the performance compared to the glories of Denver, falls dramatically, rising from nineteen to thirteen in the first year for the Kings, with seven in the second, in just thirty-one games played. "Playing in the NBA had become almost impossible ," he said years later, hence the decision to sign a two-year contract with Fenerbache, " I have no problem to travel to play, the NBA is not the only place where I can do what I love . After a year but announced the recall, 22 June 1999, just thirty years. Ends here the story of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf professional player? Useless, was not even halfway. In 2000 he returned briefly in the NBA, signed by Vancouver, the Canadian franchise, just happened. But it is little more than an appearance.
In private life was at times much worse. Remarried with April, an old friend from high school converted to Islam, they saw the property from 2000 square feet just outside Gulfport completely vandalized and defaced by the members of the Ku Klux Klan. They put the house up for sale, remained unsold for several months, until someone burned it in the end. They arrived two years of inactivity, in which something happened quite important in the world. The Sept. 11. Which directly affect Mahmoud and his religion, and that does not help the player to make new friends within the United States. Also touched on the topic not because he refused to say his opinion: " Allah teaches that if someone hurts you and attacks you, you must respond in kind, that's how you earn respect. I look at all the wars that led the Americans in Iraq, Afghanistan and I see a general war against Islam. Can not expect everyone to react in a courteous manner that a good Muslim with common sense should be taken. At a certain point it becomes your fault, America .
His basketball career continued: in 2003 all'Ural Great Perm, Russia, the year after you groped by the sirens and ends in Italian Rose Garden (with Woodward and Ansu Sesay), where, despite a thousand infirmities, end season average of eighteen, despite the thirty-five springs, also participating at the All Star Game. Another year still to recover from persistent problems, and immediately return to the field, this time all'Aris of Thessaloniki.
After Russia, Italy and Greece is the turn of Saudi Arabia - Al Ittihad - until landing in Japan in Kyoto Hannaryz in 2009. Forties. The level is obviously what it is, then even if the league is filled with American players like Robert Swift and Kenny Satterfield, but nevertheless the form of Abdul-Rauf is enviable for an athlete of his age. It is located on the ground so well that after a season in Japan 18 media also renewed for the next year or the current season, 2010/2011. Translated, the 41 year-old guard Gulfport currently being played across the world, in a league where more than half of the trainers are younger than him. But even with the enthusiasm of when tirava come un pazzo al playoground, come se nulla fosse cambiato. “ Tutti diventano vecchi, perfino i più giovani. E' normale, cerco soltanto di tenere in forma il mio corpo meglio che posso ”. E se qualcuno dovesse aver dubbi sulle motivazioni di un ultraquarantenne o dovesse chiedergli qualcosa del suo gioco? “ Non mi sono mai considerato perfetto e mai lo farò, puoi sempre migliorare, in qualsiasi aspetto, basta volerlo. Anche alla mia età ”. Si diceva come se nulla fosse cambiato, come se avesse ancora dieci anni e fosse in quel campetto a tirare centinaia di tiri liberi, sempre alla ricerca della perfezione.
Per chiudere tre video, for reasons other than it's worth seeing.
Chris Jackson destroys Chicago
Mix Abdul Rauf
reactions after Anthem Controversy
- 3 palloni in un canestro solo. 
