There have been many political acts of defiance by sports athletes towards the power and the system in place. And before quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who in August 2016 refused to stand up for the American anthem, to protest against police violence against minorities, there was notably Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
Leader-scorer with extraordinary talent, even compared to Stephen Curry by Phil Jackson, the ex-Chris Jackson marked the spirits as much by his qualities as by his position not to get up for the American anthem during the 1995-1996 season. For him, this anthem represents in his eyes “an oppression” vis-à-vis the heavy tyrannical past of the United States.
As with Colin Kaepernick, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s career was marked by a suspension and a boycott. The two athletes are reunited today to allow the former basketball player to release his autobiography “In the blink of an eye”, to be published on October 18 by “Kaepernick Publishing”, written in collaboration with Nick Chiles.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf will thus recount his unique journey, between his passion for basketball, his conversion to Islam in the early 90s, this struggle that he embodied through his extra-sporting positions as well as the syndrome Gilles de la Tourette with whom he must deal on a daily basis.
“We are honored to bring the powerful story of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf to life. The mainstream media rarely gives stories like Mahmoud’s the respect and prominence they deserve, and we’re here to change that.” said Colin Kaepernick in the press release presenting the autobiography of Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. “Our goal with Kaepernick Publishing is to amplify the courageous work of people like Mahmoud and provide a platform for inspiring voices to tell their stories with truth, authenticity and integrity”,
