BATON ROUGE, La. – During halftime of LSU’s 64-50 win against Texas A&M, former Tigers’ guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s number 35 was hung in the rafters of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Abdul-Rauf averaged an NCAA record 30.2 points-per-game as a freshman, and played two years at LSU under Dale Brown.
“Never could I have written this story for myself. To be in this position, again 30 years later, having my jersey retired. Success is something that’s not linear, and never happens on your own,” Abdul-Rauf said.
The former Denver Nugget also took time to thank the entire LSU fan base for their love and support, giving them more praise than fans he had from his time in the NBA.
“I can’t thank everybody enough and also the fans. You are like the best. I know it sounds cliche. A lot of people say that. I been in the NBA, but there’s nothing like college fans. You guys are wonderful.”
While giving his speech, the guard formerly known as Chris Jackson reflected on his own reasons for performing so well on the court, which were the children who stood behind next to him during his acceptance speech.
“Growing up without a father, I would wake up, and I would train relentlessly because one of my goals was to have a family someday and to be able to raise children,” Abdul-Rauf said while chocking up.
His children embracing him, the former Tiger guard thanked the crowd and walked off in a sea of cheers with his number a part of LSU history.
Click the video for Abdul-Rauf’s full acceptance speech.