Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Game-Winner Provided The Best Moment in BIG3 History

It’s kind of crazy how it happened but Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf definitely provided the best moment in BIG3 history on Friday night in Week 3. I’m not kidding, this 49-year old with more than a touch of gray, set Oracle Arena on fire and single–handedly stole a game from Metta World Peace, Stephen Jackson, and the rest of the Killer 3’s. It was absolutely incredible and may be the best individual performance in the league’s short history — not just the best moment.

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And like I mentioned at the beginning, it’s crazy how it got put in motion. You see, Abdul-Rauf was on the 3 Headed Monsters’ bench down the stretch. He had only scored two points at that juncture and may have stayed on the pine had Rashard Lewis not went down with an ankle injury. When Lewis went down, the 3 Headed Monsters were trailing the Killer 3’s 36-31 in their first-to-50 contest.

Abdul-Rauf entered the game at a point where the basketball was very, very sloppy. Metta World Peace was noticeably sucking wind, Stephen Jackson and Charles Oakley were upset, as usual, and there was air-balls and bad shots galore. But when Abdul-Rauf came in, full of grey hair and old-man swag, he made an immediate impact and never looked back.

He scored four points right off the bat, followed by a lay-up from his teammate, Qyntel Woods. That bucket by Woods would be the final points by anyone other than Abdul-Rauf. He went completely apeshit, swishing three-balls from all over the gym. His last two, including the game-winner, were directly in back-up center (and current ESPN analyst) Ryan Hollins‘ eye. By the time that game-winner sent Oracle into a frenzy, he had scored 18 of his squad’s final 20 points — including 14 straight to end the game. It was the first time I’ve ever seen a BIG3 crowd so involved.

Final score: 3 Headed Monsters (51), Killer 3’s (49)

It was obvious that Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was the only guy with fresh legs out there — something Jalen Rose mentioned on his podcast before last year’s BIG3 season. I don’t remember the exact quote but it was clear that Rose thought Abdul-Rauf would kill the 3-on-3 league because he takes great care of his body. (Rose played with Abdul-Rauf on the Denver Nuggets from 1994-1996.) No one on the other team could stay in front of him and although he was the oldest guy on the floor, he made everyone else look like they were playing in slow motion. It also doesn’t hurt that his release is easily the quickest in the league. At one point, when Stephen Curry was initially coming up, Phil Jackson compared him to Abdul-Rauf (formerly Chris Jackson).

While guys like Corey Maggette, DeSean Stevenson, and Baron Davis can still ball, Abdul-Rauf would be one of the first five or six guys I’d take for my 3-on-3 team. As he proved on Friday night, those Curry comparisons hold some weight. Hell, he even did it on Curry’s home floor. Talk about perfect.

Full highlights:

Over nine NBA seasons, Abdul-Rauf played in 583 games and averaged 14.6 points per game. In 1996, he was suspended by the league because he chose not to stand for the national anthem.