Three decades after playing his final game for LSU, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf stood on the court during halftime of the Tigers' 64-50 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday to see an enlarged image of his No. 35 jersey retired and hung in the rafters next to that of former teammate Shaquille O'Neal.
Abdul-Rauf went by the name Chris Jackson during his two years at LSU and when he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1990.
O'Neal recorded a video message played on the scoreboard, saying Abdul-Rauf was "really the best player" on their team.
Among dignitaries in attendance in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were Bob Pettit, a former LSU and NBA star who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, and former LSU and NBA player Rudy Macklin, who is among five players, along with Pettit and the late Pete Maravich, to have his jersey retired by LSU.
The volume of the applauding crowd spiked when Abdul-Rauf, 50, embraced his former Tigers coach, Dale Brown.
Abdul-Rauf thanked Brown, his mother, former teammates and people from his childhood in Mississippi for their role in his success.
"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 as tears began rolling down his cheeks and several of his children converged affectionately around him. "So I just wanted them to know, even though they weren't there through all those years of training, they were always in the back of my mind, and I wanted them to experience this moment."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.