LSU Tiger basketball great Chris Jackson will have his jersey retired this fall, becoming just the fifth Tiger hoop star in school history to receive the honor.

Jackson, who later changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was a two time All-American at LSU in 1989 and 1990 and set the college hoops game ablaze with his shooting prowess. 

“By a unanimous decision, Mahmoud now joins one of the most elite groups in college basketball - the five men’s basketball players whose jerseys LSU has retired,” said LSU Director of Athletics Scott Woodward. “He’s one of the greatest of all time at LSU and incredibly deserving of this honor.”

The No. 35 worn by Abdul-Rauf will join the No. 50 worn by Bob Pettit, the No. 23 worn by Pete Maravich, the No. 40 worn by Rudy Macklin and the No. 33 worn by Shaquille O’Neal as retired jerseys in the LSU men’s basketball program.

Abdul-Rauf, a native of Gulfport, Miss., will become the 14th LSU athlete or coach to have his/her jersey retired, joining Pettit, Maravich, Macklin and O’Neal; football players Billy Cannon, Tommy Casanova and Jerry Stovall; women’s basketball players Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles; baseball coach Skip Bertman and baseball players Ben McDonald, Eddy Furniss and Todd Walker.

Current men's head basketball coach Will Wade commented on the upcoming honor “his ability to shoot and score has only been matched by those whose jerseys are already hanging from the rafters of the Maravich Center. He is continuing to perform on the court at a high level almost 30 years later, and we look forward to having him back to celebrate this milestone this season.” 

Abdul-Rauf was named a first-team All-American in 1989 and 1990, becoming in 1989 just the second freshman to receive first-team All-America recognition from the Associated Press. He averaged 30.2 points per game during the 1988-89 season, and he is still the only freshman in college basketball history to average over 30 points per game.

Abdul-Rauf was a two-time consensus SEC Player of the Year, and he scored in double figures in 63 of his 64 games at LSU, including over 20 points 52 times, over 30 points 28 times, over 40 points 11 times and over 50 points four times.

At the end of his collegiate career, he held the LSU all-time record for most three-point field goals made (172), and he still holds the school single-season mark for highest free-throw percentage (91 percent).