Stand on Showtime: Release date, plot, what to expect, and more details explored

Showtime is all set to present its new documentary, Stand, on the life of former basketball star Mahmoud Abdul Rauf. The film aims to explore Mahmoud's journey from being a schooltime basketball wizard to being cheated out of the NBA for his take on oppression and injustice.

Helmed by award-winning director Joslyn Rose Lyons, the documentary will have a worldwide release this February 3, 2023, at 9 pm ET.

The official description of the sports documentary reads,

"Born Chris Jackson, he overcame tremendous adversity to reach the NBA and found his true calling when he converted to Islam. His decision not to stand for the national anthem, however, turned him from prodigy to pariah. Told candidly by Abdul-Rauf himself more than 20 years later it’s the remarkable story of one man who paved way for social justice."

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What to expect with Showtime's upcoming documentary Stand

With Stand, viewers can expect the now gray-bearded basketball legend to reclaim the movement he stood for in his yesteryears. He is seen reflecting on how the NBA betrayed him at the peak of his career as he engaged in social activism post-conversion to Islam. We get to see how his decision about the national anthem cost him more than just a suspension from the NBA.

After being kicked out and fined a sum of $31,707 per missed game by the mega league on March 12, 1996, his house was burned down, allegedly by the Klu Klux Klan. He had no support thereafter, and in his own words, he admitted he felt like dying every single day.

In the trailer, Jalen Rose, a former basketball player turned sports analyst and Mahmoud's colleague, also admits to letting down his colleague in the past:

"We should have covered him. We should have had his back but we didn't."

Not that gloomy still, the documentary celebrates his heroic take on oppression and injustice and how, in the face of brutal criticism, he managed to voice his ideals of justice. In an era where very few sports personalities engage in social advocacy, Mahmoud firmly stood his ground in the 1990s.

The trailer celebrates Mahmoud's strongwill by dedicating the following lines to him:

"Before anyone took a knee, he took a stand."

This is said to be against the backdrop of sports stars like Colin Kaepernick taking a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

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A quick look on Stand's cast list

Besides Mahmoud himself, the documentary features in-depth interviews with personalities from the sports and entertainment fraternity like Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr, Shaquille O'Neal, Jalen Rose, Mahershala Ali, Ice Cube, and more. The documentary also marks director Joslyn Rose Lyons' feature-length directorial debut.

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Mahmoud Al Rauf, the Stephen Curry before Stephen Curry

Born and brought up in Mississippi by his single mother, Jacqueline Jackson, Mahmoud was born Chris Jackson. At the time, he was already fond of basketball and had started playing for his school team. Soon after, his career leaped from LSU to the NBA, where he played for the Denver Nuggets, winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1993.

In the trailer, we see the great Shaq O'Neil refer to Mahmoud's smooth basketball skills as:

"Felt like I was watching God play basketball."

It's interesting to learn that Mahmoud was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he achieved this forte. Even today, he continues to struggle with it.

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Stand releases this Friday, February 3, 2023, on Showtime at 9 pm ET.