DEBATE RAGES ON ANTHEM STAND\Abdul-Rauf sparks controversy on whether NBA can enforce this\rule.

Byline: Sam Stanton Sacramento Bee

Former Sacramento Kings player Walt Williams regularly let out a holler before the end of the song.

Garry St. Jean once had a note with a game score passed to him while standing during its playing.

And scores of entertainers have whistled, lip-synched and mangled it so badly that fans have cringed, and in one case even the president took notice.

But the national anthem remains an important symbol of freedom to many in the United States. Word this week that the NBA suspended Denver Nuggets star Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf without pay for refusing to stand during its playing has created a new, nationwide controversy over respect for the flag vs. individual freedom.

The suspension cost him about $31,000 a game.

"If he said he had a religious belief not to jump because God told people to keep their feet on the ground, it may be that the NBA would have a much stronger case," said David Miller, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.

"But he's being paid to play basketball, not stand up for the national anthem. He's simply expressing a sincerely held religious belief that has nothing to do with his job."

At the heart of the firestorm was Abdul-Rauf's refusal to stand during the playing of the anthem because of his Islamic beliefs. He has called the flag a "symbol of oppression, of tyranny," and said that standing to honor it would undermine his belief that nothing should come between him and Allah.

"My intentions were not in any way to be disrespectful to those who regard the national anthem as a sacred ceremony," Abdul-Rauf said in a statement released Wednesday. "I am an African-American, a citizen of this country, and one who respects freedom of speech and freedom of expression."

He added that he has followed that stance for 60 games this season without incident, choosing to remain in the locker room or out of sight until the anthem is over.

But once the stance became public in the Denver media several days ago, it led to the NBA suspending Abdul-Rauf without pay, a move the league said was necessary because it requires all players to stand for both the American and Canadian anthems.

Thursday, the NBA lifted its suspension of Abdul-Rauf he guard agreed to stand during the national anthem, while also honoring his Islamic faith with a silent prayer.

Now, there is heated debate over whether the NBA can legally enforce such a rule, and the issue has set off a nationwide debate over the clash between personal religious freedom and a deeply ingrained American custom that holds the national anthem sacrosanct.

"The national anthem is a symbol of our country, it's our national song, and we respect the NBA's authority to request a player to stand for that," said Mike Gormalley, director of Americanism and community activities for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

That is a stance that is backed by other veterans groups and many others who believe the NBA is correct in requiring that players stand in a dignified manner when the song is being performed.

"What's the next step? To allow players to not honor the flag, or wear different-colored uniforms or play in blue jeans?" said Jerry Reynolds, the Kings' director of player personnel. "Obviously, he's got his beliefs and he's allowed to have them. But, honestly, it's a case where playing in the NBA isn't a right, it's a privilege.

"There's a lot of people who would probably like to make $2 million playing in the NBA."

Abdul-Rauf stood to lose more than $660,000 if he had been suspended for the rest of the season.

Originally known as Chris Jackson, Abdul-Rauf converted to Islam in 1991 and changed his name two years later. There are differing opinions of whether he is following a strict tenet of his religion or simply adhering to his own interpretation.

"In a way, it's a common belief (among Muslims)," said Nusreen Aboobaker, founder of the Muslim Women's Network in Sacramento. "But I think individuals take different stands. If you are in this country, you should respect its flag."

That is a common theme for many Americans, perhaps even those who can routinely be seen at sporting events nationwide talking, eating, wearing caps and generally ignoring the anthem as it is performed.

Some might simply be emulating the behavior of their athletic heroes, who also commonly fidget or otherwise pass time as the anthem is played.

Williams had a tradition of letting out a yell just before the song ended, a regular tribute he said he performed to let his late father know he was beginning another game.

St. Jean last year conceded that during the team's failed bid to make the playoffs he was handed and read a note with a rival team's score written on it, all during the playing of the anthem.

And controversies over what behavior is appropriate during its playing have existed for decades, almost always at sporting events.

From Mexico City, where Olympic runners Tommie Smith and John Wesley Carlos raised clenched fists during the 1968 medals-award ceremony, to San Diego, where comedian Roseanne angered the crowd with her antics during the anthem, debates have raged over what is patriotic and what is not.

Fueling such controversies is the notion that athletes are heroes to the nation's youth, and that as such they should behave as role models.

But the Abdul-Rauf controversy is not easily tucked into the cubbyhole marked "rich, spoiled athlete" tales.

Because he was making his stand on religious grounds, he received messages of support from other basketball stars who say that they might not agree with him but support his right to decide whether to stand.

"I think that everybody has to be their own individual and make up their own mind about things," said Lakers star Magic Johnson. "Do I think it's right? No, I don't think it's right in my mind. But if that's what he decides to do and he thinks it's right, that's up to him."

And Kings center Olden Polynice, who was born in Haiti and went on a hunger strike in 1992 to protest U.S. policies toward Haitian refugees, defended Abdul-Rauf.

"Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf has the right to not stand for the national anthem," he said. "I was very surprised by the NBA's response to all this. I think it's amazing. It's like they are saying that you can't practice something you believe in. I don't believe Mahmoud is disrespecting the flag."

Polynice added that he did not believe the image-conscious NBA would have taken such a hard line if the player in question were one of its superstars.

"What happened if Hakeem Olajuwon did that?" he said. "Let Michael Jordan do it and see what happens. Nothing. That's one of the league's problems. There are players that get preferential treatment."

Abdul-Rauf is hardly the first American athlete to convert to Islam; he simply is the first to publicly link his religion to a refusal to honor the flag, and he is not universally supported by fellow Muslim athletes.

"You have to respect the flag," Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets center and a practicing Muslim, told ESPN Radio.

Olajuwon said the "national anthem is respecting the flag of the United States out of respect for the United States, so that's not against Islam." He added that one tenet of the Islamic faith holds that followers should respect the cultures of others.

The fact that Abdul-Rauf's stance apparently has come about only recently leaves some wondering what exactly his motivation might be.

"He's been Muslim for four or five years and it just must have took hold here," Reynolds said. "I just feel like he's a little misguided. It's like in 10 years he'll look back and say, Good, God, why'd I do that?"

HISTORICAL REFERENCE

Controversies involving the flag and national anthem at sporting events:

1968: U.S. 400-meter medalists Tommie Smith and John Wesley Carlos wore black gloves, bowed their heads and raised their gloved fists in a "black power" salute as the U.S. national anthem played during a medal ceremony at the Mexico City Olympics.

1972: As part of another civil rights protest, U.S. 400-meter runners Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett talked to each other and failed to stand at attention as "The Star-Spangled Banner" played during the medal ceremony at the Munich Olympics.

1976: Chicago Cubs center fielder Rick Monday rescued the American flag from two protesters who tried to set it on fire in the outfield of Dodger Stadium during a game.

1990: Roseanne Barr outraged fans when, before a San Diego Padres game, she shrieked the words to the national anthem off-key, then -- in an apparent imitation of a baseball player -- scratched her crotch and spat on the ground.

1991 Seton Hall basketball player Marco Lokar, a native of Italy, refused to wear an American flag on his uniform during games amid the Persian Gulf war. He later quit the team after receiving threatening telephone calls.

1992: The Canadian flag was mistakenly displayed upside-down by a color guard before World Series Game 6 in Atlanta between the Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays.

1996: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets was suspended indefinitely by the NBA for refusing to stand during the national anthem because of his Islamic beliefs. A compromise was reached later.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO[ordinal indicator, masculine]CHART

(1) At the Mexico City Games, Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos, right, raised gloved fists in protest during the national anthem. Daily News File Photo (2) Unlike his teammates, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand during the playing of the anthem citing Islamic beliefs. (3) Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf finally agreed to stand during the national anthem. Associated Press Box Historical Reference (see text)