Hakeem Olajuwon inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
On Monday, April 7, 2008, my son approached me full of excitement and beaming with happiness. He proudly announced that Hakeem Olajuwon had been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. This twelve year old who is literally obsessed with basketball and spends as much time outside of school as possible involved in playing, watching or learning more about the sport, felt so elevated by this news and rightly so. In this country, in these times when Islam and being Muslim has been so misunderstood and misrepresented, and in many cases demoralized, it is a proud moment for all Muslims, and especially Muslims in the United States. Hakeem Olajuwon, not only was he a great basketball player, he was much more than that. He embodied and lived the Islamic faith for all to see and openly. During Ramadan, he would fast even if there was a game, and he would play basketball while fasting.
Hakeem Olajuwon was not always so devoted, early in his career he was often belligerent and got into heated disputes with officials and other players. But in 1991 he changed as he became more spiritual and focused more on his religion.
On March 9, 1991, he changed his name to the proper Arabic spelling, saying, “I am not going to change the spelling of my name, I am correcting it.”]Later he recalled, “I studied the Quran every day. At home, in the mosque … I read it on airplanes, before the games and after them. I was absorbing faith and learning new meanings every time I turned a page. I didn’t dabble in faith, I gave myself to that. ” Olajuwon was still recognized as one of the league’s elite centers despite its strict observance of Ramadan (for example, refraining from eating and drinking during daylight hours for about a month), which occurred in virtually all seasons. of his career. Olajuwon was noted for playing better at times during the month, and in 1995 he was named NBA Player of the Month in February, despite the fact that Ramadan began on February 1 of that year. He also gained recognition for his sportsmanship and charitable activities. In 1994, after receiving his MVP award, he spoke at the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) Convention. He is a hero to many young Muslims in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakeem_Olajuwon).
His NBA titles and records include: 2-time NBA champion (1994, ’95)
2 times NBA Finals MVP (1994, ’95), NBA MVP (1994), 2 times Defensive Player of the Year (1993, ’94), 6 times NBA First Team (1987, ’88, ’89, ’93, ’94, ’97), 3 times All-NBA Second Team (’86, ’90, ’96), 3 times All-NBA Third Team (1991, ’95, ’99), 5-time All-Defensive First Team (’87, ’88, ’90, ’93, ’94), 12-time All-Star
Olympic Gold Medalist (1996)
It is such a wonderful time for Muslims in the United States and especially for our children that this great American athlete is someone who embodies and has shown so much for them to look up to him as a role model, as a great athlete and a great Muslim. .
