Dream
The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon
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- $28.99
Publisher Description
The life and legacy of pioneering international basketball superstar Hakeem Olajuwon, a two‑time NBA champion whose Hall of Fame career forever changed the game, both in the United States and around the globe—from the New York Times bestselling author of Giannis, Mirin Fader.
It’s now the norm for NBA and collegiate teams to have international players dotting their rosters. The Olympics are no longer a gimme for Team USA. Both via fans streaming from all over the globe and leagues starting in countries throughout the world, the international presence of the game of basketball is a force to be reckoned with.
That all started with Hakeem “the Dream” Olajuwon. He was the first international player to win the MVP, which is hard to believe now considering the last time an American‑born player won it was in 2018. Award-winning hoops journalist Mirin Fader explores this phenomenal shift through the lens of what Olajuwon accomplished throughout the 1980s and ‘90s. Dream ignites nostalgia for Phi Slama Jama and “the Dream Shake,” while also exploring the profound influence of Olajuwon’s commitment to Islam on his approach to life and basketball, and how his devotion to his faith inspired generations of Muslim people around the world.
Olajuwon’s ongoing work with NBA Africa, his status as an international ambassador for the game, and his consultations with today’s brightest stars, from LeBron James to Giannis Antetokounmpo, brings the story right up to the present moment, and beyond. Synthesizing hundreds of interviews and in-depth research, Fader provides the definitive biography of Olajuwon as well as a crucial understanding of his pivotal impact on the ever-shifting game.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fader (Giannis), a staff writer for the Ringer, delivers a serviceable biography of Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon, "the first true international superstar in the NBA." Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, in the 1960s and '70s, Olajuwon played "every sport except basketball," only picking up the game at the encouragement of a high school coach who recognized the six-foot-eight 16-year-old's potential. Despite Olajuwon's late start, his athleticism, determination, and height were a winning combination, and he earned a spot on the University of Houston's team in 1980. His impressive college career convinced the Houston Rockets to select him as the first pick in the 1984 NBA draft, a choice that paid off when Olajuwon led the team to NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. Fader offers a smart assessment of Olajuwon's approach to playing center, suggesting he operated "like a guard, using his quickness, creativity, and mobility to outsmart taller opponents." Covering Olajuwon's life off the court, Fader describes how he reconnected with his Islamic faith in the late 1990s after becoming disillusioned with the materialism of his peers. Unfortunately, Fader doesn't provide much psychological insight into Olajuwon, struggling to make sense of his quick temper and offering few details on his personal relationships. The result is a robust account of Olajuwon's legendary basketball career that leaves his personal life frustratingly out of focus.
