If AC Green truly stayed a virgin until he was 38, I'd say that is proof enough that it is possible for a player to be immune to money's influence. I wouldn't worry about Emeka turning into an ******* anytime soon.
NO i do not. i bet neither do you or anyone here who says he is the nicest guy on earth or whatever. u dont know what a person is like at home or in their private life. its like D.L. Hughely said, " people come in threes, Who they are, Who they want to be, and Who people think they are. I AM NOT saying Okafor is a bad guy. I am just saying that lets not pretend someone you dont even know is a saint.
I met Okafor at the UH-Miami game earlier this season, and he's an incredibly nice guy. I hope he becomes a superstar.
He comes from a very cultured middle - upper class family. His father fought in the Biafran war in Nigeria in the 60's and then left when the Igbo's (their tribe) lost the war to Nigeria (Kind of like The South losing the Civil war here). The Igbos (pron: E-bo, the "G" is silent) were trying to form their own country and leave Nigeria. His Dad made it to America, and did very well for himself throught hard work and education. It is not surprising at all to me that Emeka is the kind of man he is, His father would have it no other way. Most kids of Nigerian parents sort of have this pseudo-abstract pressure on them to represent their family name well. I remember going to school (University of Maryland) with Obinna Ekezie (Also an Igbo kid). I was in the EE school, Obinna studied Mechanical Engineering and still finished in 4 years, all the while being an integral factor on some great Terp teams. All I'm saying basically is that knowing where Emeka and Obinna's parents come from, I am not surprised at all, that they would turn out into the men they did. If there were any signs that money is/was changing him, he would get a stern rebuke from his parents. Respect for one's parents his big with the Igbos. Take this as a cultural perspective.
Couldn't have put it better Wale. Spot on. I met Emeka in Houston at one of those end of parties for his father town's people (where people like say New Yorkers meet annually in Japan to celebrate). Emeka is very much in tune with his father's culture and his roots. He knows he is not just playing for himself but his family name and he is so well grounded. It is not a coincedence. If he strays I'd be shocked.
Considering you're on a Houston board, you'd be surprised at how many people have ties to his family. I went to school with his sister. My brother went to school with him. I've probably been over to their house a half dozen times at least, and have known the family since Emeka was a HS sophomore- well before he was expected to be leading a team to an NCAA title. How many NBA players, let alone sure-fire lotto picks like Emeka, graduate school in 3 years? Seriously, I can't think of any players, particularly in the modern era, who graduated early.
I went to middle school with him at Lanier, and then high school with him at Bellaire, same graduating class. He once blocked me in gym class at Lanier and jammed my finger (can you believe that??!!). He's a great guy. Studied hard, worked hard, very nice and friendly. I hope he has a great NBA career.
You're right. Extremely rare. The only other person I can think of who did it as Jason Williams (Jay Williams) from Duke, but then again I don't think he left school with a 3.76 GPA in Finance. If I'm not mistaken Emeka was an Academic All-American as well. I think Bill Walton was the only other player who was An Academic and Athletic All American player on a winning NCAA team. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
I believe Marvin Lewis (Georgia Tech) had something like a 3.4 and finished with a degree in management/accounting. Not sure if that got him Academic All-American recognition, but I'd say that's pretty decent for a men's college basketball player at that level. Craig Krenzel on Ohio State's football team was pretty bright, either pre-med or microbiology major with a pretty high GPA.
If Okafor is a prick, he'll be a prick with lotsa money. If Okafor is a good guy, he'll be a good guy with lotsa money. From everything I've seen and heard, I'd bet very heavily on the latter.
