I may be wrong, but can anyone tell me why Hakeem was not included in the 38 Most Famous Houston Athlete ceremony last week before the Super Bowl?
As I understood it he was in Africa. But why no video link, read statement, acknowledgment? Good question.
He was definitely in the 38 - actually 41 because there were three ties. There were 7 of those 41 unable to attend the ceremonies. Hakeem was one of those who couldn't be there. Carl Lewis was the only honoree to not be there but be represented by someone - in this case, his sister, Carol.
It was always interesting to watch him play during Ramadan and track his productivity. He'd still keep up with only one mouthful of water all day if I remember. That's hardcore considering some Houston athletes nowadays need a little more to drink even after games.
#1 on the list. Three Final Fours, was it, and three NBA Finals, two champioships, MVP, Finals MVP twice, Defensive Player of the Year, and more. All while representing this city. Hakeem was either the #1 or at least the #2 NBAer in the '90s. Certainly from '93 - '96 he was #1.
Actually, he did not consume food or water from sunrise to sunset. He was allowed to put water in his mouth but not swallow. It was particularly tough for him on day games as you could imagine.
The Hajj was last week and my guess is that he was taking part in the annual Muslim pilgrimage. Still, I too thought it was odd that there was not one mention, in the papers or even on local sports networks like Fox Sports Southwest, of Hakeem. You would think, even if he did not attend, you would have heard the various local media outlets explaining why the greatest athlete in the history of Houston sports was not present.
