April 25, 2025
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Daughter of Dream

By Fred Mitchell

KRT FOOD STORY SLUGGED: TRAINING KRT FILE PHOTOGRAPH BY PHIL MASTURZO/AKRON BEACON JOURNAL (KRT4-February 9) Chicago Bulls' Scotty Pippen, (right), puts the pressure on Houston Rockets' Jakeem Olajuwon during 1997's NBA Allstar game. Researchers are realizing that carbo-loading, whose benefits were thought exclusive to endurance athletes, can benefit ''stop-and-go'' players in sports such as basketball. (AK) AP, PL (jak41432) 1998 (COLOR) (February 1997 File Photo)

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Hakeem Olajuwon used to play one-on-one basketball with his daughter, Abi, but he never let her win like many fathers do.

“Never, never,” said Abi, who is now a rookie 6-foot, 4-inch forward on the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. “He is the extreme competitor. He wouldn’t lose to anyone.

“He would say: ‘If you beat me, you know it’s real. But I will probably be in a wheelchair and you probably are going to have to take the batteries out.’ He talks a lot of smack.”

Hakeem was beaming on this Father’s Day, talking about how proud he is of Abi, both as a person and as a professional athlete.

“When Abi was younger, I was more interested in developing her coordination and her footwork, so she wouldn’t be clumsy,” the Hall of Fame center said. “I felt basketball would help her to walk straight. From watching me play the game and practicing, I had no idea of the impact it would have on her. But she has the passion and love for the game.

“I would shoot and she would rebound and throw it back to me. I would teach her to time the ball to rebound it before it hit the floor.”

Olajuwon married his current wife, Dalia Asafi, in 1996. They have two daughters, Rahmah and Aisha Olajuwon. Abi is Hakeem’s daughter with former wife and college sweetheart, Lita Spencer.

“He was a great dad, he was there and he wanted me to pursue my endeavors,” Abi said. “I was definitely seen as a priority. I’ve known that I have never had to go without, but I have also known that material things are not the most important aspects of life.”

Abi was a third-round draft pick of the Sky out of Oklahoma.

“I am just happy to see her development,” Hakeem said. “When her time came she was prepared mentally and physically to capitalize on her opportunity. She made it to the WNBA on her own ability. What is more pleasing to me is to hear people talk about what a good person she is.”

Hakeem Olajuwon, along with future NBA star Clyde Drexler, led the University of Houston to the Final Four three times. The 7-foot Olajuwon was coveted by every NBA team in 1984, including the Bulls, who settled for Michael Jordan with the third overall pick.

“When I came out of school, there was a coin flip between Portland and Houston to pick No. 1,” Hakeem said. “I came out of school and I knew I had a chance to stay home in Houston. So it worked out well for you [Bulls] guys. You guys got Michael Jordan.”

Olajuwon, who was voted one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players of all-time in 1996, led the Rockets to NBA titles in 1994 and ‘95. He loved the atmosphere in Chicago from the rival Bulls fans.

“There were great fans in Chicago and it is a great city,” said Olajuwon. “Of course, they had the best player in the world playing for their team at the same time. In that era, we loved playing in Chicago, and we loved when [the Bulls] came to our place because we would have a winning streak. That was confirmed by Scottie Pippen when he played for Houston. I was on the bus with him one time going to a game and Scottie said: ‘Oh, man, we used to hate coming to Texas because we had to play Houston and San Antonio.’”

Olajuwon, a native of Lagos, Nigeria and a devout Muslim, did not start playing basketball until he was 15 because soccer was his early passion.

“[Abi] played soccer and basketball and played piano....different things like that for her coordination,” he said. “But what was more amazing was her passion and love for the game of basketball. She wanted to achieve and she wanted to play at the highest level. She talks like that and that is amazing to me to listen to her, to see her achieve her goal at that level is amazing.”