Hakeem Olajuwon Quotes & Sayings

“Allah says in the Qur'an not to despise one another. So the criterion in Islam is not color or social status. It's who is most righteous. If I go to a mosque - and I'm a basketball player with money and prestige - if I go to a mosque and see an imam, I feel inferior. He's better than me. It's about knowledge.”

“Basketball is in my blood. It is my obligation to try.”

“All these boundaries - Africa, Asia, Malaysia, America - are set by men. But you don't have to look at boundaries when you are looking at a man - at the character of a man. The question is: What do you stand for? Are you a follower, or are you a leader?”

“I was successful materially, but I know life is much more than worldly success. I saw all these blessings God had given me. The way to give thanks is obedience to God.”

“When I look at the system here and look at my position - not just as a basketball player, but when I look around me at the values of the people and the culture and compare them with the values of where I came from - I feel so blessed to be from Africa.”

“Being from Africa is the best thing that could have ever, ever happened to me. I cannot see it any other way. All of my fundamental principles that were instilled in me in my home, from my childhood, are still with me.”

“I always keep a ball in the car. You never know.”

“I'm shy, but sometimes my voice is so clear and strong. Your tongue moves, and the Arabic language is so beautiful.”

“I remember at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Shaq always wanted me to show him steps over and over.”

“The key to fashion is, you don't want to look like you're trying. You've gotta be natural.”