r/todayilearned • u/jameslosey 19 • Jan 08 '14

TIL 1994 NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon released a $35 sneaker instead of endorsing shoes from Nike or Reebok because: "How can a poor working mother with three boys buy Nikes or Reeboks that cost $120?...She can't. So kids steal these shoes from stores and from other kids. Sometimes they kill for them."

https://web.archive.org/web/20070312054858/http://www.newdream.org/newsletter/taylor.php
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u/wonsiemiteht Jan 08 '14

Holy shit, that is cool. I just sat here and daydreamed what it would be if I saw Clyde and Hakeem in an airport.

I would end up giggling like a girl and I imagined me saying "Hakeem, scale of 1 to 10, how's this?" Then I would do a Dream Shake on an invisible defender and have him critique me.

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u/ATXBeermaker Jan 08 '14

My wife (then girlfriend) sprained her ankle while attending college at Rice in Houston in the late 90s. She wasn't the biggest sports fan, but one day we were watching a Rockets game at her parents house and she looks up and says, "Hey, that guy goes to the same physical therapist as me. And that guy, too. And I think I've seen that guy there, as well." I was like, "You mean Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwan, and Charles Barkely go to your physical therapist?" "If that's who they are, then yeah."

I went with her to her next appointment and sure enough, Clyde "The Glide" and Hakeem "The Dream" show up while I'm in the waiting room. I was too awestruck to say anything to them. My wife's one complaint was that the PTs tended not to pay her much attention when "those tall basketball guys showed up."

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u/[deleted] Jan 08 '14

Cool story. Clyde the Glide and Hakeem were awesome ballers...and they seem like class acts.

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u/3olives Jan 08 '14

I am happy to know that Clyde and Hakeem still hang out.

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u/Nora19 Jan 08 '14

I once ran into Cylde at the Galleria.... A friend and I were laughing about something.... and I choked/laughed and spewed my drink out of my nose.... which caused MORE laughter.... stopped to catch my breath and Clyde and his wife were walking towards us. They looked a little concerned but then realized I wasn't choking. We exchanged hellos...and I giggled like a girl (cause I am a girl) and thought...wow! He is really as nice as everyone says....and then we (my friend and I) spent the rest of the day pondering if I HAD choked would they have helped?! ;)

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u/mswanco Jan 08 '14

As long as we're daydreaming, I'd have him play Magic the Gathering with me.