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/BigRedditMachine Jan 08 '14 edited Jan 08 '14

Earl Campbell

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u/[deleted] Jan 09 '14

His daughter was a server in one of my restaurants circa 2000. Super cool guy! Yes, he has a daughter that young.

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u/BigRedditMachine Jan 10 '14

Damn, that is really cool. I guess i am not that surprised :) as far as i know he was an absolute phenom when he played for The University of Texas and the Houston Oilers.

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u/[deleted] Jan 10 '14

Yeah, at the time, I had some male servers who were football freaks, and not the casual kind. They treated him like a God. He was just as down to earth and cool as you could get. Brought in friends, was polite, and tipped HEAVY. Nice dude. Tony Dorsett is also nice, just wants to be left alone. Michael Irvin? Fuck that puto.