Living the Dream: My Life and Basketball

by Hakeem Olajuwon, Peter Knobler

He grew up in Nigeria and didn't even pick up a basketball until he was seventeen. But just two years later Hakeem Olajuwon powered his American college team, the University of Houston, to the NCAA Final Four. And that was only the beginning. In Living the Dream, the center of the back-to-back NBA champion Houston Rockets shares one of the most remarkable basketball stories of our time. Hakeem tells exactly how it felt coming to America, leaving his family and friends. He puts you on campus, inside the locker room, and at the Final Four with the University of Houston's famous basketball fraternity, "Phi Slama Jama." Drafted into the NBA, he tells how, with one phone call, he, Michael Jordan, and Clyde Drexler might have all been Houston Rockets teammates. Hakeem gives vivid on-the-court profiles of his teammates, coaches, and competitors over the course of his long career with the Rockets, including Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Ralph Sampson, Pat Riley, and Patrick Ewing. He gives remarkable insights into the teamwork, cooperation, and attitude it takes to win a championship or succeed in any business. Hakeem also reveals how a championship team can fall apart and then be put together, and he is very forthright about the NBA's descent into "trash talking." Hakeem is the rare athlete who takes his status as a role model seriously. He became an American citizen, and Living the Dream explains how his reintroduction to his Muslim faith and his pilgrimage to Mecca changed his life.

Genres: Sports, Basketball, Nonfiction, Biography

300 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jeff Wait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what you want from a memoir. Stories that make you feel something, learn something and root for somebody. I learned a lot about Islam and Nigeria from this one, while also seeing the model for many “professional” athletes — it’s about more than making money. I wish this was published after his retirement, so we could get more on his teammateship with Charles Barkley and his season on the Raptors. Regardless, this one rules. Great example of how to dedicate yourself to a craft and carry yourself like a champion.

[Ama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty great account of Hakeem the Dream’s life from Lagos to the NBA. From someone that only started playing basketball late in his teens, to being selected in the draft, over Michael Jordan.

Page 272: “When the doctors tested my blood the next day they found I was anemic”

Crazy how art imitates life

I mostly enjoyed his account of reconnecting with Islam in Houston, and how that guided his career from that point onwards.

[Andrew West · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for anyone that's a fan of 90's basketball, the Houston Rockets, or the UH Cougars. It's not the most well-written book, as there was a co-writer, but it was simple and brought me back to my childhood.

[Rachael Malfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and an inspirational story. Learned a lot about my favorite childhood athlete. Still is my favorite.

[Matt Brase · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of my book is Living the Dream and the author is Hakeem Olajuwon. This book takes place from 1965-1995. Something significant about my authors life was how he came from nowhere to become an NBA star. This book has lots of interesting parts to it. Hakeem's parents are very religious. This book takes you on a journey from Hakeem's childhood and travels with him through his NBA career. Hakeem also meets a special girl along the way. Something that was boring was the very end, when he was talking about his life after basketball. Something that should've been included was when Hakeeem Olajuwon went to the Toronto Raptors, that was a big part of his life. I thought that this was a good book, but some parts at the end were to long, and there should've been more added. I would recommend this book to sports/ basketball lovers.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it gives a lot of insight into a historic time in the NBA and college game. For instance, the inner workings of the Houston Rockets draft having taken Ralph Sampson and why they didn't pull the trigger on a deal that would have netted them Clyde Drexler and the #2 pick (if that was indeed on the table).

Also, the story of how Hakeem came to the U.S. is remarkable and how he literally fell into the lap of the U. of H. ahead of the other schools that were interested in him at the time. The story of playing in the gym against Moses Malone is really cool.

Anyway, this is good reading for someone who was an NBA fan in the 80's and 90's. It will help you realize that Hakeem really, truly was one of the game's all time greats.

[Conor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was very good. It gave me a great insight on how the game used to be played compared to how the game is played today. Today since players like Steph Curry are snipers in their 3 point shots its cool to see how it used to be more of a big mans game. It is also very entertaining when he is talking about his collegiate career and his NBA career. It was a very inspiring story also because of what he came from. There is a lot of figurative language that keeps the reader interested. I especially liked the part when he becomes teammates with his college friend Clyde Drexler in the NBA. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys basketball or anyone who misses the old game that revolved around post play.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a necessary read for every Houstonian, because it is a story about Houston. Not the stereotypical urban cowboy city, but the real Houston that gives people, like a young immigrant from Nigeria who is just learning to play basketball, to become an icon of the city and basketball.

This is a story about a great athlete, but also of a great city where he was allowed to become a legend.

[J.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hakeem was my favorite player growing up - loved watching him go up against the Jazz and Mr. Robinson's Spurs - and now that the NBA has degenerated into an unwatchable mess, I felt it was time to revisit the golden age of the sport. Hakeem's not my favorite writer, but he's still my favorite player!

[Roy White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard ghost-written prose, but lots of interesting stories, especially about growing up in Nigeria and adapting to life in Houston. Goes on too much about religion, as many athletes do, but even there he has some good stories about the Haj.
Recommended if you have any interest in basketball from era.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I was a Rockets fan up through the championship years, so I recall watching Hakeem play at UofH and with the Rockets. It's an easy read and gives insights into his personal life, beliefs and his career. If you're an NBA fan, a Rockets fan or a Houstonian, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably liked this book so much because at the time I never read much but I was obsessed with basketball. I really liked Hakeem as well so I enjoyed the book a lot.