SportsLit (Season 8, Episode 19) - Mirin Fader (Sr. Writer - The Ringer ) - Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon

About this episode

This episode features Mirin Fader discussing her biography of Hakeem Olajuwon, exploring his life, career, and legacy in basketball.

Hakeem Olajuwon left Lagos, Nigeria in 1980 and barely a year after taking up basketball, he blossomed into the game’s first international star in Houston, first collegiately with the Cougars and then with the NBA’s Rockets. In an 18-season career he was a nine-time NBA all-star and two-time league champion. He played his last season with the Toronto Raptors. Olajuwon was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 and is a member of the NBA's 75th anniversary team. In “Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon,” biographer Mirin Fader draws on some 250 interviews to present a silent sports star who experienced a religious metamorphosis. A fiery competitor who led by example in all aspects of his life, paying it forward with teammates and current NBA stars through the type of mentorship he benefited from early in his career. She also utilizes her extensive research to debunk myths surrounding Hakeem’s life and career. Fader is a senior writer with The Ringer. Her début book, “Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP,” reached The New York Times best-seller list.

People in this episode

Hosts: Neil Acharya, Neate Sager

Guest: Mirin Fader

Topics covered

• Hakeem Olajuwon
• basketball history
• biography
• NBA
• mentorship
• sports legacy

Keywords

• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Mirin Fader
• NBA
• biography
• basketball
• mentorship
• sports history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Ringer, Toronto Raptors, NBA, New York Times

Books & works: Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon, Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP

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