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Home , Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Reggie Miller

Movie / Book Reviews 235

Hakeem Olajuwon with . Living the Dream: My Life and . New York: Little, 1996. 320 pp. $22.95. with Gene Wojciechowski. I Love Being the Enemy: A Season on the Court with the NBA's Best Shooter and Sharpest Tongue. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995. 282 pp. $23.00. Many, including Reggie Miller, rate the premier in the NBA; he is certainly the most versatile. His autobiography reveals the effort, character, and refreshingly modest and straightforward personality behind his achievement. Growing up in Lagos, , Olajuwon wandered into basketball only as a high school senior when his handball team's trip to a tournament was canceled but not the basketball team's. Soon thereafter, a globetrotting American basketball booster accom­ plished the apparently impossible: getting U.S. college coaches to promise Olajuwon tentative scholarships sight unseen and obtaining a travel visa for him. The rest is basketball history. Olajuwon's University of team made the NCAA Final Four three times (1982-84). In his second NBA season, his beat the champion Lakers and engaged a fabled Celtics team in the finals. Each time the coveted championship eluded him. Hakeem's account of how his teams won and lost, how his Rockets finally became NBA champs, and what he learned in the process is the heart of this book. A great natural athlete, Olajuwon details his ongoing efforts to improve his game. 236 Aethlon XIV:2 / Spring 1997

First, he learned the restraint not to go for fakes. In college, Coach taught "technique and the work ethic," to be "unselfish on offense and distribute the ball." In the summers, he played against the NBA MVP and learned physical and mental toughness. Throughout his career, he has analyzed opponents' successful strategies to improve his own play. The Rockets finally won in 1994 and 1995, he says, not because they were the best team on paper—no one expected the second championship after a lackluster season— but because they worked hard as a team. He shows the specific realities behind this cliche. The Rockets won when they played their assigned roles on offense and defense and maintained a team attitude—starters cheering the subs, for example. They lost when they followed individual agendas. Olajuwon stresses "home training"—the Nigerian notion of always striving to bring honor on your family—and welcomes being a role model. He believes in fair dealings, industriousness, and respect for all, including opponents. The Houston management's suggestion that he was faking an injury during a contract dispute enraged him. He admits foibles, such as shyness and stubbornness, and failures—his botched common- law marriage—quite simply. Olajuwon explains the basics of his rediscovered Muslim faith and elements of Nigerian culture. Readers unfamiliar with either will find his discussion informative. His anecdotes of initial culture shock amuse and give pause—his size sneakers were unobtainable in Nigeria and his early fights occurred because American-style-in-your- face argument seemed physically threatening. His explanation of the Muslim faith to Mike Tyson is moving. We'd expect and get a different approach from Reggie Miller's I Love Being the Enemy. Obviously sparked by Miller's nationally aired shooting and verbal performance against the Knicks in the 1994 playoffs, the book is part diary of the 1994-1995 season, part opinions on concurrent NBA issues and personalities. As such, it lacks the perspective and substance of autobiography and sometimes strains to keep our interest. It does chronicle Miller's immediate reactions to the Pacers daily struggles and to NBA events such as Michael 's return to basketball against them. (Inciden­ tally, Miller blames a hypocritical media for Jordan's retirement.) Beyond the inherent interest of such insider views, the book also reveals Miller's intriguing personality. Miller seems a bom con man. He delightfully describes how, in grade school, he and Cheryl, his Hall-of-Fame sister, hustled kids on the courts: she'd pretend incompetence until money was on the line. His trash-talking seems akin. Olajuwon deems it unprofessional—"You intimidate with your game—how you play, not what you say." Miller agrees, but considers the practice a legitimate weapon in NBA psychological warfare. Theoretically, the tactic simply discourages the opponent by backing up boasts and undermining confidence. But even Miller implies it can turn nasty when he apologizes to for an unintended personal insult. Miller developed positive thinking early. Bom with twisted legs, burdened with steel braces until he was four, he was told he'd never play sports. His parents refused to allow him to buckle under. "I've spent my whole life overcoming obstacles: the steel braces, my size, the shadow of Cheryl." He "loves being the enemy" because it motivates him. He wants to take the big shots in the big games. Like Olajuwon, Miller emphasizes just how psychologically tough a pro must be. Fans don't realize, says Miller, the season's emotional roller coaster. You must deal Movie / Book Revieivs 237

with losses to easy teams, flubbing what you know you must do to win, and allowing the crowd to take you out. Miller claims he wants to project "badness." Like , he feels parents and teachers should be role models for kids, not athletes. But, in fact, he tries to behave well and actually shares many of Olajuwon's values and attitudes. He also admires his strict but loving parents, prays before games, and preaches focused self-discipline. He also embraces a strong work ethic and continuous learning. '"How do you get better?' . . . 'Practice.'" As a teenager, he took hundreds of shots daily; after a so-so rookie season, he forced himself to develop more moves off the dribble; an All-Star himself, he constantly picks the brains of other All-Stars. He bristles when others dismiss his hard- earned defensive improvement or doubt his judgment in passing up shots. Frank about his opponents' weaknesses, Miller is constantly loyal to his teammates, coaches, owner, and city. Public whining is unprofessional. You work differences out privately and always follow the coach. Miller's ambivalence about is revealing. He likes Rodman because he is the "bad guy" and an individualist but finally condemns his lack of commitment to San Antonio in the playoffs. Miller's goal is a championship for the Pacers. His account of their first step, finally beating the Knicks to win the Central Division title, is engaging and exciting. Jerry Shepherd