Source - The Punch
Great article! A must read.
Solo is not the first Nigerian to make it to the lucrative American basketball league. Hakeem Olajuwon threw the floodgate open in 1984 when he was drafted by Houston Rockets as the first overall pick. Since then, there has been Julius Nwosu, Obinna Ekezie, Olumide Oyedeji and a long list of Nigerians who chose to identify with other countries. The Nigerians can be counted easily but it is far more tasking when the counting process is shifted to Americans and those from Europe. While many players from the league have remained role models even after their retirement, some other players have either gone bankrupt on retirement or have simply become unmanageable as their attitude changed with the huge inflow of cash and endorsements.
”I am very conscious of that; I am not going to forget where I started from or how I got into the NBA. I will keep my head cool. I will remain the same Solo from Zaria. I am still the same person that left here from the Big Man Camp and I pray to remain the same. NBA and dollars won‘t change me. I was born and bred in Nigeria so I can‘t forget what it means to hustle so quickly,” Solomon told our correspondent.
Solomon‘s story should pass as one from grass to riches. His story of the 2004 Big Man Camp narrated to the media in course of time in America has given many a clear picture of what many African players have to surmount to enter the National Basketball Association League. His first authentic canvass shoes story explains it all.
”I am very conscious of that; I am not going to forget where I started from or how I got into the NBA. I will keep my head cool. I will remain the same Solo from Zaria. I am still the same person that left here from the Big Man Camp and I pray to remain the same. NBA and dollars won‘t change me. I was born and bred in Nigeria so I can‘t forget what it means to hustle so quickly,” Solomon told our correspondent.
Solomon‘s story should pass as one from grass to riches. His story of the 2004 Big Man Camp narrated to the media in course of time in America has given many a clear picture of what many African players have to surmount to enter the National Basketball Association League. His first authentic canvass shoes story explains it all.
Great article! A must read.
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