Hakeem Olajuwon cheers on daughter at Final Four

Apr 5, 2010 - 1:31 AM By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press Writer

SAN ANTONIO(AP) -- Hakeem Olajuwon has a new favorite memory of the Alamodome: Watching his daughter play in the Final Four.

Not to mention his first Oklahoma game in person.

For the first time in Oklahoma center Abi Olajuwon's four years with the Sooners, Hakeem Olajuwon watched his daughter play from the stands Sunday in Oklahoma's 73-66 loss to Stanford in the national semifinals.

"You feel goose bumps," Hakeem Olajuwon said. "You want her to do so well, and win so bad. I want to go in and do something."

After carrying the Sooners to the Final Four, Abi Olajuwon was held to six points and nine rebounds in her final game.

Hakeem Olajuwon sat with the rest of Abi's family, and was easy to spot: the Hall of Famer wore a bright green polo shirt in a sea of Sooners crimson.

Abi Olajuwon gave her dad a Sooners T-shirt to wear, but it was too tight and wouldn't fit his 7-foot frame.

"I told her I'd wave it," Olajuwon said.

The former Houston Rockets star has lived in Jordan for the past several years, splitting his time between there and Houston. Olajuwon said he's usually back in the United States for the summer, when the Sooners aren't playing.

Hakeem Olajuwon has good memories of the Alamodome, where the Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs three times in the 1995 Western Conference finals en route to their second championship.

For her final season, Abi Olajuwon switched her jersey to No. 34 - just like her dad wore with the Rockets. She flourished in her final year after playing behind Courtney and Ashley Paris.

"She said she's not going to wear the number unless she's going to play," Hakeem Olajuwon said. "She has the right concept, the right attitude. She's a great kid."