MARIS61
Real American
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
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Picked 2nd in 2009 draft by Memphis, between Blake Griffin and James Harden, he's been teetering between watching from the bench and playing well in the D League. He's played 22 minutes total this year spread over 5 games.
He sounds like an interesting guy to have a few beers with:
Born Feb. 16, 1987 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania… Full name is Hashim Thabit Manka… Name is pronounced Ha-SHEEM Tha-BEET… Name in Arabic means “destroyer of evil”… Son of Mr. Thabit Manka (deceased) and Rukia Manka … Has one sister, Sham, and one brother, Akbar… After growing up as a soccer player, began playing organized basketball when he was 15 years old… Is the first Tanzanian-born player to be drafted by an NBA team… Has met Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on several occasions and regularly stays in contact with him via text message… The tallest player in UConn and Memphis Grizzlies history… Earned money for his family as a runway model in Dar Es Salaam… Facilitated his own college recruitment by finding and emailing college coaches through Google… His iPod is engraved with his nickname and number, “Hasheem the Dream 34,” honoring Hall of Famer and NBA career blocked shots leader Hakeem Olajuwon… Trained with members of the US Navy Seals in preparation for the NBA Draft… Memorized the preamble to the United States Constitution in high school in Swahili before memorizing it in English… Ran a half-marathon when he was 13 years old… Along with current New Orleans Hornets’ player Emeka Okafor, helped raise $20,000 for Okafor’s “One Million African Lives” initiative as part of a “Read and Raise” Fundraiser in urban Hartford, Conn. schools… Repeated guest visitor at the Housing Center for Special Events at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families… Heavily involved in the Husky Sport Program at UConn, visiting various community centers and speaking to children on nutrition, physical activity, healthy lifestyle choices and academic excellence… Scored two goals in a charity soccer event against such NBA players as Phoenix’s Steve Nash and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Baron Davis in Vancouver, B.C., Canada on Sept. 19, 2009… Faced current teammate and former Missouri star DeMarre Carroll in the 2009 NCAA West Regional Final… Faced current teammate and former Pittsburgh star Sam Young in Big East competition several times throughout his college career.
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/hasheem_thabeet/bio.html
He sounds like an interesting guy to have a few beers with:
Born Feb. 16, 1987 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania… Full name is Hashim Thabit Manka… Name is pronounced Ha-SHEEM Tha-BEET… Name in Arabic means “destroyer of evil”… Son of Mr. Thabit Manka (deceased) and Rukia Manka … Has one sister, Sham, and one brother, Akbar… After growing up as a soccer player, began playing organized basketball when he was 15 years old… Is the first Tanzanian-born player to be drafted by an NBA team… Has met Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on several occasions and regularly stays in contact with him via text message… The tallest player in UConn and Memphis Grizzlies history… Earned money for his family as a runway model in Dar Es Salaam… Facilitated his own college recruitment by finding and emailing college coaches through Google… His iPod is engraved with his nickname and number, “Hasheem the Dream 34,” honoring Hall of Famer and NBA career blocked shots leader Hakeem Olajuwon… Trained with members of the US Navy Seals in preparation for the NBA Draft… Memorized the preamble to the United States Constitution in high school in Swahili before memorizing it in English… Ran a half-marathon when he was 13 years old… Along with current New Orleans Hornets’ player Emeka Okafor, helped raise $20,000 for Okafor’s “One Million African Lives” initiative as part of a “Read and Raise” Fundraiser in urban Hartford, Conn. schools… Repeated guest visitor at the Housing Center for Special Events at the Connecticut Department of Children and Families… Heavily involved in the Husky Sport Program at UConn, visiting various community centers and speaking to children on nutrition, physical activity, healthy lifestyle choices and academic excellence… Scored two goals in a charity soccer event against such NBA players as Phoenix’s Steve Nash and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Baron Davis in Vancouver, B.C., Canada on Sept. 19, 2009… Faced current teammate and former Missouri star DeMarre Carroll in the 2009 NCAA West Regional Final… Faced current teammate and former Pittsburgh star Sam Young in Big East competition several times throughout his college career.
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/hasheem_thabeet/bio.html
