Emeka Okafor
Emeka Okafor
Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi "Emeka" Okaforis an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Prior to the National Basketball Association, Okafor attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas and the University of Connecticut...
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth28 September 1982
CityHouston, TX
act ball competitor fighting front fun hard obviously player playing situation teammates wants
I'm obviously disappointed. The player in me, the competitor in me wants to be out there with my teammates fighting hard and out there having fun playing ball in front of our fans. But the situation is what the situation is. You have to act accordingly.
front fun obviously player playing situation
I'm obviously disappointed. As a player you want to be out there playing hard, having fun in front of our fans. But the situation is what the situation is.
ball hard playing run
At times they were playing so long out there. Ostertag (7-foot and 280 pounds) is just hard to move. Once you run around him, he's already got the ball in his hands.
game heart last lost playing year
This year we are playing with the same heart we had last year. That, and experience. And confidence. Last year we would have come back and then lost the game by two.
basketball questioned whether
After that first day I questioned whether or not basketball was for me.
challenges fact mobile pump
I like challenges. The fact that he's 7-feet, a completely mobile guy, it's going to pump me up.
almost envisioned million position seemed
It seemed almost surreal. I'd envisioned myself in this position a million times, and yet it didn't feel like it was really happening.
focus lose seem
We just lose focus or whatever. We play with emotion, but sometimes we seem to get into lulls.
apart defensive early fell found game losses played positives taking
We had some defensive lapses early in the game and then we found a way to get back into the game. Then we fell apart at the end. We played hard, but I'm not big on taking positives from losses like this.
confidence fake felt game legitimate post work
I've never really had a solid, legitimate post game where I felt comfortable with my back to the basket. I could fake it, but my confidence wasn't that high. Now I'm getting it because I have something to work with.
believing far
As far as them believing in me, it makes me feel good.
arm hard might move pick problem spin tape taught teach time watch
The things Hakeem does, you can't just watch a tape and pick up the move. This was the first time he taught it, and it's hard to teach someone else something you did so naturally. The problem was, if you do something minutely off -- even the way you spin or the way your arm might come out -- he'd have to say, 'No, that's not the move. The move is this.' And you have to do it precisely.
everybody good happy
This place is incredible. I'm just happy we have a place that everybody likes. The other place was not good at all.
warm
It made me feel real special, all warm inside,