Folks, before doing anything else, read this press release. It will fill you in on what is going on:
DAPHNE, Ala. - There is less than a month remaining to help the United States Sports Academy in its efforts to name "Mr. Basketball."
Voting to name the new sculpture dedicated to basketball in the Academy's environmentally-friendly Sport Sculpture Park closes on Thanksgiving Day, 26 November 2009. Through the Academy's website at www.ussa.edu/ballots/basketball-player, people are invited to help name the player from a list of 15 legends of the game. Voters may also write in another nominee if their desired choice isn't on the list, giving the vote a "Sweet 16" flavor.
The list of players to select from includes, in alphabetical order: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Michael Jordan, George Mikan, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Hakeem Olajuwon, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Russell and Jerry West.
I want Hakeem Olajuwon to be sculpted. Not Yao Ming. So vote for The Dream here.
Let's be honest: Yao Ming hasn't come close to Hakeem as a player. As an international icon, yes. But not as a player, nor as an all-time great. I think we can make this happen. VOTE HAKEEM!