Dalia Asafi may not be the most famous of individuals at the moment, but she has been in the limelight since the 1990s when she got married to former NBA star, Hakeem Olajuwon. Their marriage was not without its drama most especially as she was 18 years old at the time.
Many years down the line, the two have continued to enjoy their marriage while they maintain a very private lifestyle with their children. More so, Dalia has been so much of a reclusive individual, making it hard to know anything of significance about her.
Interesting Things About Dalia Asafi Olajuwon
1. She was born in the United States
Information surrounding the biography and early life of Dalia Asafi. However, it is known that she was born in 1978 in Houston, Texas. It was also there that she was brought up.
2. Hakeem Olajuwon’s wife is a devout Muslim
One of the things that Dalia holds close to her heart is her religion which is Islam. She was born into the religion by her parents, and she was brought up in the Islamic way. Today, she has continued to devotedly follow the teachings of Islam. Hakeem is also a strong believer in the Islamic faith.
3. She wanted to study medicine
Before the marriage of Dalia and Hakeem was organized, Dalia was preparing to study medicine and she had received a scholarship of $1000 for that purpose from The Dream Foundation charity of Hakeem. Because of her involvement with the athlete, she relinquished the scholarship since it was not allowed for family members of those involved in the foundation to benefit from the scholarship.
4. Dalia and Olajuwon did not date
Unlike many others that first date before they get married, Dalia and her husband did not follow the same process. In fact, they had never met before their families arranged for them to get married. The former basketballer worshiped in the same mosque as the father of Dalia and that was how their parents met and decided the two should get married. Their first meeting was in 1995 and then in 1996, they were already man and wife.
5. She was 18 years old when they married
When Dalia Asafi got married to Hakeem, she was only 18 years old while her husband was already 33 years old. Olajuwon made it clear at the time that Dalia might still be a teenager at the time, but like many other Muslim women, she had already had knowledge, experience, and wisdom beyond her age. He also revealed that Muslim women from Nigeria where he came from goit married much earlier at the age of 15 and 16.
6. Dalia Asafi was is not the mother of Hakeem Olajuwon’s oldest child
While Dalia was the first woman that the former basketballer got married to, she was not the first woman he dated. Hakeen once got into a long-term relationship with TV producer Lita Spencer in the 1980s. The relationship led to the birth of the basketballer’s first child, Abisola Olajuwon in 1987. After the relationship ended, Lisa dragged Hakeen to court over failing to marry her as he promised her, having made her prove she could bear him kids.
7. She is a mother of 4 kids
The marriage between Dalia and Hakeem has been blessed with four kids; two boys and two girls. Their sons, Abdullah and Abdul were born in Jordan before the family returned to the states. hey spent three years of their lives there and they fell in love with athletics just like their father. The boys played basketball and soccer while growing up, and they are still drawn to the sports.
Their two daughters are Aisha Olajuwon and Rahmah Olajuwon. Abisola who is Hakeem’s daughter from the aforementioned previous relationship has since followed in the footsteps of her father by professionally playing basketball. She made the WNBA draft in 2010 and was selected by Chicago Sky. She played for three seasons with different clubs before going into coaching in 2014.
8. Her family lives between the US and Jordan
Dalia and her Hall Of Fame husband have lived between the US and Jordan for many years. The two countries have become homes for the couple and their children. According to Hakeem, one of the reasons why they chose to live in Jordan was because it is an Islamic country that is very friendly to immigrants. He first moved to Jordan to pursue Islamic studies but later fell in love with the nation.
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9. Dalia’s husband is a very rich individual
The career life of Dalia is not known, hence what she makes in terms of finances has never been revealed. However, Hakeem Olajuwon is known to be a very rich individual who has made over $100 million in his career as a basketball star looking at his different contracts. Currently, he has a net worth that is estimated at $200 million. His fortune was built through his career, endorsement deals, and investments among other things.
10. She maintains a very private life
As already made clear, Dalia has always maintained a life away from the public domain. She is hardly ever seen, except on very rare occasions, and she is not the most visible on social media.
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