In Olajuwon's college career and early years in the NBA,
he was often undisciplined, talking back to officials,
getting in minor fights with other players and amassing
technical fouls.

Later, Olajuwon took an active interest in spirituality,
becoming a more devout Muslim . On March 9, 1991, he
altered his name from Akeem to the more conventional
spelling of Hakeem, saying, "I'm not changing the spelling
of my name, I'm correcting it". He later recalled, "I
studied the Qur'an every day. At home, at the mosque...I
would read it in airplanes, before games and after them.
I was soaking up the faith and learning new meanings
each time I turned a page. I didn't dabble in the faith, I
gave myself over to it." "His religion dominates his life",
Drexler said in 1995.

Olajuwon was still recognized as one of the league's elite
centers despite his strict observance of Ramadan (i.e.,
abstaining from food and drink during daylight hours for
about a month), which occurred during the playing season
throughout his career. Olajuwon was noted as sometimes
playing better during the month, and in 1995 he was
named NBA Player of the Month in February, even though
Ramadan began on February 1 of that year.

Source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakeem_Olajuwon