KEY POINTS

  • Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown are both observing Ramadan during the postseason
  • Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon had some of his best games during the sacred period for Muslims
  • The Boston Celtics would go on to defeat the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2, 114-107

The NBA Playoffs come smack dab in the middle of the observation of Ramadan, and Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is one of many players who observe the religious happening.

Late in the first quarter of the Nets’ Game 2 matchup with the Boston Celtics, Irving was seen being ushered back to the locker room to have his first meal of the day after nearly 14 hours of fasting.

The 2016 NBA Champion returned to the bench with a plate of food and munching on a banana as the Nets hoped to even up the series going back to Brooklyn.

Among those steadfastly observing the sacred period of reflection for the followers of Islam is Celtics star Jaylen Brown who talked about its importance in a piece by the Boston Globe.

“Ramadan is a special moment, a special time, definitely the relating to your relationship with God and your relationship through adversity, persevering through distractions and any negativity, and anything that pulls you away from being your higher self,” Brown said.

Irving subscribes to this same thought by Brown as noted by NBA on TNT’s Stephanie Ready when the star point guard made his way to the back to grab his food.

Another NBA great who observed Ramadan during his playing years was Houston Rockets icon Hakeem Olajuwon.

The progenitor of the “Dream Shake” put on stellar performances in the past as noted by Andscape, formerly known as The Undefeated, which includes a near five-by-five performance against Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls on January 19, 1997.

In 39 minutes, Olajuwon produced 32 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, four steals, and five blocks against Jordan’s 26 markers, 14 boards, and five dimes plus a steal and a block in the Rockets’ 102-86 blowout victory.

Irving and the Nets would be defeated by the Celtics, 114-107, after both he and Kevin Durant were stifled by Boston’s dynamic defense.

Durant shot 0 out of 10 in the second half, while Irving only scored 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

As for Brown, he scored 22 points in Game 2, 10 of them in the fourth, to help the Celtics secure a 2-0 advantage going into Game 3.

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