Mtanzania wa kwanza kuwahi kucheza mpira wa kikapu kwenye ligi kuu ya mchezo huo nchini Marekani, NBA, Hasheem Thabeet amesema Rais Jakaya Kikwete ndiye mshauri wake mkubwa na mara nyingi anapokuwa kwenye wakati mgumu huongea naye ili apewe busara.
Hasheem ambaye ni mchezaji mrefu zaidi kwenye NBA, amesema hayo wiki hii kwenye kipindi cha The Trend cha kituo cha runinga cha nchini Kenya, NTV.
“That’s a great dude man, he is one of my mentor, I talk to him a lot when I have questions, when I’m going through hard time, he is one of the people that I get to speak so you know so it’s a great honour for me to be in this situation,” alijibu alipoulizwa kuhusu mchango wa Rais Kikwete katika maisha yake.
Hasheem alisema kabla ya kupata mafanikio hayo ya kwenda kucheza kwenye ligi hiyo kubwa duniani, baadhi ya watu walikuwa wakimdhihaki kuwa hatofika popote.
“Wakati mimi naanza kucheza basketball, man, nilikuwepo mrefu, familia yangu haikuwepo vizuri kivile so kuna mida fulani ntakuwa napita naenda mazoezini halafu watu utawasikia ‘basketball Bongo? Basket in the US, you know that motivated me. You know lot of people will throw you words that sometimes will break you.”
Alisema mara nyingi familia yake ilikuwa nyuma kumpa moyo na imechangia kwa kiasi kikubwa katika mafanikio yake.
“My family plays big part of my success all through the tough years till where I am right now.”
Mchezaji huyo kwa sasa amerejea nyumbani kwa mapumziko baada ya msimu wa NBA kumalizika na alienda jijini Nairobi, Kenya kuitembelea shule aliyosoma, Laiser Hill Academy.