Rockets Put Olajuwon on Injured Reserve

Houston Rocket center Hakeem Olajuwon, hospitalized after suffering an irregular heartbeat, was put on the injured reserved list Saturday.

“All of the doctors are optimistic about Hakeem’s full recovery and early return to the lineup,” Steve Patterson, Houston general manager, said in a statement.

The 7-foot all-star center won’t be eligible to return until Dec. 5. Olajuwon can begin full physical activity again after outpatient diagnostic tests are performed in seven to 10 days, the team said.

Olajuwon will remain hospitalized through the weekend at Memorial Hospital Southwest, although he has been transferred out of the intensive care unit, the Rockets said.

Olajuwon, 28, felt a “twinge” in his chest late Wednesday and drove himself to a hospital. He later was transferred to Memorial Southwest, where doctors diagnosed his condition as atrial fibrillation, an abnormal rhythm in the upper chamber of the heart that can cause the heart to beat as fast as 400 times a minute. Often the upper and lower chambers are not synchronized.