‘Gruesome’ Game Not the Ticket for Olajuwon’s Visiting Parents

With people all over Houston scrounging for tickets to Wednesday night’s Game 7 of the NBA finals, two people with an inside track on prime seats decided they would rather watch on television.

It turns out NBA basketball is too gruesome a sight for Salaam and Abike Olajuwon, the parents of Nigeria-born Rocket center Hakeem Olajuwon who are making their annual summer visit to the United States.

The two, who never have seen their son play professionally in person, declined his offer of tickets to the deciding game against the New York Knicks.

“My parents tonight are going to watch the game on TV,” Olajuwon said Wednesday. “They’re not used to the contact, the running up and down. When they saw the game, they said, ‘You have to really work for your money. We see how hard you work going up and down the court.’ ”