Hooped Up

Hasheem Thabeet remembers why he used to make people laugh when he first stepped onto an American basketball court.

“When I got here for high school, people said I couldn’t walk, chew gum and dribble a basketball at the same time,” Thabeet said. “It was the joke. But I’ve grown a lot.”

He can say that again.Thabeet grew to stand 7-3, and the center out of the University of Connecticut became even bigger Thursday night when the Grizzlies made him the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft.

Commercial Appeal