MR. CLEAN (ARIZONA’S SALIM STOUDAMIRE)

By John Gustafson | ESPN Mag
Published: March 14th, 2005

Rolling behind the wheel of a white Kia Spectra, Stoudamire heads for the Cheba Hut, a sandwich shop just south of McKale Center. It’s a windy but bright early – February afternoon, a day before the Cats host Cal. As he patiently waits for some rube in an SUV to vacate a parking spot, Salim slinks in his seat. Above the street, attached to lamp posts, banner displays the faces of Zona sports stars. Frye smiles down on his teammate. “Why aren’t you up there?” Stoudamire is asked. “I don’t know,” he says with a chuckle. “I guess I’ve got a bad rep.”

Inside the restaurant, he orders a Thai Stick sub, blunt size. The Cheba Hut, a culinary ode to marijuana where the “toasted” subs take on the names of various weed strains (don’t worry, Mom, nothing illegal here), seems like an unusual place to find a Stoudamire, considering that Damon has been busted twice for possession. Then again, Salim is an unusual guy. He talks about how he’s turned to meditation and writing in his journal to keep from internalizing his anger. He likens himself to Rasheed Wallace. “He has the passion to win, but people perceive him as crazy,” Salim says. “I’ve hung out with him, and he’s one of the nicest guys ever.”