Enes Kanter says he sought advice from Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon on fasting for Ramadan during the NBA playoffs.
The conversation left Kanter feeling better about staying true to his religion without hurting his team.
"I talked to Hakeem - I texted him, not talk - I texted him because I met him a few years ago and I know what he did in, I think '94, '95," Kanter said. "While he was fasting, he won the MVP in playoffs.
"I texted him, was like 'Hey, how did you fast during Ramadan and play at a really high level?'
"He gave me some tips, he give me what he was eating, when he would wake up, like 4am in the morning, how much water he was drinking and stuff. When I texted he was just very happy and very proud and we talk a little about basketball and stuff.
"It's very important because, it doesn't matter what your status is, what your position is, I just want to set an example for the young generations, definitely. It's very important for them to follow their religion.
"Ramadan is like, think about Thanksgiving dinner 30 days in a row. That's how big the meals are. It's awesome to get help from a legend, so I would definitely love to be the new Hakeem of the young generation."
Portland are five games into their playoff series against Denver, with the Nuggets 3-2 ahead thanks to a comfortable 124-98 win in Game 5 on Tuesday, and Kanter says he is happy to have the backing of coach Terry Stotts and the team at such an important time for the franchise.
"It's good because it's very important to follow (faith). I grew up in this, I started doing Ramadan probably nine, 10 years old and I've been doing it since, so I just didn't want to quit.
"I talked to coach (Stotts) yesterday, he was very respectful. It just shows me a lot seeing so much support from my team-mates and coaches and all over the league. It's very important."