Nothing's too hard for Suleiman Braimoh.
At a shade above two metres, Suleiman Braimoh has heard all the tall jokes floating around from the cheap seats.
"You get a lot of them - 'Oh my God, you're so tall, what's the air like up there?'," says the IMS Payroll Hawks basketballer before they host the Wellington Saints in Napier tomorrow.
"It's fun. It's not too different around basketballers and guys like [fellow Hawks import] Zach Atkinson, who is six-nine or six-10," says Braimoh before the 7pm tip off at the Pettigrew-Green Arena in the hosts' second Bartercard National Basketball League (NBL) match.
He has no misgivings about his imposing frame but does sometimes wish he didn't draw so much attention.
"I just want to chill out and blend in," he says, paddling into a mini tub of Bay-made fresh fruit icecream at the Kennedy Park Resort.
Jocularity aside, the "55 per cent" Nigerian and "45 per cent" American import, who yearns to be more connected with his country of birth, knows he has a fair bit of growing to do, metaphorically speaking, before he acquires a respectable stature on the courts of contention.
Braimoh sees himself as a winner but the Liam Flynn-coached Hawks are coming off a 75-68 loss to the Nelson Giants at the PG Arena last Saturday.
"It was horrible. I hated losing the first game," says the 25-year-old "versatile forward" whose rebounding prowess with Atkinson is one of the best seen in the contemporary era of the Bay franchise team.
But his winning sentiments do not specifically translate to "most points, rebounds or whatever stats out there. I like to help the team with multiple things".
For a big man, he packs a fair whack of flexibility and agility. He also brings a not-so-obvious IQ to the court.
Born in Benin City, Nigeria, he moved to New York at the age of 3 with equally lanky parents Igho and Suleiman snr.
His father had secured a US posting as a United Nations diplomat. He is now based in Eritrea, East Africa, while Braimoh's mother is a court judge in Nigeria.
"My parents were athletes at a younger age but didn't pursue it as much. They were more academic," says the man who has a degree in civil engineering.
He is not "totally sold on coaching as a career path just yet", although he has relished mentoring youngsters in his hometown, especially those who have been keen to learn and shown incremental improvements.
Aspiring to represent Nigeria if the opportunity arises some day, Braimoh is not shy in engaging in rigorous self-scrutiny to keep raising the bar of attainment.
"I like to look at what I do bad so I don't do it again. I like to look at what I did okay to see how I can do that better and I also like to look at things I do really good so I can keep doing them, obviously because they work."
He sees "silver linings" in the Hawks' first-up hiccup, reconciling it with having hopped off the plane just two days before the match to squeeze in two scrimmages with the collective.
Digesting the "system", building a rapport with teammates and embracing his coach's philosophy are all works in progress.
"When we get a feel for what we're trying to do here, then we'll do that better," he says, giving a smile of approval when it is pointed out he and Atkinson showed a lack of sixth sense in the dying minutes against the Giants with an air offensive pass under the hoop.
"It was a situation where he was open but he didn't think I was going to make the pass, so when the pass came he didn't expect it and I could have made a better pass too."
He laughs when asked how imports in the NBL have to tread the fine line of success and failure with a franchise.
"I embrace it wholeheartedly. I don't think anyone puts as much pressure on me as I do on my own self to do well, day in and day out," he says, mindful the franchise brought him here because they saw qualities in him to establish a winning culture that he feels obliged to fulfil.
Flynn has opted for two big men, as opposed to a swingman and a centre/powerforward, this season perhaps in recognition of a lack of mongrel in successive NBL playoffs.
Braimoh considers it a privilege to play alongside Atkinson's agility and defence, as well as enjoying someone taking the pressure off him.
"We have some amazing guards in the team, so it's our [imports'] job to complement that."
Adapting to a few tactical tweaks Flynn has made this week should see them give the two-and-oh Pero Cameron-coached Saints a go tomorrow.
Braimoh has performed myriad roles in numerous competitions in Japan, Mexico, Qatar and the NBA Development League.
"Playing smart", tough and following the coach's script are imperative to their pool of natural skills in pursuing success.
Having fun is crucial for Braimoh in a league that has drawn players who have a love for the game of basketball.
"I like to play with a lot of heart and emotion, so we get the fans to keep supporting us, and we'll do our best to put on a productive and great show for them every day."