Hakeem  didn't add the H for religious reasons, he changed it because too many people were pronouncing it wrong. Armen Gilliam (formerly Armon) did the same thing. Neat list, I just touched on 10 NBA players who changed names on my blog last week, http://cardboardhistory.blogspot.com/2017/02/nba-encylopedia-2-name-changes.html

I hadn't known most of the football or baseball changes before. 

Joe Theismann changed the pronounciation of his name. Theismann (pronounced THEES-min) became Theismann (THIGHS-min). It was part of a gimmick to get Heisman Trophy voters to think of the rhyming last name. It didn't work, Theismann finished second to Jim Plunkett.

Sugar Ray Robinson (Walker Smith, Jr.) http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/39316/Sugar-Ray-Robinson-; Too young to fight in an AAU bout, he borrowed ID from his buddy, Ray Robinson. (stories vary as to exact type of ID used).

Maurice Jones-Drew (Maurice Christopher Drew) http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/10952/Maurice-Jones-Drew-; Maurice added Jones to his last name to honor is grandparents who raise him (Maurice and Christina Jones).

Karim Abdul-Jabbar (Sharmon Shah). http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/21854/Karim-Abdul-Jabbar; In college he changed his name to Karim Abdul-Jabbar. The NBA's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sued and won a lawsuit forcing him to remove "Abdul-Jabbar" from his jersey on the grounds that he was profiting off someone else's identity.  His current legal name is Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar. 

Mike Danton (Mike Jefferson) http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/31948 (Danton) & http://www.tradingcarddb.com/InaccuraciesP.cfm/pid/32165 (Jefferson). Mike Jefferson changed is last name when he became estranged from his family. In 2004, Danton was imprisoned for conspiracy to commit murder. He was released on parole on September 11, 2009. He resumed professional hockey in 2011.

Boof Bonser (John Paul Bonser) http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/573/Boof-Bonser- Boof was his nickname since infancy. He made it leagl in 2001.

Nene (Maybyner Rodney Hilário)  http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Person.cfm/pid/7226/Nene-Hilario Changed in 2003 to his nickname. Hoping to become as famous as another one-name Brazilian, Pele.

I had seen those when I was putting this list together C2Cigars.  I was going to add them, but I was afraid the list would get to long. 

I might have misread the information on the reason for Hakeem's name change, Billy.  I really liked putting this list together.  Thank you.