NBA Legends Explain Why Hakeem Olajuwon Was So Good
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Published 2022-03-13
NBA Legends explain why Hakeem Olajuwon was so great
Olajuwon reached the pinnacle of his career in the mid-1990s. He was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons and was also the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1993–94. His MVP season was capped with a seven-game victory over the New York Knicks in the NBA finals, and Olajuwon was named finals MVP for his efforts. He led the Rockets to a second championship the following year and was again named finals MVP. His production slipped because of injuries and age in the late 1990s, and in 2001 he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, where he played only one season before retiring in 2002. At the time of his retirement, Olajuwon ranked 7th in career points scored in the NBA (26,946) and 11th in career rebounds (13,748); he was also the league’s all-time leader in blocked shots (3,830). A 12-time All-Star, Olajuwon was named one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players in 1996, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
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All Comments (21)
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Nobody criticizes the Rocket about drafting Hakeem instead of MJ. This shows how amazing he is.
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People forget Hakeem dominated Shaq in that finals, outscored him every game of the series and Shaq had twice as many turnovers, Hakeem had the second most steals that series. Hakeem was special.
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At 37 years old I have always felt that this guy is my top center. I am from nj, was a Knick fan, and love Ewing accordingly. Ewing was excellent-but The Dream was true.
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Definitely my favourite center. The agility, un-selfishness, defensive AND offensive threats,... In my starting 5 all day
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I was lucky to live in Houston all my life so I got to see Hakeem since his university of Houston days. To see that 18 year old skinny kid with raw athletic ability morph into a unstoppable force was unreal. Hakeem never not gave it 100% in a game
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Even as a 5-8 high school player, the spin cycle was part of what little game I had.
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In my 30 years of watching basketball, Hakeem and MJ are the greatest two-way players I’ve seen. Hakeem is the only top 12 player in NBA history who never had a Hall of Fame teammate in his prime for an extended period of time. Nobody wins championships alone, but he really had minimal help. Of course it’s hypothetical, but if he had a Kobe on his team for 8 years, it’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t have won at least 4 rings together.
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I get alot of heat for this, but Hakeem was my all time favorite TO WATCH..... he was like all the greats who came before him wrapped in one. Most complete big man of all time 4 me. From hook shots to no dribble faints to killer defense. Truly worthy of being called unguardable in his prime
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I always go back and forth between The Dream and Kareem in my all-time starting 5, but usually Olajuwon gets the edge for being such a dominant two way player.
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Hakeem was the best center of the 90s. Hands down 👍🏿🏀
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I had the pleasure of watching Hakeem play in his prime. I saw this 7 footer burn point guards off the dribble with cross over moves that would make Tim Hardaway tip his hat. Hakeem was extremely talented. And so fun to watch.
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I know the world keeps calling Jordan Jordan. I have always saw Akeem as the G . O. A. T. He was beast on both end of the court.
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The Ultimate 2 way player.. It was like a cheat code who was smooth yet fierce he was on both sides of the ball
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Hakeem the Dream is my absolute favorite center of all time!!!
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Love this, Hakeem has always been my favorite center. Versatile and elite on both sides of the floor. His abiity to score and defend in multiple ways at the highest level is what sets him apart for me
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My all time favorite center. Another one of the reasons I say I was so lucky to grow up in the 80s and 90s. Man that was the best time to grow up watching NBA basketball with those great players.
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As a VERY proud Houstonian and a huge fan of all of our local team I can say that without a doubt, Hakeem is local legend a treasure. He is rarely cited as anyone’s top five. Jordan is usually at the top of people’s list. Hakeem is on Jordan’s dream NBA lineup that he would want to play with. Let that sink in. Hakeem ain’t no joke. Dude was a dangerous savage and while he is humble off the court, he would take the wind and from your body and your fighting spirit right from your soul. We watched this happen game, after game, after game. I wish there were a way to recreate the energy he put forth in that era. Game clips or even videos don’t do justice. You would have to recreate entire seasons being watched by thousands of people and from different places at the same time. Just gonna have to trust these OG’s on screen. Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, Lebron.. they all know what the hell is up with Hakeem. Dude wasn’t human. Lol.
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Olajuwon is my pick for ALL TIME starting Center C Dream PF Duncan SF Bird SG MJ PG Magic
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I'm so glad I was born in 1976. I was able to witness the careers of Bird and magic. His airness and the dream. Best basketball ever played. Loved John Starks as a kid too
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I remember Hekeam was destroying other centers. Hakeem was a great center he was one of the best. I rank him second best center of all time. I still think kareem abdul jabbar is the best center ever and one most intellectual NBA player of all time.
