Houston began to rebuild, bringing in young guards Cuttino Mobley and 2000 NBA co-Rookie of the Year Steve Francis. Twitter: Sometimes they kill for them. When he called the staff, they told him to take a taxi out to the university. He began a string of selections to the All-NBA First Team (1987 to 1989) and NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988 and 1990), and was the starting center for the Western Conference All-Stars four years in a row (1987-90). I would read it in airplanes, before games and after them. Projected: Rounds 4-5, BONUS: Andrew Vorhees (Sr., USC, 6-6, 310), Vorhees led all combine participants with 38 bench-press reps after suffering a torn ACL during on-field workouts. inLagos,Nigeria [69], After Olajuwons rookie year he signed a 5 year agreement for $2.5 million, to endorse Etonic Shoes with a Signature line, the Dream Shoe. OLAJUWON, Hakeem Abdul (b. He can add so much, make it easier for the entire team." [77] Olajuwon has had great success in the Houston real estate market, with his estimated profits exceeding $100 million. He won the NBA rebounding crown (14.0 per game) again, this time by an even larger margin; a full two rebounds per game over David Robinson, and led the league in blocks by averaging 4.6 per game. He is an incredible player in the history of the NBA. He combined with the 7feet 4inches (224cm) Ralph Sampson to form a duo dubbed the "Twin Towers". Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. The Dream was the first one to came to my mind too (and wasn't Sir Charles listed at 6'7" when he played in Philly? They finished the season with a 4141 record,[21] and though they made the playoffs, were eliminated in four games by Los Angeles. Olajuwon, which translates into always being on top, began playing basketball at the late age of 15. 4.His professional basketball career in the beginning stage. Now, the first time when you showed that quickness, he has to react to that quickness, so you can fake baseline and go the other way with your jump hook. When you jump, you turn as you land. Thirty years ago today Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon became only the third play in NBA history to record a quadruple-double with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 11 blocks, and 10 assists. If Kobe. I've head numerous play-by-play and color guys comment on this on the air. Photo by Nick Juhasz- Wikimedia commons. While trying to adjust to Drexlers presence, the Rockets closed out the season in bumpy fashion and entered the playoffs seeded sixth in the Western Conference. Olajuwon was ineligible for selection to the "Dream Team" as he hadn't become a US citizen.[59]. Hakeem Olajuwon Net Worth. Find out more. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [79] Olajuwon has worked with several NBA players, including power forward Emeka Okafor,[80] and center Yao Ming. If that's true then how do you explain that Shaq is almost 4" taller than Kemp, and has a 7'7" wingspan and 9'8" standing reach (same as Yao Ming), but Kemp's highest touch is 3" more than Shaq? [25] This willingness to pass the ball increased his scoring, making it more difficult for opposing teams to double and triple-team him. In 1994, he became the only player in NBA history to win the MVP, the Championship, the Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. DeAaron Fox scored 24 points and made a backbreaking 3-pointer that led the playoff newcomer Sacramento Kings to a second straight victory over the defending champion Golden State Warriors, 114-106 on Monday night. Compare his height, weight, shoe size, eyes, hair color, religion beliefs with other celebs. The Rockets had immediate success during Olajuwon's rookie season, as their winloss record improved from a 29-53 record in 198384 to 4834 in 198485. He missed two weeks early in the season due to an accelerated heartbeat. . In a career spanning 18 years, he has played for two teams: the 'Toronto Raptors' and the 'Houston Rockets.' There are many ethnic groups. There are durability concerns. Hakeem Olajuwon stepped up in overtime for the Rockets in Game 1 of the 1995 Finals. You put him in the mix and you jump stop and now you have choice of pivot foot. Harris, Othello, Nolte, Claire Elaine, and Kirsch, George B. . Joe Tippmann (Jr., Wisconsin, 6-6, 313), Tippman is big for a center, but he looks like a tight end on the move. [58], In 1980, before arriving in the US, Olajuwon played for a Nigerian junior team in the All-Africa Games. Defense 96. [48] In the series-clinching game, Olajuwon recorded 39 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks. Age if still allive and other unique data for Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwons high school, the Muslim Teachers College, was an entry in the basketball tournament at the All-Nigeria Teachers Sports Festival in Sokoto but Olajuwon was on the handball team. Hakeem Olajuwon has been associated with forty companies, according to public records. Projected: Rounds 2-4, Wypler is a bit undersized, but hes a technician who features the necessary athleticism to become a solid starter in the right scheme that utilizes his fluid movement ability. And the reason I would take Olajuwon is very simple: he is so versatile because of what he can give you from that position. Olajuwon averaged 21.8 points per game in 199091, but due to an injury to his eyesocket caused by an elbow from Bill Cartwright,[7] did not play in enough games (56) to qualify for the rebounding title. Then the marriage is arranged.'' The NBA star said he has worshiped for years at the same . For winning 2 championships for the Rockets in a difficult 90's era. He credits his parents with instilling virtues of hard work and discipline into him and his siblings: "They taught us to be honest, work hard, respect our elders, and believe in ourselves. The ties were broken through random drawings conducted by NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars. Robinson, who was voted the 1995 NBA MVP, fell for the fake and jumped to block the shot. [72], In Olajuwon's college career and early years in the NBA, he was often undisciplined, talking back to officials, getting in minor fights with other players and amassing technical fouls. International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon Twitter: DR34M (formerly Akeem Olajuwon) (The Dream, Little Moses) Position: Center Shoots: Right 7-0, 255lb (213cm, 115kg) . [90] He became a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016.[91]. In 1991-92, he missed seven contests early in the season after an episode of atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat). His accolades are some of the most impressive in league history: two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, 1994 MVP, 12-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, six-time All-NBA First Team, five-time All . Imo 6 foot in the NBA becomes 6'2. He finished second in the MVP race to Charles Barkley with 22 votes to Barkley's 59. Biography Hakeem Olajuwon is a well-known basketball player born in Nigeria on January 21, 1963. You don't solve Hakeem. . Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. [70] This made him one of the very few well-known players in any professional sport to endorse a sneaker not from Nike, Reebok, Adidas, or other high-visibility retail brands. And even with the addition of Barkley before the 1996-97 season, which reinvigorated the Rockets, the team lost in six games to the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals. He also led the NBA in blocked shots in 1989-90 with 4.59 per game and in 1990-91 at 3.95 per contest. The dominant center is starting to get eliminated. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Hakeem Olajuwon Net Worth. Hakeem Olajuwon [PSA 5 EX] 2 from. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, Warriors' Green ejected from Game 2 for flagrant foul, Jackson Jr. named Kia Defensive Player of the Year, Interactive Stats Visuals for Kia DPOY Finalists, Ties broken for order of selection in '23 NBA Draft. They started the season 212,[52] but lost the Western Conference Finals in six games to the Utah Jazz. You haven't had a dominant center win a championship in 8 years, and don't talk about Olajuwon. He felt the Rockets had cut corners at every turn, and were more concerned with the bottom line than winning. Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon is a name that has come to be synonymous with the NBA franchise all across the world. Olajuwon believes that his religious faith supported his drive to a great career. [41] In the 30 headtohead match-ups during the seven seasons from the 1989 to 1996, when both Olajuwon and Robinson were in their prime, Olajuwon averaged 26.3 points per game, shooting 47.6% from the field, while Robinson averaged 22.1 and 46.8%. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Hakeem Olajuwon was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Projected: Rounds 4-7, BONUS: Juice Scruggs (Sr., Penn St., 6-3, 301), Scruggs was a team captain who started at both right guard and center the last two seasons. NBA 75: At No. Born: January 21, 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria ng College: Houston High School: Muslim Teachers College in Lagos, Nigeria Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (/laun/;[1] Yoruba:[olauw]; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. Anyone know his wingspan? I call it the 'touch landing.' Olajuwon was noted as sometimes playing better during the month of Ramadan, and in 1995 he was named NBA Player of the Month in February, even though Ramadan began on February 1 of that year.[7][76]. Take a look back at Hakeem Olajuwon's best plays from the 1993-94 season. Olajuwon set a new career-high with 26.1 points per game. He returned to play close to a full schedule during the lockout season of 1998-99. D raft E xpress. "[16] He and his teammates (including Clyde Drexler) formed what was dubbed "Phi Slama Jama", the first slam-dunking "fraternity", so named because of its above-the-rim prowess. Akeem OLAJUWON Hakeem 1986 Fleer ROOKIE CARD #82 PSA 7 NM HOF . Undersized or not, he was an awesome athlete and would thrive in any era. The defender can't react because he's waiting for you to come down to defend you. This created some problems when he tried to play for the United States men's national basketball team initially. He took an elbow in the eye from the Chicago Bulls Bill Cartwright in the middle of the 1990-91 season, suffering a blowout fracture of the bones that surround the eyeball and forcing him to miss the Rockets next 25 games. "[74] "His religion dominates his life", Drexler said in 1995. $5.10 shipping. The Rockets' two-year championship run ended when they were eliminated in the second round of the 1996 NBA Playoffs by the eventual Western Conference Champion Seattle SuperSonics. Executed with uncanny speed and power, they are still regarded as the pinnacle of "big man" footwork. On August 2, 2001,[55] after refusing a $13 million deal with the Rockets, Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors for draft picks (the highest of which was used by Houston to draft Botjan Nachbar at #15 in the 2002 NBA draft), with the player having a three-year contract that would give him $18 million. The Rockets went from a 29-53 record before Olajuwons arrival to a 48-34 mark, but they were eliminated in five games by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 1985 NBA Playoffs. In other words, he is a smidgeon under 6 feet 11 inches -- or 7 feet if you want to throw in shoe height. But not if you play with speed, with agility. He was also named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the first time, while reclaiming spots on the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team. The Dream, Little Moses are nicknames for Hakeem Olajuwon. It might be easy to forget that Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the NBA's all-time greatest centers, suited up for the Toronto Raptors.Olajuwon played 18 seasons in the NBA, earning a pair of championships and 12 NBA All-Star appearances. On a night when he labored with his shot and was 3-for-19 from the field, Russell Westbrook made up for all the misfires by doing a little bit of everything for the Clippers in a tightly contested . Olajuwons production simply increased as he developed into one of the games top big men. Although the talented Jordan was also available (he would be picked third by the Chicago Bulls), almost all in the basketball world thought Olujawon was the correct selection at No. This performance was consistent with his averages of 24.8 points and 3.4 blocks. On April 10, 2008, the Rockets unveiled a sculpture in honor of him outside the Toyota Center. His championships are notorious for being won in between Michael Jordan's prime. People don't realize he was in the top seven [in NBA history] in steals. [21] He teamed with the 1984 Rookie of the Year, 7ft 4in (2.24m) Ralph Sampson to form the original NBA "Twin Towers" duo. Olajuwon was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first overall selection of the 1984 NBA draft, a draft that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. This change also coincided with the hiring of new coach Don Chaney. Olajuwon was the third of six children and acquired the basic values that pushed him to succeed from his parents, who were middle-class and owned a cement business in Lagos, Nigeria. After the Rockets won a coin flip with the Portland Trail Blazers for the first pick in the 1984 NBA Draft one year before the institution of the Draft Lottery Houston selected Olajuwon. "[12], Olajuwon emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the University of Houston under Cougars coach Guy Lewis. The Memphis big man -- who led the league in blocks at 3.0 per game -- edges out Milwaukee's Brook Lopez and Cleveland's Evan Mobley for the honor. On March 9, 1991, he altered his name from Akeem to the more conventional spelling of Hakeem, saying, "I'm not changing the spelling of my name, I'm correcting it". [50] Olajuwon was again named Finals MVP. I dribble so now I can use either foot. Do you have a sports website? Houston Rockets: Hakeem Olajuwon 10 of 30 The most talented big man to ever play the game, Hakeem Olajuwon was nearly impossible to stop because of the wide array of post moves that he possessed. He doesn't know where you're gonna turn and when. In a new interview with The Athletic, Rockets beat writer Kelly Iko writes that Sengun's "eyes light up . Series-Clinching game, Olajuwon played for a Nigerian junior team in the season 212, [ 52 ] but the... Averages of 24.8 points and 3.4 blocks 5 blocks of the page across the! 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