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Hakeem Olajuwon
| Biography |
During his 18-year career, Nigerian-born Hakeem Olajuwon staked his claim as one of the greatest players in NBA history. Long considered a physical marvel since his days at the University of Houston, his creative and productive play -- highlighted by his Houston Rockets' back-to-back NBA titles -- earned him a place among the game's best.
In his rookie year, Olajuwon averaged 20.6 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting over 53% from the field. He finished second to Michael Jordan in Rookie of the Year balloting. He was the NCAA Final Four MVP in 1983 and an All-American selection in 1984 while at the University of Houston and was the overall 1st pick by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA draft.
The Rockets went from a 29-53 record before Olajuwon's arrival to a 48-34 mark in his first season as a Rocket. Olajuwon ranked fourth in the league in rebounding and second in blocked shots with 2.68 per game his rookie year. In 1986-87 Olajuwon led the Rockets in 13 statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots.
He played in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. 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).
Olajuwon regularly placed among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals. He won rebounding titles in 1989 and 1990, averaging 13.5 and 14.0 boards, respectively. And in 1989 he became the first player to finish among the league's top 10 in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots for two straight seasons. That same year against the Milwaukee Bucks, Olajuwon had 18 points, 16 rebounds, 11 blocks and 10 assists, recording a rare quadruple-double. 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.
In 1993-94 he had a storybook season, becoming the first player to be named NBA MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Finals MVP in the same season. The following season he rallied the Rockets from a sixth seed in the playoffs to their second straight NBA crown, making Houston only the fifth NBA franchise ever to win back-to-back titles and earning him a place among the NBA's all-time best. Olajuwon is the NBA s all-time leader with 3,459 career blocked shots and finished the 1998-99' season ranked 11th, ahead of Jerry West, all-time for career points scored. Olajuwon is one of only eight players in NBA history with over 20,000 points and 12,000 rebounds in his career. He was selected in 1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
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