Whether the contract squabbles had affected Olajuwons 1991-92 performance may never be known, but that year he failed to make an All-NBA Team or an NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time in his career. Mock Archives 2017 Mock Draft 2016 Mock Draft 2015 Mock Draft History Complete Draft History Draft Lottery History . During the 198788 season, Sampson (who was struggling with knee injuries that would eventually end his career prematurely) was traded to the Golden State Warriors. Season 3 Deck the Hall. "[19] From 1991 to 1998, every NBA championship team included either Jordan or Olajuwon; furthermore, at least one of Drexler, Jordan, and Olajuwon was involved in every NBA Finals from 1990 to 1998.[20]. [15] Olajuwon sought advice from the coaching staff about how to increase his playing time, and they advised him to work out with local Houston resident and multiple NBA MVP winner, Moses Malone. Check out some of the best plays and moments from Hakeem Olajuwon's 18 years in the NBA. His college career for the Cougars included three trips to the Final Four. Olajuwon spent the last season of his career with the Toronto Raptors, and retired after 18 years in the NBA in 2002. [10] Shaquille O'Neal stated: "Hakeem has five moves, then four countermoves that gives him 20 moves. However, the team was swept by the Sonics in the 1996 conference semifinals. Like my coach says, "you don't block shots with your head." We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Olajuwon gained a reputation as a clutch performer and as one of the top centers in history based on his performances in the 199394 and 199495 seasons. Celebrity Fan Photos and Agency Pictures of stars are . Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. [40] He outplayed centers such as Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Dikembe Mutombo, and other defensive stalwarts such as Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone. He dropped references to Abdul prior to entering the NBA and officially adopted Hakeem on March 9, 1991. He's basing it on quickness, but the jump is to set him up. So he's frozen, he doesn't know which way I'm going to go. It will always be a big man's game if the big man plays the right way. His height (7) and skill in other sports, such as football, gave him an added benefit in the game. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors. [26] Olajuwon also recorded a quadruple-double during the season,[27] becoming only the third player in NBA history to do so. Born: January 21, 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria ng College: Houston High School: Muslim Teachers College in Lagos, Nigeria Medical evaluations will be paramount after he was in a serious car accident in 2019 and suffered a potentially career-threatening back injury. Olajuwon improved his passing in 199293,[37] setting a new career-high of 3.5 assists per game. ). Sportswriter Sam Smith speculates that such a trade "would have changed league history and maybe the entire Michael Jordan legend. The eight-year veteran, who later in the season became a naturalized United States citizen on April 2, 1993, was simply spectacular throughout the year. [33] His agent cited his differences with the organization as being "irreconcilable",[34] and Olajuwon publicly insulted owner Charlie Thomas and the team's front office. Hes strong enough and has the football IQ to hold his own at the next level, but he could struggle with the quicker defensive linemen, especially in the run game. Position C. Height 7'0" (213cm) Wingspan 7'3" (220cm) Weight 255 lbs (115 kg) Team Houston Rockets. Otherwise, he would have won it for a third consecutive year, averaging 13.8 a game (league leader Robinson averaged 13.0 rpg). HOUSTON (AP) _ Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon was married to 18-year-old Dalia Asafi of Houston last week in an arranged union. Projected: Round 2, Bradford is big, strong and produced an elite 1.66-second 10-yard split at the combine. [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. December 16, 2021 12:36 pm CT. Fresh off a career night with 19 points and 11 rebounds, rookie center Alperen Sengun wants to do even more in Houston. He runs the camp for free. He was able to earn this hefty balance being associated with his basketball career. "[12], Olajuwon emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the University of Houston under Cougars coach Guy Lewis. Hakeem Olajuwon, a 12-time All-NBA performer and 2-time Finals MVP, used finesse and power to lift the Rockets to a pair of titles in the mid-1990s. [59] For the 1996 Olympics, he received a FIBA exemption and was eligible to play for Dream Team II. The ties were broken through random drawings conducted by NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars. [7] He is considered a Houston icon and one of the city's most beloved citizens. In his rookie year, Olajuwon averaged 20.6 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting .538 from the field and finished second to Jordan in Rookie of the Year balloting. He was the best center in the NBA at the time, so I was trying to improve my game against the best. ). 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 were bolstered in part by the acquisition of Clyde Drexler, Olajuwon's former University of Houston "Phi Slama Jama" teammate, in a mid-season trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. Take a look back at Hakeem Olajuwon's best plays from the 1993-94 season. Although his athletic career began as a soccer goalkeeper and handball player, which ultimately helped give him the footwork and agility to balance his overpowering strength and size in basketball, he quickly became a dominating player at Houston. So kids steal these shoes from stores and from other kids. How do they figure out a player's wingspan? He was twice named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and was a five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. [7][8] He was the third of eight children. [55] He led the NBA in rebounding twice, during the 1989 and 1990 seasons. Although 1986-87 Fleer is widely considered to to be the main rookie card for Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-85 Star holds the distinction of being the first NBA card for "The Dream." Several things weaken the rookie claim, including limited distribution and counterfeit and quality control issues, but the earliest . Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon traveled from his home country to play for the University of Houston under head coach Guy Lewis. He played in the late 80's until he retired in 2002. Hart rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 1 and was limited in Monday's practice before the Knicks later listed him as doubtful. Projected: PFA, Manchester City has a job to finish in the Champions League quarterfinals, Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard will remain with the Jumbo-Visma team until the end of 2027, Ryan Hartman scored 12:20 into the second overtime and the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in their playoff opener Monday night, and into Tuesday morning, Alex Iafallo scored in OT to lift the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers to open their first-round playoff series, Daniel Vogelbach homered and drove in three runs, Brett Baty delivered an RBI single in his season debut and the New York Mets rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-6 for their fifth straight victory. D raft E xpress. As the NBA celebrates it's 75th Anniversary Season, get to know dozens of star players who helped make the NBA what it is today. On defense, the big man can rebound and block shots. He averaged 13.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks in 198283 and 16.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 5.6 blocks in 198384. [31][35] With the 199293 season approaching, a reporter for the Houston Chronicle said that Olajuwon being dealt was "as close to a sure thing as there is. . Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Hakeem Olajuwon in 2023. Age if still allive and other unique data for Hakeem Olajuwon. He would follow with a prayer for strength and have no food or liquid until sunset. (if it was never cut): 916 cm or 9.16 meters (30 feet 0.8 inches) Nail length (if it was never cut): Top 5 songs on Billboard THE HOT 100 in . Beginning in the 1997-98 season, Olajuwon began to miss time due to injuries and played just 47 games that year. I never knew Hakeem was 6'10.75" I always heard he was 6'10" flat. As a No. He also averaged a league-leading 3.95 blocks per game. 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. He's just a great player. Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (/laun/;[1] Yoruba:[olauw]; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. The 80s: Hakeem Olajuwon & Patrick Ewing. But the Rockets swept the series, making Houston the fifth NBA franchise to win back-to-back titles. He's currently listed at 7'2, has a 7'8 wingspan and a 9'7 standing reach. On Oct. 27, 1984, Hakeem Olajuwon made his debut for the Houston Rockets. 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? He missed two weeks early in the season due to an accelerated heartbeat. He played 7 out of the 8 games and started 2. Hakeem's actual hieght is 6'10", his wingspan is 7'2", which makes his basketball hieght 7'0". Projected: Rounds 4-7, BONUS: Sidy Sow (Sr., Eastern Michigan, 6-4, 323), Sow played handball and competed in Olympic weightlifting (110 kilos) growing up in Quebec. As for muscle, Olajuwon came. 6'4 is the number that gets played with a lot. Akin to an athlete who shared his faith of Islam, Muhammad Ali, who devised the strategy of the rope-a-dope later in is career, Olajuwon introduced a new line of spins, fadeaway shots and jumpers, and he became virtually unstoppable on offense. Thus, the fickle flips of a coin created the Twin Towers of 7-foot Olajuwon and 7-foot-4 Sampson two agile giants. Olajuwon recalled: "I really believed that Houston was going to win the coin flip and pick the first draft choice, and I really wanted to play in Houston so I had to make that decision (to leave early). That's the way the game is going. Shortly after his retirement, his No. Twenty-Seven of the companies are still active while the remaining thirteen are now listed as inactive. Shaq was probably one of the most, of not the most phisically gifted player in the NBA. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. [2] From 1984 to 2002, he played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets and, in his last season, the Toronto Raptors. That is the shake. "[9], Olajuwon returned from that summer a different player. You haven't had a dominant center win a championship in 8 years, and don't talk about Olajuwon. In the Rockets' Game 1 win, Olajuwon scored 27 points while holding Robinson to 21. Hakeem Olajuwon has been associated with forty companies, according to public records. 21 January 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria), basketball player who starred on the University of Houston team and the professional Houston Rockets, whom he led to consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) titles in 1994 and 1995.Olajuwon was the third of six children born to Salam and Abike Olajuwon, middle-class Muslims who owned a thriving cement business in Lagos . "[65], Olajuwon married Dalia Asafi on August 8, 1996, in Houston. Pronunciation: \ah-KEEM ah-LAH-zhoo-wahn\, Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon The Rockets posted a 57win season in 199697 season when they added Charles Barkley to their roster. Hakeem Olajuwon was born in Lagos, Nigeria. Robinson, who was voted the 1995 NBA MVP, fell for the fake and jumped to block the shot. Find out more. He doesn't know where you're gonna turn and when. Two years later, Olajuwon would receive another honor: induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Defense 86. In his sophomore and junior years he helped the Cougars advance to consecutive NCAA championship games, where they lost to North Carolina State on a last-second tip-in in 1983 and a Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown team in 1984. In the next three seasons he would average 26.1 points, 27.3 points and 27.8 points, respectively. The following season was a low point for the Rockets during Olajuwon's tenure. And in 1989 he became the first player to finish among the leagues top 10 in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots for two straight seasons. [11], Despite early struggles, Olajuwon said: "Basketball is something that is so unique. Olu Oluwatimi (Sr., Michigan, 6-2, 309), Oluwatimi committed to the Air Force before transferring to Virginia, initially as a walk-on before earning a scholorship. 10 watching. You put him in the mix and you jump stop and now you have choice of pivot foot. Before I come down, I make my move. Because Shaq weighs a lot more than all of these guys plus Shawn Kemp had mad hops. The dominant center is starting to get eliminated. [7] It has been said that a coach in Nigeria once asked him to dunk and demonstrated while standing on a chair. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Olajuwon was born to Salim and Abike Olajuwon, working-class Yoruba owners of a cement business in Lagos, Nigeria. The man called Hakeem the Dream had now developed a set of patented moves involving great footwork with ball and head fakes with either his back to the basket or facing opponents abusing defenders. "[7] Olajuwon himself traced the move back to the soccer-playing days of his youth. I was successful materially, but I know life is much more than worldly success. At the ceremony, it was announced that a life-sized statue of Olajuwon would be on display at the Rockets new downtown arena, scheduled to open for the 2003-04 season. John Michael Schmitz (Sr., Minnesota, 6-3, 301), Schmitz has been one of the best offensive lineman in the nation since he became a starter way back in 2019. $175.00. [10], One notable Dream Shake happened in Game 2 of the 1995 Western Conference Finals against the Spurs. On the way there, they defeated the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers in a five-game Western Conference Finals. "[71], Attending college was also an important priority to Olajuwon. In a career spanning 18 years, he has played for two teams: the 'Toronto Raptors' and the 'Houston Rockets.' 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. [19] Had the Rockets made the deal, Olajuwon states the Rockets could have selected Jordan with the number two pick to play alongside Olajuwon and Drexler, who had established chemistry playing together during their Phi Slama Jama days in college. [25] He is the only player since the NBA started recording blocked shots in 197374 to average 14+ rebounds and 4.5+ blocked shots per game in the same season. One year earlier, the Rockets won a coin flip with the Indiana Pacers, allowing the franchise to select the University of Virginias Ralph Sampson. He hasnt allowed a sack in over 1,500 career pass-blocking snaps and hes a mauler in the run game. Eye color: Dark Brown. Hakeem's actual hieght is 6'10", his wingspan is 7'2", which makes his basketball hieght 7'0". Hakeem Olajuwon puts a dazzling low-post move on David Robinson in the 1995 playoffs. Olajuwon then tried to stand on the chair himself. [67] Olajuwon also has an older daughter, Abisola from a previous relationship with Lita Spencer, whom he met in college. His Rockets won back-to-back championships. Season 2 Glitched. Olajuwon spun counterclockwise and faked a jump shot. He was nicknamed "the Dream" during his basketball career after he dunked so effortlessly that his college coach said it "looked like a dream. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Still, he would say, I find myself full of energy, explosive. He averaged 26.1 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.17 blocks, which established him as the league-leader in blocked shots for the third time in four seasons. The Dream, Little Moses are nicknames for Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon played for 20 consecutive seasons in Houston, first collegiately for the University of Houston Cougars and then professionally with the Houston Rockets. With Robinson in the air, Olajuwon performed an up-and-under move and made an easy layup. I saw all these blessings God had given me. I don't know if he had wings (like TMac), but he could get off the ground in a hurry. He never looked seven feet. Houston began to rebuild, bringing in young guards Cuttino Mobley and 2000 NBA co-Rookie of the Year Steve Francis. When asked whether the league was becoming more guard-oriented and big men were being de-emphasized, Olajuwon responded, "For a big man who is just big, maybe. It would accomplish one of three things: one, to misdirect the opponent and make him go the opposite way; two, to freeze the opponent and leave him devastated in his tracks; three, to shake off the opponent and giving him no chance to contest the shot. After that amazing accomplishment, Olajuwon went on to win a pair of NBA titles in 1994 and 1995, before retiring in 2002. [25] After the Rockets lost in the first round in five games to the Jazz in 1998,[53] Drexler retired. 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Olajuwon, working-class Yoruba owners of a cement business in Lagos, Nigeria Stathead Basketball: Get your month... [ 7 ] it has been associated with his Basketball career to play for Dream Team II n't know he... Asafi on August 8, 1996, in Houston, first collegiately for the Cougars included trips! Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon married Dalia Asafi of Houston last week in an arranged hakeem olajuwon wingspan inches. Are now listed as inactive accomplishment, Olajuwon said: `` Hakeem has five moves, Four. For the University of Houston last week in an arranged union Hakeem five! Season was a low point for the Cougars included three trips to Final!
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