Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon was born on the 21st of January 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria. He grew up as the third child among eight siblings in a working-class family that owned a cement business. His early athletic life revolved around soccer rather than basketball. He played as a goalkeeper for his youth teams and local clubs during his teenage years. This background provided him with unique footwork and agility that would later define his professional career. Basketball did not enter his life until he was fifteen years old. He entered a local tournament while attending the Muslim Teachers College in Lagos. A coach once asked him to dunk the ball but demonstrated by standing on a chair first. When Olajuwon tried to replicate the move without the chair, he could not dunk the ball initially. He eventually realized that basketball felt like the only sport worth pursuing after experiencing it.
Olajuwon emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the University of Houston under head coach Guy Lewis. He arrived at the airport in 1980 without any representative from the school waiting to greet him. Staff told him to take a taxi out to the university campus. He redshirted his freshman year in 1980, 81 because he could not get clearance from the NCAA to play immediately. During his sophomore season in 1981, 82, he averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He sought advice from Moses Malone about how to increase his playing time. Malone played games every off-season at the Fonde Recreation Center. Olajuwon joined these workouts and went head-to-head with the NBA veteran. This experience rapidly improved his game and helped him develop into a dominant force. He returned from those summer sessions as a different player who would soon be nicknamed "the Dream". His college career included three trips to the Final Four between 1982 and 1984. He lost to North Carolina State in 1983 and Georgetown in 1984 before declaring for the draft.
The Houston Rockets selected Olajuwon first overall in the 1984 NBA draft. They paired him with Ralph Sampson to form the original Twin Towers duo. Sampson was the 1984 Rookie of the Year and stood seven feet four inches tall. The team finished 51, 31 during their second pro season in 1985, 86. They advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals where they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one. The series landed Olajuwon on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He scored 75 points across victories in games three and four of that series. The Rockets then lost in six games to the Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA Finals. Sampson struggled with knee injuries and was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 1988. This left Olajuwon as the undisputed leader of the franchise. A bitter contract dispute nearly ended his career prematurely before the 1992, 93 season. Management accused him of faking a hamstring injury due to his unhappiness over his salary situation. His agent cited differences with the organization as irreconcilable. Publicly he insulted owner Charlie Thomas and the front office. Despite these tensions, he remained in Houston and signed a new four-year extension.
Olajuwon led the Rockets to a championship in the 1994 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. Patrick Ewing led the opposing team and had been his collegiate rival since college days. The series went seven games and featured a clutch block by Olajuwon in Game 6. John Starks attempted a winning three-pointer but Olajuwon blocked it as time expired. In Game 7, Olajuwon posted 25 points and 10 rebounds to defeat the Knicks. He became the first player in NBA history to win the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. The following year, the Rockets repeated as champions after sweeping Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic. They won every road game during that playoff run. Olajuwon averaged 33.0 points on .531 shooting during the 1995 Playoffs. This unique achievement remains unmatched in league history. He was also the first foreign-born player to win the league's MVP award. His dominance over rivals like David Robinson and Patrick Ewing defined this era of basketball.
Olajuwon perfected a set of fakes and spin moves known as the Dream Shake. He traced the move back to his soccer-playing days in Nigeria. The technique accomplished one of three things: misdirecting opponents, freezing them, or shaking off defenders completely. Shaquille O'Neal stated that Hakeem had five moves followed by four countermoves for a total of twenty options. One notable execution occurred in Game 2 of the 1995 Western Conference Finals against the Spurs. David Robinson guarded him throughout the series but fell for a fake layup. Olajuwon spun counterclockwise and faked a jump shot while Robinson jumped to block it. With Robinson in the air, Olajuwon performed an up-and-under move and made an easy layup. He described the mechanics as jumping to set up the second move called the touch landing. Defenders wait for him to come down but he is gone before landing. This allows him to choose which way to turn without having a pivot foot. The defender cannot react because they are waiting for him to land. This frozen state gives him the advantage needed to score.
Olajuwon became a naturalized American citizen on the 2nd of April 1993. FIBA rules prohibit players from representing more than one country in international competition. Players must go through a three-year waiting period for any nationality change. He was ineligible for selection to the Dream Team initially due to these restrictions. For the 1996 Olympics, he received a special exemption from FIBA. The team went on to win the gold medal in Atlanta. During the tournament, he shared minutes with Shaquille O'Neal and David Robinson. He played seven out of eight games and started two of them. He averaged five points and 3.1 rebounds per game during the tournament. He also recorded eight assists and six steals across those seven games. This victory added another layer to his legacy beyond professional basketball achievements. It demonstrated his ability to represent both Nigeria and the United States on the global stage.
Olajuwon retired as the all-time league leader in total blocked shots with 3,830 blocks. His jersey number 34 was retired by the Rockets shortly after his retirement. He earned more than $110 million in salary over his eighteen-year career. In the 2006 NBA offseason, he opened his first Big Man Camp to teach young frontcourt players. He runs the camp for free and has worked with several NBA stars including Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Olajuwon is considered a Houston icon and one of the city's most beloved citizens. He has had great success in the Houston real estate market with estimated profits exceeding $100 million. He buys properties using cash-only purchases because it is against Islamic law to pay interest. He splits his time between Jordan where he moved with his family to pursue Islamic studies and his ranch near Houston. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016. The NBA renamed its Defensive Player of the Year award as The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy in 2022.
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Common questions
When and where was Hakeem Olajuwon born?
Hakeem Olajuwon was born on the 21st of January 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria. He grew up as the third child among eight siblings in a working-class family that owned a cement business.
How did Hakeem Olajuwon start playing basketball after playing soccer?
Basketball did not enter his life until he was fifteen years old when he entered a local tournament while attending the Muslim Teachers College in Lagos. A coach asked him to dunk the ball but demonstrated by standing on a chair first before he eventually realized that basketball felt like the only sport worth pursuing.
What happened during Hakeem Olajuwon's college career at the University of Houston?
Olajuwon redshirted his freshman year in 1980, 81 because he could not get clearance from the NCAA to play immediately. His college career included three trips to the Final Four between 1982 and 1984 before he declared for the draft following losses to North Carolina State in 1983 and Georgetown in 1984.
Did Hakeem Olajuwon win championships with the Houston Rockets?
Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets to a championship in the 1994 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks and repeated as champions the following year after sweeping Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic. He became the first player in NBA history to win the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season.
When did Hakeem Olajuwon become an American citizen and play in the Olympics?
Hakeem Olajuwon became a naturalized American citizen on the 2nd of April 1993 and received a special exemption from FIBA for the 1996 Olympics where the team won the gold medal in Atlanta. During the tournament he played seven out of eight games and averaged five points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
What are the career achievements and honors of Hakeem Olajuwon?
Olajuwon retired as the all-time league leader in total blocked shots with 3,830 blocks and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016. The NBA renamed its Defensive Player of the Year award as The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy in 2022.