Despite very nearly being traded during a bitter contract dispute before the 199293 season, he remained in Houston. You don't solve Hakeem. [28][29] However, the Rockets were swept in the playoffs by the LA Lakers. "[7] Olajuwon himself traced the move back to the soccer-playing days of his youth. Olajuwon's parents were middle-class and owned a cement business in Lagos, Nigeria. [26] Nevertheless, the Rockets were eliminated in the first round by the Seattle SuperSonics, 3 games to 1. Hes the best pulling center in this draft class and he consistently terrorizes defenders at the second level. The Rockets all-time leader at the time of his retirement in a host of categories, including points, rebounds, steals, and blocked shots (All-time NBA leader with 3,830) had his jersey No. [7] He is considered a Houston icon and one of the city's most beloved citizens. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Eye color: Dark Brown. Twitter: [89], On August 1, 2015, Olajuwon made a special appearance for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game. There are many ethnic groups. . He always made great decisions on the court. The difference in height is 208 cm or 6 ft 10 inches. Position C. Height 7'0" (213cm) Wingspan 7'3" (220cm) Weight 255 lbs (115 kg) Team Houston Rockets. I don't think Michael had to retire for us to get the spotlight, because when you win, it commands attention. 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. The Dream was recorded in bare feet at 6 feet 10.75 inches. 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. [45] He wrote his autobiography, Living the Dream, with co-author Peter Knobler in 1996. [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. And the reason I would take Olajuwon is very simple: he is so versatile because of what he can give you from that position. 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. How do they figure out a player's wingspan? "[10] The Dream Shake was very difficult to defend, much like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's sky-hook. In 2015, Olajuwon made a brief return to the court as a part of the NBA Africa Game. [25] After the Rockets lost in the first round in five games to the Jazz in 1998,[53] Drexler retired. He averaged 3.09 blocks and 1.75 steals per game for his career. The other centers who have played at that level have seen their talent translate well to the NFL (Frank Ragnow and Tyler Linderbaum). With Robinson in the air, Olajuwon performed an up-and-under move and made an easy layup. It was a draft class full of talent, as Michael Jordan went third. During his 18-year NBA career, Olajuwon earned more than $110 million in salary. But it's still fun to break down and compare the results! ). Olajuwon led the Rockets in 13 statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots. 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Hakeem Olajuwon - Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; Yoruba: [olauw]; born January 21, 1963), formerly spelled (and still pronounced as) Akeem Olajuwon, is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. Ok, I definitely jumped the gun on the photoshop thing, but this is definitely not a reliable source of height. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Take a look back at Hakeem Olajuwon's best plays from the 1993-94 season. 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? 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. Twenty-Seven of the companies are still active while the remaining thirteen are now listed as inactive. The dominant center is starting to get eliminated. In October 2021, Olajuwon was honored as one of theleague's greatest players of all-time by being named to theNBA 75th Anniversary Team. He dropped references to Abdul prior to entering the NBA and officially adopted Hakeem on March 9, 1991. 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. [59] FIBA rules prohibit players from representing more than one country in international competition, and players must go through a three-year waiting period for any nationality change. [66] The couple have four children together. 34 retired on Nov. 9, 2002. > Archive 75: Hakeem Olajuwon| 75 Stories: Hakeem Olajuwon. NBA 75: At No. He recorded the highest maximum vertical reach ever measured in pre-draft workouts. I was soaking up the faith and learning new meanings each time I turned a page. OLAJUWON, Hakeem Abdul (b. Olajuwon improved his passing in 199293,[37] setting a new career-high of 3.5 assists per game. Olajuwon dominated Ewing in their headtohead match-up, outscoring him in every game of the series and averaging 26.9 points per game on 50% shooting, compared to Ewing's 18.9 and 36.3%. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Seventeen of those seasons were spent with the Houston Rockets.He capped his career by playing 61 games for the Raptors, and it's a situation where both player . The smooth, athletic guard helped Portland reach the Finals twice and later won a title with Houston. 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. Because of stagnated contract negotiations, many thought he had played his last game for Houston at the end of the 1991-92 campaign. [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. [55] Olajuwon was also an outstanding rebounder, with a career average of 11.1 rebounds per game. 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. "[14] His intuition proved correct, and the toss placed Houston ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers. [7] It has been said that a coach in Nigeria once asked him to dunk and demonstrated while standing on a chair. 34 Rockets jersey and pulled off a turn-around jumper that delighted the current NBA stars on the Team Africa and Team World rosters. Like my coach says, "you don't block shots with your head." Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Rockets posted a 57win season in 199697 season when they added Charles Barkley to their roster. Hakeem Olajuwon was born on January 21, 1963. He's incredibly short, but Blair's 7-2 wingspan saves him. 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. Below are the players who stood out at . After that amazing accomplishment, Olajuwon went on to win a pair of NBA titles in 1994 and 1995, before retiring in 2002. Their first against the New York Knicks, avenging his college championship loss to Patrick Ewing. Olajuwon led the Rockets to a championship in the 1994 NBA Finals in a seven-game series against the New York Knicks, the team of one of Olajuwon's perennial rivals since his collegiate days, Patrick Ewing. Born place: Lagos, Nigeria. You haven't had a dominant center win a championship in 8 years, and don't talk about Olajuwon. 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. you in your waist to keep you from following him only for a wink but that's enough for him to finish shooting.Hakeem Olajuwon #34 of the Houston Rockets tries to block a shot by Patrick Ewing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks . [6] He ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocks (3,830) and is one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double. They finished 4240,[21] and missed the playoffs for the first time in Olajuwon's career. In 199899 the Rockets acquired veteran All-Star Scottie Pippen and finished 3119 in the lockout-shortened regular season. or Best Offer. I call it the 'touch landing.' Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves. From the Vault: Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon work out. 1963 00:00 / 00:00. 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. He only had one career start vs. an FBS opponent (Arizona in 2022) and less than ideal arm length might necessitate a move to guard in the NFL. In 1994-95, Olajuwon had a career-best 27.8 ppg along with 10.8 rpg. Welcome to draft season! . His height (7) and skill in other sports, such as football, gave him an added benefit in the game. Hakeem's actual hieght is 6'10", his wingspan is 7'2", which makes his basketball hieght 7'0". He has missed time in high school and college with ankle, knee and back injuries, the later which required season-ending surgery in 2021. It will always be a big man's game if the big man plays the right way. Height: 6' 10" (208 cm) Weight: 255 lbs (116 kg) Shoe size: 16 (US)/49 (EU) Hair color: Black. Projected: Rounds 4-5, 10. Olajuwon regularly placed among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals. Houston began to rebuild, bringing in young guards Cuttino Mobley and 2000 NBA co-Rookie of the Year Steve Francis. The Rise of the African Multinational Enterprise: The . Undersized or not, he was an awesome athlete and would thrive in any era. In an interview with the Sporting News in April 2016, Olajuwon said that Kobe Bryant was his best low-post student. OCyrus Torrence (Sr., Florida, 6-foot-5, 330 pounds), Torrence caught my attention when he played for Louisiana, and he didnt miss a beat after transferring into the SEC, becoming a consensus All-American. Akeem OLAJUWON Hakeem 1986 Fleer ROOKIE CARD #82 PSA 7 NM HOF . Compare the numbers of the three finalists for the leagues top defensive honor. Compare the numbers of the companies are still active while the remaining thirteen are now listed inactive... 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