Hakeem Olajuwon

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Lore & Background

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon traveled from his home country to play for the University of Houston under head coach Guy Lewis. His college career for the Cougars included three trips to the Final Four. Olajuwon was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first overall selection of the 1984 NBA draft. He combined with Ralph Sampson to form a duo dubbed the "Twin Towers". The two led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. After Sampson was traded in 1988, Olajuwon became the Rockets' undisputed leader. He led the league in rebounding twice (1989, 1990) and blocks three times (1990, 1991, 1993). He became the first non-American to be an NBA All-Star and start in an NBA All-Star Game, the first non-American to win the NBA MVP, the first non-American to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and in the 1993–94 season, he became and remains the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. His Rockets won back-to-back championships. The Rockets' 1994 championship against the New York Knicks was the first in franchise history. The following year, Olajuwon's Rockets swept Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic in 4 games in the NBA Finals. Olajuwon was a member of the 1996 Olympic gold medal-winning United States national basketball team, and was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016. In October 2021, Olajuwon was honored by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocks (3,830), is one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double, and is the all-time leader in 5x5 games with six.

In Their Own Story

The 1993-94 season was the defining moment of Hakeem Olajuwon's career. He became and remains the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. The Rockets' 1994 championship against the New York Knicks was the first in franchise history, with Olajuwon avenging his college championship loss to Patrick Ewing. The following year, after a lackluster regular season, Olajuwon's Rockets swept Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic in 4 games in the NBA Finals. Earlier in his career, he combined with the 7-foot-4-inch Ralph Sampson to form a duo dubbed the "Twin Towers," leading the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. After Sampson was traded in 1988, Olajuwon became the Rockets' undisputed leader. Despite very nearly being traded during a bitter contract dispute before the 1992-93 season, he remained in Houston. He ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocks (3,830), is one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double, and is the all-time leader in 5x5 games with six.

Reader's Guide

Olajuwon was born to Salim and Abike Olajuwon, working-class Yoruba owners of a cement business in Lagos, Nigeria. He was the third of eight children. During his youth, Olajuwon was a soccer goalkeeper. Olajuwon did not play basketball until the age of 15 in high school, when he entered a local tournament while at the Muslim Teachers College in Lagos. He emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the University of Houston under coach Guy Lewis. After redshirting his freshman year in 1980–81, he came mostly off the bench as a redshirt freshman in 1981–82. He sought advice from the coaching staff about increasing his playing time, and they advised him to work out with Moses Malone. Olajuwon joined the workouts and went head to head with Malone. He was nicknamed "the Dream" during his basketball career after he dunked so effortlessly that his college coach said it "looked like a dream." He and his teammates (including Clyde Drexler) formed what was dubbed "Phi Slama Jama". In his sophomore and junior years he helped the Cougars advance to consecutive NCAA championship games, where they lost to North Carolina State in 1983 and a Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown team in 1984. Olajuwon was voted the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1983, and was named a consensus first-team All-American in 1984. After the 1983–84 season, Olajuwon debated whether to stay in college or declare early for the NBA draft. He was selected first overall by the Rockets in the 1984 NBA draft. Teaming with Ralph Sampson, the "Twin Towers" duo brought immediate success during Olajuwon's rookie season. Olajuwon averaged 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.68 blocks in his rookie season. He finished as runner-up to Michael Jordan in the 1985 Rookie of the Year voting.

Did You Know?

• Olajuwon is the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season (1993–94).
• He ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocks with 3,830.
• Olajuwon is the all-time leader in 5x5 games (at least 5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks) with six.
• He was a soccer goalkeeper in his youth, which helped his footwork and shot-blocking ability.