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Show notes:
Hakeem Olajuwon - 7'0", 255 lb (00:30)
Born 1/21/63 in Lagos, Nigeria (Akeem Abdul Olajuwon)
Family of 6; his parents owned a cement mixing company
Started playing at age 15; mostly played soccer & handball when younger
Entered a basketball tournament at Muslim Teachers College
As a HS junior he played in All-Africa Games
Emigrated to the US to attend the University of Houston in 1981
Coach Guy Lewis invited him on the recommendation of a friend
Redshirted in his 1st year; his soccer & handball skills served him well for basketball
In his debut season he came off the bench
Made it to the Final 4; lost to eventual champs UNC
In the summer of 1982 he worked out with HOU's Moses Malone
With his newfound skills which earned him the nickname The Dream, he became the starter & averaged 13.9 PPG, 11.4 RPG & 5.1 BPG
A member of the famed fraternity Phi Slama Jama
Made it to Final 4 again to face Louisville & won behind Olajuwon's 21 pts, 22 rebs & 8 blks; upset in the Finals to NC State
Returned the following season; led the nation in rebounds (13.5), blocks (5.6) & FG% (67.5)
Got back to the NCAA Finals; lost to Patrick Ewing's Georgetown team
Declared himself eligible for the 1984 Draft; HOU wins the coin toss & picks him #1
Other picks: Michael Jordan (#3), Charles Barkley (#5), John Stockton (#16) & Oscar Schmidt (#131)
Made the All Star team as a rookie; finished 2nd to Jordan as Rookie of the Year
Him & Sampson formed what was the Twin Towers
In 1985-86 his sophomore season a greater success
Beat SAC, DEN & LAL to reach NBA Finals; lost to BOS in 6 games
The next few seasons saw Sampson's decline due to his sore knees; was eventually traded
In his 1st full season as the franchise player & under new coach Don Chaney he led the league in rebounds (13.5); lost in 1st rd to SEA
In 1989-90 he had one of the greatest defensive seasons by a center since Bill Russell
His 14 RPG & 4.6 BPG led the NBA; had one of the only 4 quadruple-doubles in history: 18 pts, 16 rebs, 10 asts & 11 blks
In 1990-91 he became a truly devout Muslim; changed his name from Akeem to Hakeem
Missed 25 games (broken orbital bones)
In 1991-92 he endured a coaching change with Chaney fired & replaced with Rudy Tomjanovich; missed 7 games (irregular heartbeat)
In 1992-93 the team & Hakeem progressed under coach Rudy T
Won Defensive Player of the Year while leading the NBA in blocks (4.2)
Finished 2nd in MVP voting to Barkley; lost in West semis to SEA
1993-94 became his greatest season; won another DPOY, league MVP, a NBA title & a Finals MVP
Averaged 27.3 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 3.7 BPG, 1.6 SPG & 52.8% FG; topped POR, PHO, UTA & NYK
In 1994-95 his team got off to a sluggish start; reignited by midseason trade for college teammate Drexler
As 6th seed they got back to the Finals; beat UTA, PHO, SAS in the West & swept ORL to win back-to-back titles & another Finals MVP
From 1995-96 to 2000-01 they never matched that playoff success again
Made Dream Team II & won a gold medal
Played 2 more seasons with HOU before going to TOR; ended a 20 year stay in HOU
Retired after the 2001-02 season; after his playing career he ran his Big Man Camp
ACCOLADES:
Became only player in the top 11 all time in 4 major categories when he retired
Now is the all time leader in blocks, 9th in steals, 12th in points & 14th in rebounds
His #34 jersey retired (2000)
Inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2008 & FIBA HoF in 2016
Named to 50th & 75th Anniversary Teams
12x All Star, 12x All-NBA, 9x All-Defense, 2x Reb Champ 3x Block Champ, 1 MVP, 2x DPOY, 2x NBA Champ, 2x Finals MVP, 1 Olympic gold medal
