In the 1993-94 season, Hakeem Olajuwon was the first player to receive the titles of MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in one season.
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Hakeem Olajuwon, originally from Nigeria, established himself as one of the NBA’s greatest players throughout his 18-year career. From his time at the University of Houston, he was often deemed a physical phenomenon. His impressive and efficient play, particularly during his Houston Rockets’ consecutive NBA titles, secured his position amongst the most esteemed players in basketball history.
In the 1993-94 season, he achieved an unprecedented feat, being the first player to earn the titles of NBA MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Finals MVP all in the same season. The next season, he led the Rockets as a sixth seed in the playoffs towards their second consecutive NBA championship, marking Houston as the fifth NBA team in history to secure back-to-back titles.
Hakeem Olajuwon, the third of six children, learned fundamental values from his middle-class parents that motivated him to succeed. His parents owned a cement business in Lagos, Nigeria.
Hakeem Olajuwon, who was a 12-time All-NBA player and a 2-time Finals MVP, utilized both finesse and power to lead the Rockets to two championships in the mid-1990s.
“The NBA legend has expressed that we were taught to uphold honesty, work diligently, respect our elders, and have faith in ourselves,”
Olajuwon, a name that translates to “always being on top,” started playing basketball quite late, at 15 years old. His high school, the Muslim Teachers College, participated in the basketball tournament at the All-Nigeria Teachers Sports Festival in Sokoto. However, Olajuwon was initially part of the handball team. A classmate approached their coach to inquire if Olajuwon could join the basketball team. The coach gave his consent, and thus, a basketball prodigy was born.
He joined the University of Houston two years later, using the name Akeem Abdul Olajuwon. Before entering the NBA, he stopped using “Abdul” and officially took on the name “Hakeem” on March 9, 1991. In the words of Shakespeare, a great basketball player remains great regardless of the name.
He started his athletic career as a soccer goalkeeper and handball player, which provided him with the footwork and agility to compliment his considerable strength and size in basketball. His dominance quickly emerged when he began playing at Houston. During his three seasons there, he was instrumental in pushing the Cougars into the Final Four annually.
Hakeem Olajuwon debuted for the Houston Rockets on Oct. 27, 1984.
In 1982, Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler were part of a Houston team that reached the NCAA semifinals but were defeated 68-63 by North Carolina’s Tar Heels, who were led by James Worthy and Michael Jordan. The next year, the Houston team, now known as “Phi Slamma Jamma” for their dynamic playing style, bested an equally competitive Louisville team 94-81 in what was possibly the most thrilling game in NCAA Final Four history. However, in a surprising turn of events, the Cougars lost to North Carolina State 54-52 in a heated championship game. The winning shot was made at the buzzer by the underdog team.
During the 1983-84 season, Olajuwon had an average of 16.8 points per game and was the NCAA leader in rebounding with 13.5 per game, blocked shots with 5.6 per game, and field-goal percentage at .675. He was chosen as a First Team All-America that season. Despite his performance, his team, the Cougars, was defeated by Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas in the championship game with a score of 84-75.
Following a coin toss victory over the Portland Trail Blazers for the top pick in the 1984 NBA Draft – a year prior to the introduction of the Draft Lottery – the Rockets opted for Olajuwon. Despite Jordan’s availability and later selection as the third pick by the Chicago Bulls, the general consensus in the basketball community was that Olajuwon was the rightful No. 1 choice.
A year prior, the Rockets triumphed over the Indiana Pacers in a coin flip, which gave them the opportunity to draft Ralph Sampson from the University of Virginia. Consequently, the unpredictable outcomes of a coin toss created the “Twin Towers” – the 7-foot Olajuwon and 7-foot-4 Sampson, two nimble giants.
During his first year, Olajuwon had an average of 20.6 points and 11.9 rebounds with a .538 field goal percentage. He was runner-up to Jordan for the Rookie of the Year award. Before Olajuwon joined, the Rockets had a record of 29-53, which improved to 48-34 after his arrival. However, they were knocked out in the first round of the 1985 NBA Playoffs by the Utah Jazz in five games.
Olajuwon was fourth in the league for rebounding and second for blocked shots, averaging 2.68 per game. In 1985, he participated in the NBA All-Star Game and was selected for both the NBA All-Rookie Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Along with Sampson, they were the first teammates to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds since Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor in 1970.
In the following year, Olajuwon and Sampson led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals. They beat the current champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, in a five-game series in the Western Conference Finals. Olajuwon shone in the series, scoring 40, 35, and 30 points in the final three games to lead the Rockets. However, the Boston Celtics, who were champions in 1981 and 1984, had a strong front line consisting of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. They overpowered the Rockets, winning in six games.
Sampson started experiencing injuries in 1986-87 and was subsequently traded to the Golden State Warriors the next season. Meanwhile, Olajuwon’s performance only improved, establishing him as one of the top big men in the game. He led the Rockets in 13 different statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding, steals, and blocked shots. From 1987 to 1989, Olajuwon made consecutive appearances on the All-NBA First Team and was also part of the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 1987, 1988, and 1990. He served as the starting center for the Western Conference All-Stars for four straight years from 1987-90.
Olajuwon consistently ranked among the league’s top players in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, and steals. He achieved rebounding titles in 1989 and 1990, with an average of 13.5 and 14.0 rebounds, respectively. In 1989, he was the first to rank in the league’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding, steals, and blocked shots for two consecutive seasons. In the same year, he scored 18 points, secured 16 rebounds, blocked 11 shots, and made 10 assists against the Milwaukee Bucks, marking the rare achievement of a quadruple-double. He led the NBA in blocked shots per game in the 1989-90 season with 4.59 and in the 1990-91 season with 3.95.
During his run, Olajuwon overcame two significant injuries. In the mid-1990-91 season, he received an elbow to the eye from Bill Cartwright of the Chicago Bulls, resulting in a blowout fracture of the orbital bones and causing him to sit out the next 25 games for the Rockets. The following season, in 1991-92, an episode of atrial fibrillation, a condition characterized by an irregular heartbeat, resulted in him missing seven early-season games.
Even though Olajuwon played well, the Rockets had only been average since their 1986 NBA Finals appearance, failing to win a playoff series from 1988 to 1992. However, in 1992-93, halfway through his career, Olajuwon improved even further, propelling himself and the Rockets to greater heights of success.
Many believed that he had concluded his final game for Houston due to stalled contract talks at the close of the 1991-92 season. However, during a flight to Japan for the Rockets’ first two games of the 1992-93 season against the Seattle SuperSonics, Olajuwon and Houston’s owner, Charlie Thomas, reconciled their differences. Over the following three seasons, he managed to average 26.1 points, 27.3 points, and 27.8 points respectively.
It’s uncertain if Olajuwon’s performance during the 1991-92 season was impacted by contract disputes, but he did not make an All-NBA Team or an NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time in his career that year. However, he experienced a comeback in the 1992-93 season. That was when Coach Rudy Tomjanovich started his first complete season with the Rockets, emphasizing defense and urging the team to draw inspiration from Olajuwon’s energy.
The seasoned player with eight years under his belt, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen later in the season on April 2, 1993, displayed spectacular performance throughout the year. He achieved an average of 26.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 4.17 blocks, thereby establishing himself as the league-leader in blocked shots for the third time in four seasons. More significantly, he spearheaded a Rockets team that had a 42-40 record the previous year to achieve a 55-27 mark and win the Midwest Division championship.
In Game 1 of the 1995 Finals, Hakeem Olajuwon took charge in overtime for the Rockets.
When the season came to a close, Olajuwon was the runner-up to Charles Barkley for the NBA Most Valuable Player award. He earned his first NBA Defensive Player of the Year title, and secured spots on both the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defensive First Team again.
Similar to Muhammad Ali, an athlete who was public about his Islamic faith and invented the rope-a-dope strategy later in his career, Olajuwon revolutionized the game by introducing a new series of spins, fadeaway shots, and jumpers, becoming nearly invincible on offense. Known as “Hakeem the Dream,” he had now pioneered a collection of signature moves that included excellent footwork, ball and head fakes, and either playing with his back to the basket or confronting his opponents head-on to outmaneuver defenders. These moves came to be known as the “Dream Shake.”
In the 1995 postseason that ended with Houston’s second NBA championship, the Rockets emerged victorious over the San Antonio Spurs and the Orlando Magic. Both these teams had outstanding centers who were left confounded by Olajuwon’s tactics.
In the 1995 playoffs, Hakeem Olajuwon executes a stunning low-post move on David Robinson.
In a story by Life magazine, David Robinson from San Antonio appeared puzzled. “Solve Hakeem?” Robinson questioned, “You can’t solve Hakeem.”
After experiencing a Finals sweep, Orlando’s Shaquille O’Neal shared similar sentiments. “He has around five moves, and then four counter moves,” O’Neal expressed in surprise. “That totals to 20 moves.”
After a disagreement with management, Olajuwon took time to reflect and recommit himself, leading to his evolution. His growth as a player and in his faith manifested on the court, where he assumed the role of a team leader and became an offensive dynamo and defensive backbone.
The change was evident when the Rockets made it to the 1993 Western Conference Semifinals. Despite their progress, they were defeated in a challenging Game 7, losing 103-100 in overtime to a Seattle SuperSonics team headed by Gary Payton and a youthful, dynamic Shawn Kemp.
However, it was in 1993-94 that Olajuwon reached the peak of his career by winning both the league and NBA Finals MVP awards and guiding Houston to its first NBA championship. After an exceptional regular season, the Houston center also secured his second consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
After a hard-fought seven-game series against the New York Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing, the Rockets clinched the title. The Knicks’ hopes of winning the series in Game 6 were dashed by the center’s outstanding defensive skills, as he blocked John Starks’ potential game-tying three-pointer towards the end of the game. In the Finals, the 10-year veteran played exceptionally well, averaging 29.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.86 blocks per game.
Review the best plays of Hakeem Olajuwon from the 1993-94 season.
In the 1994-95 season, Olajuwon outdid himself by scoring a career-high 27.8 points per game (ppg) and 10.8 rebounds per game (rpg). However, the Most Valuable Player Award was bestowed upon Robinson who played a pivotal role in the Spurs securing the NBA’s premier record. Olajuwon also surpassed Calvin Murphy to become the Rockets’ highest scorer of all time in the early part of the season. Additionally, in February, Olajuwon was able to play alongside his former college teammate Drexler, who was traded from the Portland Trail Blazers for forward Otis Thorpe.
The Rockets ended the season on a rough note while adjusting to Drexler’s presence, entering the playoffs as the Western Conference’s sixth seed. However, Drexler shone in the playoffs, and with Olajuwon averaging 33.0 points on .531 field goal percentage, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.81 blocks per game in the postseason, Houston clinched its second straight title. In the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs, Olajuwon outscored Robinson by averaging 35.3 points to Robinson’s 25.5.
In the NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets faced off against the Magic, featuring the league’s outstanding young center, O’Neal. Olajuwon and O’Neal had comparable stats, with Olajuwon averaging 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, while O’Neal had 28.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Despite the impressive performance from both big men, the Rockets swept the series. This victory made Houston the fifth NBA team to secure consecutive titles. Due to his extraordinary performance, Olajuwon received his second NBA Finals MVP award in a row.
Olajuwon holds the belief that his successful career was greatly supported by his religious faith. He observes Ramadan, a significant period in Islam that entails fasting, during an NBA season. He would rise before sunrise to eat exactly seven dates, which is the traditional food for breaking fast in Muslim culture, and consume a gallon of water. After that, he would say a prayer for strength and abstain from eating or drinking until the sun sets.
Explore some of the greatest plays and moments from Hakeem Olajuwon’s 18-year NBA career.
He would gasp for water during an afternoon game, yet not consume a single drop. Nevertheless, he would remark, “I feel incredibly energetic and dynamic. And when I end my fast at sunset, water tastes incredibly precious.”
His exceptional dedication and performance placed him among the greatest recent winners, such as Jordan, Bird, Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas.
Olajuwon continued his high level of performance for two seasons after clinching the championships. Despite this, the team was defeated by the Sonics in the 1996 conference semifinals. The addition of Barkley in the 1996-97 season breathed new life into the Rockets, yet they were beaten in six games by the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.
Starting from the 1997-98 season, Olajuwon was frequently absent due to injuries, participating in only 47 games that year. He made a comeback and played almost a full schedule in the lockout season of 1998-99. However, his performance started to decline, and he played merely two additional years in Houston, with an average of less than 12.0 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game. After one season with the Toronto Raptors in 2001-02, he retired, ending his 20-year streak, inclusive of his college career, of playing in Houston.
Rewind: Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon’s workout session
Despite his significant impact on the city, he did not go unnoticed. At the time of his retirement, he was the Rockets’ all-time leader in various categories, such as points, rebounds, steals, and blocked shots, with an all-time NBA record of 3,830. His No. 34 jersey was retired on November 9, 2002. During the ceremony, it was revealed that a life-size statue of Olajuwon would be showcased at the Rockets’ new downtown arena, set to open for the 2003-04 season.
Nevertheless, Olajuwon’s firm Muslim beliefs led to the Rockets unveiling a bronze monument in his honor outside the arena in 2006. In 2008, Olajuwon was bestowed another accolade: he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Interestingly, Ewing, his longstanding on-court adversary, was also part of the same class, further connecting the two rivals.
After his playing career, Olajuwon dedicated several NBA offseasons to coaching young league stars like Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, and others on how to enhance their post footwork.
In 2015, Olajuwon briefly returned to the basketball court for the NBA Africa Game. He played for Team Africa, wearing his number 34 Rockets jersey, and executed a turn-around jumper that thrilled the current NBA stars on both Team Africa and Team World.
