Considered one of the top five greatest centers to play in the NBA, Hakeem Olajuwon had no limits to his game. Playing in the era of the big men, ‘The Dream‘ as they called Olajuwon held his own. the 7’0″ 255 lb. sensation entered the league in 1984 as the top pick out of Houston. Known for his defense and rebounding, Olajuwon was also a career 21.8 ppg scorer. His post moves were legendary, and he had a patented move called “The Dream Shake” where he would put together a series of fakes that would leave his defenders defenseless. At the end of The Dream Shake, he could either hit a short jump shot, a layup or slam it home and defenders didn’t know which finishing move was coming.
Hakeem Olajuwon Leads Rockets to First NBA Title
When the 1993-94 season came around, the only things missing from Olajuwon’s resume was a MVP trophy and a NBA title. The Houston Rockets were a perennial playoff team, but the success in the postseason didn’t follow. They did make the NBA Finals with Olajuwon in 1987, but lost to the Boston Celtics. For this season, everything fell into place for The Dream.
The Rockets finished 58-24 and clinched the second seed in the Western Conference thanks to a big year from their unstoppable center. Olajuwon averaged 27.3 ppg and 11.9 rpg to go along with 3.6 apg, 1.6 spg and 3.7 bpg. His sensational season earned him the NBA’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Award, becoming the second player in NBA history to win both awards in the same season (Michael Jordan 1987-88). Olajuwon was also First Team All-NBA and First Team All-Defensive selections as well.
Olajuwon Racks up Hardware
Olajuwon led the Rockets all the way to the 1994 NBA Finals where they squared off against Patrick Ewing, who was also looking for his first NBA title, and the New York Knicks. Two of the games’ best big men went at it for a grueling seven-game series. However, Olajuwon and the Rockets won game seven at home and took home the NBA title. In winning his first ring, Olajuwon also added NBA Finals MVP to his collection of awards capping off one of the best seasons any player at any position has ever had.