Nigeria-born champion widely considered the finest centre of the 1990s and the greatest shot-blocker in NBA history.
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1963 and only took up basketball at 17 — making his development arc one of the most remarkable in sports history. Houston drafted him 1st overall in 1984 and he spent 17 of his 18 seasons there (1984–2001) before a final year at Toronto. He scored 26,946 career points at 21.8 per game, with 11.1 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 2.5 assists across 1,238 regular season games. He won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995 — the 1994 title achieved without any other player averaging 20 points per game on the team. He won the league MVP in 1994, Finals MVP in both 1994 and 1995, and Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and 1994 — the only player in NBA history to win both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. His Dream Shake — a series of pivot moves that made it impossible to know his next direction — is the most celebrated individual post move in basketball history. His top speed of 40.6 km/h was exceptional for a 7ft centre. He played 47,764 regular season minutes. He is 2nd on the all-time blocks list with 3,830. He represented Nigeria at the 1996 Olympics after becoming a US citizen.
Dream Shake move and dominant two-way play
How They Played
Agile center with exceptional footwork and defensive prowess
Lasting Impact
Greatest shot-blocker in NBA history and elite two-way center
NBA Champion 1994, 1995 (Houston Rockets)
He blocked Michael Jordan four times in one game — a feat considered impossible.
Did You Know?Career Honours
- NBA Champion 1994, 1995 (Houston Rockets)
- NBA MVP 1994
- Finals MVP 1994, 1995
- Defensive Player of Year 1993, 1994
- All-Star 12x
- All-NBA First Team 3x
- Blocks Leader all-time 2nd (3,830)
- Olympic Gold 1996 (Nigeria)