"Olajuwon" redirects here. For his daughter, see Abi Olajuwon.
Nigerian-American basketball player (born 1963)
Hakeem Olajuwon
Olajuwon in 2015
Personal information
Born
(1963-01-21) January 21, 1963 (age 61) Lagos, Nigeria
Nationality
Nigerian / American
Listed height
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight
255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school
Muslim Teachers College (Lagos, Nigeria)
College
Houston (1981–1984)
NBA draft
1984: 1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career
1984–2002
Position
Center
Number
34
Career history
1984–2001
Houston Rockets
2001–2002
Toronto Raptors
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA champion (1994, 1995)
2× NBA Finals MVP (1994, 1995)
NBA Most Valuable Player (1994)
12× NBA All-Star (1985–1990, 1992–1997)
6× All-NBA First Team (1987–1989, 1993, 1994, 1997)
3× All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996)
3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999)
2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993, 1994)
5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994)
4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996, 1997)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985)
IBM Award (1993)
2× NBA rebounding leader (1989, 1990)
3× NBA blocks leader (1990, 1991, 1993)
No. 34 retired by Houston Rockets
NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1983)
Consensus first-team All-American (1984)
NCAA rebounding leader (1984)
SWC Player of the Year (1984)
First-team All-SWC (1984)
Second-team All-SWC (1983)
No. 34 retired by Houston Cougars
Houston Sports Hall of Fame (2018)
Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1998)
Career NBA statistics
Points
26,946 (21.8 ppg)
Rebounds
13,747 (11.1 rpg)
Blocks
3,830 (3.1 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
1996 Atlanta
Team competition
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (/əˈleɪʒu.ɒn/ə-LAY-zhoo-on;[1]Yoruba:[olaɟuwɔ̃]; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player.[2] From 1984 to 2002, he played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets, and in his last season, the Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. Olajuwon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers, as well as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.[3][4][5]
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, a draft well known for its immense talent, which also included players such as Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. He combined with the 7-foot-4-inch (224 cm) 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 to the Golden State Warriors in 1988, Olajuwon became the Rockets' undisputed leader. He led the league in rebounding twice (1989, 1990) and blocks three times (1990, 1991, 1993).
Despite very nearly being traded during a bitter contract dispute before the 1992–93 season, he remained in Houston. 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, became the first player in NBA history to win the NBA's 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, 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. In 1996, Olajuwon was a member of the Olympic gold medal-winning United States national basketball team, and he was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In October 2021, Olajuwon was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[6] He ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocks (3,830) and is one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double.
^"Olajuwon, Hakeem – definition of Olajuwon, Hakeem in English from the Oxford dictionary". OxfordDictionaries.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^Jones, Jonathan (February 1, 2017). "Hakeem refuses to be shaken by Trump's Muslim ban". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
^Reimold, John (April 13, 2011). "Hakeem Olajuwon Remembered: The Best Center of All Time". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
^Reardon, Logan (June 8, 2021). "Where does Bill Russell rank among best centers in NBA history?". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
^"The game's greatest giants ever". ESPN.com. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
^"NBA 75th Anniversary Team announced". NBA.com. October 21, 2021. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (/əˈleɪʒu.ɒn/ ə-LAY-zhoo-on; Yoruba: [olaɟuwɔ̃]; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional...
Connecticut Sun in the WNBA. Olajuwon is the daughter of former NBA center HakeemOlajuwon. Her name, Abisola Olajuwon, means "born into wealth and loved...
once again with the first overall pick, the Rockets drafted center HakeemOlajuwon, who would become the cornerstone of the most successful period in...
two centers opposing each other: Shaquille O'Neal of the Magic and HakeemOlajuwon of the Rockets. Going into the series the matchup was compared to the...
games to 3 to win the team's first NBA championship. This matchup was HakeemOlajuwon's second NBA Finals appearance, his other being in 1986, when Larry...
eleven total awards) are considered "international players" by the NBA: HakeemOlajuwon of Nigeria, Duncan of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Nash of Canada, Dirk...
wins the award. Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners receive the HakeemOlajuwon Trophy, named after the two-time defensive player of the year winner...
six-time winner), Bill Walton, Magic Johnson (three-time winner), HakeemOlajuwon, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan (two-time...
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, HakeemOlajuwon, Kobe Bryant, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant won the award twice. Olajuwon, Durant, Bryant, and James have...
details the career achievements of Nigerian American basketball player HakeemOlajuwon. Blocks per game: 1990 (4.6), 1991 (3.9), 1993 (4.2) Rebounds per game:...
1-3, with its sole win coming against Turkey by a score of 33-23. HakeemOlajuwon, widely considered to be the best African player of all time, arrived...
Guy V. Lewis and featured future Hall of Fame and NBA Top 50 players HakeemOlajuwon and Clyde Drexler. "Texas' Tallest Fraternity" was especially known...
sweeping the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. HakeemOlajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight time. As of 2023,...
Robinson, Barkley, Johnson, Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Karl Malone, and HakeemOlajuwon also won NBA Most Valuable Player awards during their career; Robinson...
seen since HakeemOlajuwon". ClutchPoints. Retrieved April 10, 2022. "Jalen Green Did Something That Hasn't Been Done Since HakeemOlajuwon Nearly 40 Years...
February 2, 2010 2,000 Blocks – HakeemOlajuwon (29 years, 33 days) on February 23, 1992 3,000 Blocks – HakeemOlajuwon (32 years, 298 days) on November...
2020, becoming only the third player, after Michael Jordan (1988) and HakeemOlajuwon (1994), to win both awards in the same season. In 2021, Antetokounmpo...
won the most block titles, with four. George Johnson, Manute Bol, HakeemOlajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, Theo Ratliff, Dwight Howard, Anthony...
Conference champion New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. HakeemOlajuwon was named NBA Finals MVP. This was also the first time that the Boston...
Alvin Williams, Jerome Williams and Davis, while former NBA MVP centre HakeemOlajuwon was signed to provide Carter with good support. The Raptors appeared...
to an official name change on May 1, 1971. Previously written as Akeem Olajuwon prior to an official spelling change on March 9, 1991. American Basketball...