| rdfs:comment | - Hakeem Olajuwon (born January 21, 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria) is an American retired professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back to back championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 meters), Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. He was nicknamed "The Dream" after he dunked so effortlessly that his college coach said that it "looked like a dream".
- Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born on January 21, 1963) is a retired Nigerian American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Olajuwon played center for the Houston Rockets, whom he led to back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995, and the Toronto Raptors.
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| abstract | - Hakeem Olajuwon (born January 21, 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria) is an American retired professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back to back championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 meters), Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. He was nicknamed "The Dream" after he dunked so effortlessly that his college coach said that it "looked like a dream". Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon traveled from his home country to play basketball for the University of Houston under Guy Lewis. His college career for the Cougars included 3 trips to the Final Four. Liaison was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA Draft that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. He combined with the 7 ft 4 in Ralph Sampson to form a duo dubbed "The Twin Towers". The two led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they lost in 6 games to the Boston Celtics. After Sampson was traded to the Warriors in 1988, Olajuwon became the Rockets' undisputed leader. He led the league in rebounds twice (1989, 1990) and led the league in blocks 3 times (1990, 1991, 1993). Despite very nearly traded during a bitter contract dispute before the 1992-1993 season, he remained in Houston where in 1993-1994, he became the only player in NBA History to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and NBA Finals MVP in the same season. His Rockets won back to back championships against Patrick Ewing's New York Knicks and Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic. Olajuwon was a member of the 1996 Gold Medal Winning USA Basketball team and was selected as one of the 50Greatest Players in NBA History. He ended his career as the NBA's all time leader in blocks, 3,830, and is one of the 4 players to ever record a quadruple-double.
- Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born on January 21, 1963) is a retired Nigerian American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Olajuwon played center for the Houston Rockets, whom he led to back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995, and the Toronto Raptors. Olajuwon traveled from his home country of Nigeria to play collegiately for the University of Houston. Hakeem had a standout career for the Cougars alongside future NBA Hall of Fame player Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, which 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 that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. Olajuwon joined the Houston Rockets and was affectionately known as Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon. He combined with the 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) Ralph Sampson to form what was dubbed the "Twin Towers" duo. 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 undisputed leader of the team. He led the league in rebounding twice (1989, 1990) and shot-blocking three times (1990, 1991, 1993). In the 1993-94 season he became the only player in NBA history to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP), Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. His Rockets won back to back championships against The New York Knicks, avenging his college championship loss to Patrick Ewing, and Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic. In 1996, Olajuwon assisted in the gold medal-winning performance of the United States national team, and was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He ended his career the league's all-time leader in blocked shots. Olajuwon is also the only NBA player ever to end his career in Top 10 for blocks (1st all-time) and steals (7th all-time). Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) but closer to 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) by his own admission, Olajuwon is generally considered one of the five greatest centers to ever play the game, along with Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal. Olajuwon is also a devout Muslim who observed Ramadan throughout his NBA career. He was reverentially nicknamed "Hakeem the Dream" for his grace on and off the court.
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