Authentic Hakeem Olajuwon Rockets hakeem Rockets jerseys are at the official online store of the National Basketball Association. We have the Official Rockets. Hakeem Olajuwon Rockets jerseys, tees, and more are at the Official Online Store of the NBA. Find the latest in Hakeem Olajuwon merchandise and memorabilia. This Houston Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon Icon Edition Jersey has the styling, material, and graphics youufffdufffdll be proud to wear. Funko Pop! NBA: Legends - Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets Home) in Figures.
Is Hakeem Olajuwon a billionaire? Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the most significant centers in NBA history, has also made a name for himself as a savvy real estate investor. With a net worth estimated at $300 million, Olajuwon has significantly increased his wealth through strategic real estate investments.
He led the Rockets to a second championship the following year and was again named finals MVP. His production slipped because of injuries and age in the late 1990s, and in 2001 he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, where he played only one season before retiring in 2002.What NBA teams did Hakeem play for? In college he was known as Akeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon left college after his junior year and was selected as the first overall pick of the 1984 draft by the Houston Rockets. He would go on to play for 17 years with the Rockets, before ending his career with a single season with the Toronto Raptors.
Did LeBron work with Hakeem? However, Olajuwon is also known for giving back to the sport of basketball as a whole — most frequently with teaching sessions for modern players aimed at improving post play and footwork. One of his most high-profile pupils was LeBron James, who came to Texas to work with Olajuwon in the summer of 2011.
Why was Hakeem traded to Raptors? Basically, once Hakeem told Rockets' management to break off negotiations, Houston agreed to this trade to allow Hakeem to receive maximum money from the Raptors. Seventeen years of playing for one organization finally allowed Hakeem to “explore” other teams, cities, and situations.
Why did the Rockets trade Hakeem? The first reason is that Hakeem Olajuwon wanted to get a bigger contract. The Houston Rockets offered him a $13 million deal (I can't remember over how many years). The Toronto Raptors however, paid him $17 million, and were still paying him the next 2 years after he retired.
When did Hakeem leave the Rockets? 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.
Who is the richest ex basketball? 1. Michael Jordan: Billionaire Icon and Basketball Phenom. Michael Jordan, often hailed as the greatest basketball player of all time, is not just a sports legend but also a financial heavyweight.
And also one of the wealthiest. After his retirement from the NBA in 2002, Olajuwon embarked on a highly successful entrepreneurial career and also got involved in the Houston property market, where he made most of his hefty fortune, per Sportskeeda.What is Hakeem Olajuwon famous for? Hakeem Olajuwon is a two-time NBA champion, a former MVP and widely considered one of the greatest centers ever. In 1993-94, Hakeem Olajuwon became the first player to be named MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season.
When did Hakeem Olajuwon leave the Rockets? 2002
Why is Hakeem Olajuwon so rich? Hakeem Olajuwon, 60: US$300 million Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born January 21, 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria; pronounced ah-KEEM ah-LAH-zhoo-wahn), formerly Akeem Olajuwon, is a retired Nigerian-American basketball player. He is considered by some to be the greatest defensive player in basketball history.
Did Hakeem retire? 2002Hakeem Olajuwon / Career end
Why did Hakeem Olajuwon retire? Olajuwon averaged career lows of 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in what would be his final season in the NBA, as he decided to retire in the fall of 2002, due to a back injury.
Why did Hakeem Olajuwon leave the Rockets? On August 2, 2001, after refusing a $13 million deal with the Rockets, Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors for draft picks (the highest of which was used by Houston to draft Boštjan Nachbar at #15 in the 2002 NBA draft), with the player having a three-year contract that would give him $18 million.
Why did Hakeem retire? In his first game with the Raptors, he scored 11 points in just 22 minutes of playing time against the Magic. Olajuwon averaged career lows of 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in what would be his final season in the NBA, as he decided to retire in the fall of 2002, due to a back injury.
AST : Anfernee Hardaway Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction. Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter. Do you have a sports website. Or write about sports. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos.
Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos. All rights reserved. Magic Finals Finals. East Conf 1st Round Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets Atlanta Hawks vs. Indiana Pacers Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks Boston Celtics vs. Utah Jazz Los Angeles Lakers vs. Rockets hakeem Phoenix Suns Denver Nuggets vs. New York Knicks Chicago Bulls vs. Phoenix Suns Los Angeles Lakers vs.
Orlando Magic. Orlando Magic Reg. Season Summary. O'Neal -ORL Olajuwon -HOU Playoff Series. Four Factors. Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Advanced Stats. At that time, before the NBA draft lottery was introduced in , the first pick was awarded by coin flip.
Olajuwon recalled: "I really believed that Houston was going to win the coin flip and pick the first draft choice, and I really wanted to play in Houston so I had to make that decision to leave early. Olajuwon was selected first overall by the Rockets in the NBA draft. In his autobiography Living the Dream , Olajuwon mentions an intriguing draft trade offered to the Rockets that would have sent Clyde Drexler and the number two pick in the NBA draft from Portland in exchange for Ralph Sampson.
Sportswriter Sam Smith speculates that such a trade "would have changed league history and maybe the entire Michael Jordan legend. The Rockets had immediate success during Olajuwon's rookie season, as their win—loss record improved from a record in —84 to 48—34 in — Olajuwon averaged The Rockets won the series fairly easily, four games to one, shocking the sports world and landing Olajuwon on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Olajuwon scored 75 points in victories in games three and four, and after the series Lakers coach Pat Riley remarked "We tried everything. We put four bodies on him. We helped from different angles. He's just a great player. During the —88 season , Sampson who was struggling with knee injuries that would eventually end his career prematurely was traded to the Golden State Warriors.
The —89 season was Olajuwon's first full season as the Rockets' undisputed leader. This change also coincided with the hiring of new coach Don Chaney. The Rockets ended the regular season with a record of 45—37, [23] and Olajuwon finished the season as the league leader in rebounds This performance was consistent with his averages of The —90 season was a disappointment for the Rockets.
They finished the season with a 41—41 record, [23] and though they made the playoffs, were eliminated in four games by Los Angeles. Olajuwon put up one of the most productive defensive seasons by an interior player in the history of the NBA. He won the NBA rebounding crown In doing so he joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton as the only players in NBA history at that point to lead the league in rebounding and shot-blocking in the same season.
Otherwise, he would have won it for a third consecutive year, averaging He also averaged a league-leading 3. The following season was a low point for the Rockets during Olajuwon's tenure. They finished 42—40, [23] and missed the playoffs for the first time in Olajuwon's career.
He missed two weeks early in the season due to an accelerated heartbeat. Since making the Finals in , the Rockets had made the playoffs five times, but their record in those playoff series was 1—5 and they were eliminated in the first round four times. Following the season, Olajuwon requested a trade in part because of his bad contract; his salary was considerably low for a top center, and his contract specifically forbade re-negotiation.
He felt the Rockets had cut corners at every turn, and were more concerned with the bottom line than winning. Nonetheless, he was not traded and the Rockets began the season with a new coach, Rudy Tomjanovich. Olajuwon improved his passing in —93, [39] setting a new career-high of 3. Olajuwon set a new career-high with Olajuwon gained a reputation as a clutch performer and as one of the top centers in history based on his performances in the —94 and —95 seasons.
Olajuwon led the Rockets to a championship in the NBA Finals in a seven-game series against the New York Knicks , the team of one of Olajuwon's perennial rivals since his collegiate days, Patrick Ewing. After being down 2—1, the Knicks took a 3—2 lead into Game 6. The Rockets were defending an 86—84 lead when in the last second, Knicks guard John Starks who had already scored 27 points went up for what would have been a Finals-winning three.
Olajuwon pulled off a clutch play by blocking the shot as time expired. Olajuwon dominated Ewing in their head—to—head match-up, outscoring him in every game of the series and averaging Olajuwon was at the pinnacle of his career. On December 1, , Olajuwon recorded a triple-double 37 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in a — win over the Golden State Warriors.
You don't solve Hakeem. Olajuwon outscored O'Neal in every game, [45] scoring more than 30 points in each and raising his regular-season rate by five while O'Neal's production dropped by one. Michael Jordan had returned from an month hiatus in March , and his Chicago Bulls dominated the league for the next three years — The Rockets posted a 57—win season in —97 season when they added Charles Barkley to their roster.
They started the season 21—2, [54] but lost the Western Conference Finals in six games to the Utah Jazz. After averaging In —99 the Rockets acquired veteran All-Star Scottie Pippen and finished 31—19 in the lockout -shortened regular season. Olajuwon's scoring production rose to In his first game with the Raptors, he scored 11 points in just 22 minutes of playing time against the Magic.
Shortly after his retirement, his No. For his NBA career, Olajuwon averaged This created some problems when he tried to play for the United States men's national basketball team initially. Olajuwon was ineligible for selection to the " Dream Team " as he hadn't become a US citizen. Dallas mavericks vs timberwolves prediction Olajuwon became a naturalized American citizen on April 2, The team went on to win the gold medal in Atlanta.
He played 7 out of the 8 games and started 2. He averaged 5 points and 3. If I had to pick a center [for an all-time best team], I would take Olajuwon. That leaves out Shaq, Patrick Ewing. It leaves out Wilt Chamberlain. It leaves out a lot of people. And the reason I would take Olajuwon is very simple: he is so versatile because of what he can give you from that position.
It's not just his scoring, not just his rebounding or not just his blocked shots. People don't realize he was in the top seven [in NBA history] in steals. He always made great decisions on the court. For all facets of the game, I have to give it to him. Olajuwon was highly skilled as both an offensive and defensive player. On defense, his rare combination of quickness and strength allowed him to guard a wide range of players effectively.
He was noted for both his outstanding shot-blocking ability and his unique talent for a frontcourt player for stealing the ball. Olajuwon is the only player in NBA history to record more than blocks and steals in the same season. He averaged 3. On offense, Olajuwon was famous for his deft shooting touch around the basket and his nimble footwork in the low post.
With the ball, Hakeem displayed a vast array of fakes and spin moves, highlighted in his signature "Dream Shake" see below. He was a prolific scorer, averaging Olajuwon established himself as an unusually skilled offensive player for a big man, perfecting a set of fakes and spin moves that became known as his trademark Dream Shake.
Executed with uncanny speed and power, they are still regarded as the pinnacle of "big man" footwork. It would accomplish one of three things: one, to misdirect the opponent and make him go the opposite way; two, to freeze the opponent and leave him devastated in his tracks; three, to shake off the opponent and giving him no chance to contest the shot.
With David Robinson guarding him, Olajuwon performed a cross-over, drove to the basket and faked a layup. Robinson, an excellent defender, kept up with Olajuwon and remained planted. Olajuwon spun counterclockwise and faked a jump shot. With Robinson in the air, Olajuwon performed an up-and-under move and made an easy layup.
Olajuwon has referred to basketball as a science, and described his signature move in vivid detail: "When the point guard throws me the ball, I jump to get the ball. Rockets hakeem But this jump is the set-up for the second move, the baseline move. I call it the 'touch landing. Defenders say 'Wow, he's quick,' but they don't know that where I'm going is predetermined. He's basing it on quickness, but the jump is to set him up.
Before I come down, I make my move. When you jump, you turn as you land. The defender can't react because he's waiting for you to come down to defend you. Now, the first time when you showed that quickness, he has to react to that quickness, so you can fake baseline and go the other way with your jump hook.
All this is part of the Dream Shake. The Dream Shake is you dribble and then you jump; now you don't have a pivot foot. When I dribble I move it so when I come here, I jump. By jumping, I don't have a pivot foot now. I dribble so now I can use either foot. I can go this way or this way. So he's frozen, he doesn't know which way I'm going to go.
That is the shake. You put him in the mix and you jump stop and now you have choice of pivot foot. He doesn't know where you're gonna turn and when. Olajuwon married Dalia Asafi on August 8, , in Houston. She can't. So kids steal these shoes from stores and from other kids. Sometimes they kill for them. Attending college was also an important priority to Olajuwon.
At the University of Houston, Olajuwon was a physical education major. In Olajuwon's college career and early years in the NBA, he was often undisciplined, talking back to officials, getting in minor fights with other players and amassing technical fouls. Later, Olajuwon took an active interest in spirituality, [75] becoming a more devout Muslim.
On March 9, , he altered his name from Akeem to the more conventional spelling of Hakeem, saying, "I'm not changing the spelling of my name, I'm correcting it". At home, at the mosque I would read it in airplanes, before games and after them. I was soaking up the faith and learning new meanings each time I turned a page.
I didn't dabble in the faith, I gave myself over to it. Olajuwon was noted as sometimes playing better during the month of Ramadan, and in he was named NBA Player of the Month in February, even though Ramadan began on February 1 of that year. Olajuwon played for 20 consecutive seasons in Houston, first collegiately for the University of Houston Cougars and then professionally with the Houston Rockets.
He buys in cash-only purchases, as it is against Islamic law to pay interest. In the NBA offseason, Olajuwon opened his first Big Man Camp, where he teaches young frontcourt players the finer points of playing in the post. While Olajuwon never expressed an interest in coaching a team, he wishes to give back to the game by helping younger players. When asked whether the league was becoming more guard-oriented and big men were being de-emphasized, Olajuwon responded, "For a big man who is just big, maybe.
But not if you play with speed, with agility. It will always be a big man's game if the big man plays the right way. On defense, the big man can rebound and block shots. On offense, he draws double-teams and creates opportunities. He can add so much, make it easier for the entire team. Olajuwon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the class of On April 10, , the Rockets unveiled a sculpture in honor of him outside the Toyota Center.
Olajuwon attended the NBA draft to bid farewell to retiring commissioner David Stern as Stern made his announcement for the final pick of the first round. Olajuwon was the first pick announced by Stern back in Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects.
Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote. This is the latest accepted revision , reviewed on 12 April Nigerian-American basketball player born Main article: List of career achievements by Hakeem Olajuwon. Archived from the original on February 3, Retrieved January 20, Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 13, Retrieved July 10, Bleacher Report.
Archived from the original on August 7, Retrieved August 7, NBC Sports. Archived from the original on April 5, March 6, Archived from the original on April 15, October 21, Archived from the original on October 25, Retrieved March 16, Retrieved January 3, Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, Archived December 13, , at the Wayback Machine.
Retrieved January 2, Spokane Chronicle. Retrieved June 22, NBA TV. March 1, Foreign-born players migrating to U. College Basketball at Sports-Reference. Archived from the original on July 29, Retrieved February 9,