Olajuwon emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the University of Houston under Cougars coach Guy Lewis. All the other sports just become obsolete." College career That immediately I pick up the game and, you know, realize that this is the life for me. ĭespite early struggles, Olajuwon said: "Basketball is something that is so unique. When redirected by staff not to use the chair, Hakeem could initially not dunk the basketball. Olajuwon then tried to stand on the chair himself. It has been said that a coach in Nigeria once asked him to dunk and demonstrated while standing on a chair. Olajuwon did not play basketball until the age of 15 in high school, when he entered a local tournament while at the Muslim Teachers College in Lagos, Nigeria. I grew up in an environment at schools where there were all different types of people." ĭuring his youth, Olajuwon was a soccer goalkeeper, which helped give him the footwork and agility to balance his size and strength in basketball, and also contributed to his shot-blocking ability. He credits his parents with instilling virtues of hard work and discipline into him and his siblings: "They taught us to be honest, work hard, respect our elders, and believe in ourselves." Olajuwon has expressed displeasure at his childhood in Nigeria being characterized as backward. Olajuwon was born to Salim and Abike Olajuwon, working-class Yoruba owners of a cement business in Lagos, Nigeria. 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. 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. 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. ![]() 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. 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. His Rockets won back-to-back championships. 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. He led the league in rebounding twice (1989, 1990) and blocks three times (1990, 1991, 1993).ĭespite very nearly being traded during a bitter contract dispute before the 1992–93 season, he remained in Houston. After Sampson was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 1988, Olajuwon became the Rockets' undisputed leader. ![]() The two led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. He combined with the 7-foot-4-inch (224 cm) Ralph Sampson to form a duo dubbed the "Twin Towers". 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. His college career for the Cougars included three trips to the Final Four. īorn in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon traveled from his home country to play for the University of Houston under head coach Guy Lewis. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest centers, as well as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Olajuwon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 19. 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. ![]() ɒ n/ ə- LAY-zhoo-on Yoruba: born January 21, 1963), nicknamed " the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. Consensus first-team All-American ( 1984).NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player ( 1983).2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year ( 1993, 1994).
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