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Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born '''Akeem Abdul Olajuwon''' on January 21 , 1963 in Lagos , Nigeria ) is a former professional Basketball player whose glory days were with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association . Listed at 2.13 m (7 ft) but appearing closer to 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in), Olajuwon was arguably one of the best Center s to ever play, along with George Mikan , Bill Russell , Wilt Chamberlain , Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Patrick Ewing , Shaquille O'Neal , and David Robinson . He was affectionately called "Hakeem the Dream" for his grace on and off the court. BASKETBALL CAREER University of Houston and "Phi Slamma Jamma" Of Yoruba descent, Olajuwon came from Nigeria, and played at the University Of Houston , teaming with Clyde Drexler to form Phi Slamma Jamma . He played with the name "Akeem" on the back of his jersey, later changed to "Hakeem". Olajuwon helped the Cougars advanced to consecutive NCAA Championship Games , where they fell to North Carolina State in 1983 and Georgetown in 1984. Drexler was drafted in 1983, leaving Olajuwon alone on the team. He was considered the top amateur prospect in the summer of 1984 over fellow collegians and future NBA stars Michael Jordan , Charles Barkley and John Stockton , and was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA Draft . In the days before the NBA Draft Lottery , first pick was awarded by coin flip, and a lucky toss placed Houston ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers . Houston Rockets Twin Towers The Rockets had immediate success during Olajuwon's rookie season as he teamed with the 1984 Rookie of the Year Ralph Sampson to form the original NBA " Twin Towers " duo. They took Houston to the Finals in 1986 where they succumbed to the Boston Celtics . Olajuwon averaged 20.6 points, 11.9 Rebounds and 2.68 Blocks in his rookie season. He finished as runner-up to Michael Jordan in the 1985 Rookie Of The Year voting, and was the only other rookie to receive any votes. Transition After losing Sampson to injury and then to trade, the Rockets struggled, though Olajuwon himself thrived. He established himself as a perennial lock for the All-NBA First team and became a Naturalized Citizen of the United States in 1993. Olajuwon established himself as great finesse player, perfecting a set of fakes and spin moves that became known as his trademark ''Dream Shake.'' Adding to dazzling footwork was a soft touch around the basket. He developed intense rivalries with some of the other great centers of that era, especially Patrick Ewing and David Robinson, as well as his openly hated rival Karl Malone . Championship years Olajuwon gained a reputation of being a great clutch performer and along with David Robinson was given general acclaim as the greatest centers of their generation. He often outplayed centers such as, Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and O'Neal, and other defensive stalwarts like Dennis Rodman or Malone. His most difficult battles were with his I-10 rival David Robinson where Olajuwon would normally outplay Robinson in the stat sheets {Link without Title} . Olajuwon's Rockets finally won the NBA championship in 1994, in an epic seven-game series against the since the Houston Oilers won the AFL championship in 1961 . Hakeem was at the pinnacle of his career. In that year, he became the only player in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. Olajuwon's fame was well-deserved, as the Rockets team was probably one of the most lightly-loaded championship teams of all time. Neither of all the other starters Robert Horry , Otis Thorpe , Vernon Maxwell and Kenny Smith nor Sixth Man Sam Cassell were considered stars, documented by the fact that Hakeem was the only Rockets All-Star player that year {Link without Title} . The Rockets won the title again in 1995, again by stellar play of Olajuwon. Most notoriously, in , led by a young Shaquille O'Neal with 4-0. The whole basketball world had waited for the matchup of the two great centers, and it was Olajuwon who outscored O'Neal 33-28 PPG, raising his own regular-season PPG rate by a full 5 points whereas O'Neal's production dropped by one As a side note, Hakeem was again the only All-Star Rockets player [http://www.basketball-reference.com/allstar/NBA_1995.html . Post-championship period The Rockets glory ended as . Toronto Raptors Houston began to rebuild, bringing in young guards Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis , the 2000 Co-Rookie of the Year. On August 8 , 2001, Hakeem was traded to the Toronto Raptors for draft picks (the highest of which was used by Houston to draft Bostjan Nachbar at #15 in the 2002 NBA Draft), where he would play his final NBA season, averaging career lows of 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game before retiring as one of the greatest pivots of all time. Shortly after his retirement, his #34 jersey was retired by the Rockets. MUSLIM FAITH 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 such as Magic Johnson, and amassing personal fouls. Olajuwon took an active interest in spirituality, becoming a devout Muslim . In March 9 , 1991, he altered his name to the proper Arabic spelling, saying, "I'm not changing the spelling of my name, I'm correcting it". Olajuwon was still recognized as one of the league's elite Center s despite his strict observance (e.g., fasting during daylight hours) of Ramadan , which occurred during the NBA season during virtually all of his career and is usually a handicap for Muslim athletes. He also gained recognition for his sportsmanship and his charitable pursuits. He became known as one of the sports world's most intelligent athletes, as he spoke several languages and displayed an appreciation of fine art. Hakeem would take his reputation as one of the NBA's best role models into his retirement. ACCOLADES
THE DREAM SHAKE Olajuwon was known for his ''Dream Shake'', a set of faking and spinning moves in the post. Executed with uncanny speed and power, they are still regarded as the pinnacle of "big man" footwork. Shaquille O'Neal stated: "Hakeem has five moves and four countermoves, that gives him 20 moves." {Link without Title} The Dream Shake made Hakeem near-unguardable for most of his career, because "big men" were too slow and guards too weak to stop him. The Dream Shake was extremely difficult to defend, much like the Sky Hook of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar . The Dream Shake's closest modern equivalent comes from Kevin Garnett , whose moves have less variety and include some perimeter action. One particularly notorious Dream Shake came in the 1995 Western Conference playoff series against rival David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, who would be voted the season MVP. With Robinson guarding him, Olajuwon drove to the basket from the left side He faked a layup, causing Robinson to stand planted, and then faked another layup. Robinson took the bait and jumped up as high as he could, getting caught completely prone in the air as Hakeem blew past him, scoring an easy basket. Beyond this, Olajuwon could "put the ball on the floor" and dribble with point guard quickness. His combination of quickness and footwork remain unmatched in NBA history for a "big man." One particular display of this was during a finals match against the New York Knicks. Olajuwon was being defended by Patrick Ewing. Olajuwon put the ball on the floor with one dribble wide to the right, spun around to the left and in so doing left Ewing standing up, completing the move with a left-handed slam dunk over a mystified and befuddled Ewing. No 7-footer before or since put together so many elements, ball control, footwork, power...later in that series, he ran the floor and, with no one to guard him, yet pulled up for a three pointer and hit it. TRIVIA
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