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Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born '''Akeem Abdul Olajuwon''' on January 21 , 1963 ) is a retired Nigeria n- 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 travelled from his home country of Nigeria to play collegiately for the University Of Houston . After a standout career for the Cougars, which included three trips to the Final Four , Olajuwon was drafted by the Rockets with the first overall selection of the 1984 NBA Draft . Olajuwon 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. 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. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), Olajuwon is generally considered one of the five greatest centers to ever play the game, along with , 2007 . 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. EARLY LIFE Olajuwon was born to Salim and Abike Olajuwon, middle-class, , air date January 3 , 2007 . BASKETBALL CAREER University of Houston and "Phi Slama Jama" Olajuwon emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the , 2006 . While there, his teammates (including Clyde Drexler ) and he formed what was dubbed " Phi Slama Jama ", the first slam-dunking "fraternity", so named because of its well-known above the rim prowess and tendency to frequently Slam Dunk the basketball. men's basketball team, Olajuwon's #34 hangs in Hofheinz Pavilion .]] After Redshirting his freshman year in 1980-81, Olajuwon played sparingly as a Redshirt Freshman in 1981–82, and the Cougars were eliminated in the Final Four by the eventual NCAA champion, North Carolina Tar Heels . Olajuwon sought advice from the coaching staff about how to increase his playing time, and they advised him to work out with local Houston resident and multiple NBA MVP winner, Moses Malone . Malone, who was then a member of the NBA's Houston Rockets , played games every off season with several NBA players at a local recreation center. Olajuwon joined the workouts and went head to head with Malone in several games throughout the summer. Olajuwon credited this experience with rapidly improving his game, saying, "...when you play against a guy like Moses it can't help but make you better." Olajuwon returned from that summer a different player, and in his sophomore and junior years he helped the Cougars advance to consecutive , 2007 . even though he played for the losing team in the final game. He is, to date, the last player from a losing side to be bestowed this honor. Drexler departed for the NBA in 1983, leaving Olajuwon the lone star on the team. After the 1983–84 season, Olajuwon debated whether to stay in college or declare early for the NBA draft. At that time (before the , 2002 , accessed March 9 , 2007 . Houston Rockets Twin Towers The Rockets had immediate success during Olajuwon's rookie season as their win-loss record improved from 29–53 in the , 2007 . 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. Olajuwon averaged 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game during his second pro season (1985–86). The Rockets finished 51–31, and advanced all the way to the , 2007 . Mid-career During the , 2007 . Nevertheless, the Rockets were eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 3–1. The , 2007 . becoming only the third player to do so. He also scored a career-high 52 points against the Denver Nuggets on 4/19/1990. The 1990-91 Season saw a rebound in the Rockets' record as they finished with a record of 52–30 under NBA Coach Of The Year Don Chaney . Olajuwon averaged 21.8 points per game in 1990-91, but due to an injury to his eyesocket caused by an elbow from Bill Cartwright , did not play in enough games (56) to qualify for the rebounding title. Otherwise, he would have won it for a third consecutive year as he averaged 13.8 a game (league leader Robinson averaged 13.0 rpg). He did, however, average a league-leading 3.95 Blocks per game. However, the enthusiasm from the Rockets' resurgent season was seriously dampened by their playoff sweep at the hands of the LA Lakers. The 1991-92 Season was a low point for the Rockets during Olajuwon's tenure. They finished 42-40, and missed the playoffs for the first time in Olajuwon's career. Despite his usual strong numbers, he could not lift his team out of mediocrity. Since making the Finals in 1986, 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. The Rockets began the 1992-93 Season with a new sense of optimism after a full training camp under new coach Rudy Tomjanovich . Olajuwon set a new career high of 3.5 Assists per game. This willingness to pass the ball more actually increased his scoring, as it made it harder for opposing teams to double and triple-team him. Olajuwon set a new career high with 26.1 Points per game to go along with his usual stellar rebounding and shotblocking. The Rockets set a new franchise record with 55 wins, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, pushing the Seattle SuperSonics to a seventh game before losing in overtime 103-100. In stark contrast to the previous year, the Rockets entered the 1993–94 season as a team on the rise. They had a good core of young players and tough veterans with a leader in Olajuwon who seemed to be entering his prime. Championship years Olajuwon gained a reputation of being a great , 2007 . From the 1989–90 season to the 1995–96 season, when both Olajuwon and Robinson were considered to be in their primes, in their 30 head–to–head matchups Olajuwon averaged 26.3 ppg, shooting 47.6% from the field. Robinson averaged 22.1 ppg, at 46.8% from the field. Olajuwon's Rockets finally won a championship during the , 2007 . For his efforts Olajuwon was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player . Olajuwon was at the pinnacle of his career. In that year, he became the only player in , 2007 . Despite a slow start by the team and the erratic behavior displayed by the team's starting shooting guard Vernon Maxwell—which resulted in not only "Mad Max"'s exile from the team, but also Olajuwon's former , 2007 . Over the course of two seasons Olajuwon had cemented his place in history by leading his team to victory in playoff series against teams led by three centers who are members of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team . This is made even more impressive by the fact that none of these players was considered on the downside of their playing careers during this period. In addition, Olajuwon did not have an All–Star teammate to aide him during this period. Post-championship period The Rockets' two-year championship run ended when they were eliminated in the second round of the 1996 NBA Playoffs by the eventual Western Conference Champion , 2007 . After the season Pippen was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers , leaving the aging Olajuwon and Barkley to lead the team. After the 1993 season, Olajuwon became a naturalized American citizen. This enabled him to be a part of the Dream Team 3 , the famed U.S. men's basketball team that went on to win the gold medal during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Toronto Raptors Houston began to rebuild, bringing in young guards , 2007 . Olajuwon 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 played his final NBA season, averaging career lows of 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, before retiring. Olajuwon retired as the all–time league leader in total blocked shots with 3,830, although shot blocking did not become an official statistic until the 1973-74 NBA Season . Shortly after his retirement, his #34 jersey was retired by the Rockets. PLAYER PROFILE Olajuwon was a legitimate two-way threat, being effective on both ends of the floor. On his own half of the hardwood, he was a standout defender (he was a two-time NBA Defensive Player Of The Year winner) and thwarted opponents with his shot-blocking ability, averaging 3.09 blocks per game in his career. He was quick enough to defend guards at the perimeter in clutch situations and was also an excellent ball-thief, averaging 1.75 steals per game in his career. Olajuwon was also a prolific Rebound er, averaging 11.1 rebounds per game in his career, and leading the league in rebounding twice. On offense, Olajuwon was famous for his soft touch around the basket and his , 1994 , accessed March 5 , 2007 . He is also one of only four players to have recorded a Quadruple-double , illustrating His Versatility . Beyond statistics, Olajuwon was also known to step up his game in Clutch moments. He was twice named NBA Finals MVP and he outplayed the best centers (i.e. David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal or Patrick Ewing) of his generation at clutch times in head-to-head matchups. ''Dream Shake'' :"The best footwork I’ve ever seen from a big man" ::— Pete Newell Offensively, Olajuwon established himself as a great finesse player, 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. Shaquille O'Neal stated: "Hakeem has five moves then four countermoves, that gives him 20 moves." The Dream Shake made Olajuwon near-unguardable for most of his career, because "big men" were too slow and guards too weak to stop him. Olajuwon himself traced the move back to the soccer playing days of his youth, "The Dream Shake was actually one of my soccer moves which I translated to basketball. 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." 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 and Rasheed Wallace (earlier in his career), whose moves have less variety and include some perimeter action. One particularly standout Dream Shake came in the 1995 Western Conference playoff series against rival David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, who was voted the season MVP. With Robinson guarding him, Olajuwon crossed over from his right hand to his left, drove to the basket, and faked a layup. Robinson, who was an excellent defender, kept up with Olajuwon and did not fall for the fake, remaining planted. However, Olajuwon spun counterclockwise and faked another layup. Robinson took the bait this time and jumped to block the shot. With Robinson caught in the air, Olajuwon performed an up-and-under move, scoring an easy basket.Murohy, Michael. The Dream Shake/Legendary, elusive move earns place in history , ''Houston Chronicle'', May 28 , 1995 , accessed March 16 , 2007 . PERSONAL LIFE Olajuwon married his current wife Dalia Asafi on , 2007 . In addition to English , Olajuwon is fluent in many other languages, such as French , Arabic , and the Nigerian languages of Yoruba, Igbo and Ekiti .Harris, Nolte, and Kirsch. pg. 345 "Olajuwon" translates to "always being on top" in Yoruba . With co-author Peter Knobler, Olajuwon wrote his autobiography, ''Living the Dream'', published in 1996. Olajuwon, who endorsed a sneaker made by Spalding which retailed for $35, is one of the very few known players in any professional sport to endorse a sneaker not from , 2007 . 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 / October 1994 , accessed March 16 , 2007 . He is a hero to many Muslim youth throughout the United States. POST-NBA LIFE Olajuwon played for 20 consecutive seasons in the Houston area, first collegiately for the , 2006 , accessed January 3 , 2007 . Since his career ended Olajuwon spends most of his time in Jordan where he moved with his family to pursue Islamic studies. He returns once or twice a year to visit his friends and former teammates such as Sam Cassell and Robert Horry , whose careers he follows. He keeps in regular phone contact with former Cougars and Rockets teammate Clyde Drexler . In the 2006 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 about how the league was becoming more guard-oriented and whether 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."Blinebury, Fran. Here's How it Done , ''Houston Chronicle'', , 2007 , accessed May 29 , 2007 . He also runs the camp for free. Olajuwon will be eligible for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame in 2008 . It is considered a foregone conclusion that he will be inducted, as every member of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players In NBA History list who is eligible has been inducted. ACCOLADES
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