Hakeem Olajuwon

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. Hakeem Olajuwon travelled all the way from his home country of Nigeria to play basketball in the United States. He won two National Basketball Association (NBA) championships with the Houston Rockets. During his career, he was nicknamed "The Dream", often extended to "Hakeem the Dream", due to his grace both on and off the court. His best move was called the "Dream Shake". He also called himself "Little Moses" after one of his biggest idols, Moses Malone. He played for the Houston Rockets while Olajuwon played for the University of Houston Cougars men's basketball team.

Hakeem Olajuwon

Olajuwon signing autographs
Personal information
Born	(1963-01-21) January 21, 1963 Lagos, Nigeria
Nationality	Nigerian / American
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
College	Houston (1981–1984)
NBA Draft	1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Pro career	1984–2002
Career history
1984–2001	Houston Rockets
2001–2002	Toronto Raptors
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA champion (1994, 1995) 2× NBA Finals MVP (1994, 1995) NBA Most Valuable Player (1994) 12× NBA All-Star (1985–1990, 1992–1997) 6× All-NBA First Team (1987–1989, 1993, 1994, 1997) 3× All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996) 3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999) 2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993, 1994) 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994) 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996, 1997) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985) 2× NBA rebounding leader (1989, 1990) 3× NBA blocks leader (1990, 1991, 1993) No. 34 retired by Houston Rockets NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team Consensus first-team All-American (1984) NCAA rebounding leader (1984) SWC Player of the Year (1984) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1983) No. 34 retired by University of Houston
Career NBA statistics
Points	26,946 (21.8 ppg)
Rebounds	13,747 (11.1 rpg)
Blocks	3,830 (3.1 bpg)
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals Men's basketball Competitor for United States Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Team competition

Hakeem Olajuwon Media

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  One of only five numbers retired by the University of Houston men's basketball team, Olajuwon's No. 34 hangs in Fertitta Center.

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  Olajuwon (right) defending Jawann Oldham on November 25, 1986

Other websites

• Hakeem Olajuwon's NBA legends profile