Hakeem Olajuwon

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hakeem Olajuwon's journey from Lagos, Nigeria, to basketball immortality began when he was born to Salim and Abike Olajuwon, working-class Yoruba owners of a cement business. He was the third of eight children. During 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 did not play basketball until the age of 15 in high school. After emigrating from Nigeria to play at the University of Houston under coach Guy Lewis, he was nicknamed 'the Dream' after his college coach said his dunks 'looked like a dream.' He and his teammates, including Clyde Drexler, formed 'Phi Slama Jama.' In the NBA, 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, and in the 1993–94 season, he became and remains the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. His Olympic moment came in 1996, when he was a member of the gold medal-winning United States national team.

In Their Own Story

The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta marked Hakeem Olajuwon's Olympic debut. As a member of the U.S. men's basketball team, he helped secure a gold medal. The team was dominant, though the source does not specify the margin of victory. Olajuwon ended his NBA career as the league's all-time leader in blocks (3,830), is one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double, and is the all-time leader in 5x5 games with six. He was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2016. In October 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Reader's Guide

Hakeem Olajuwon's Olympic participation was in 1996, where he played for the U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team. His playing style was shaped by his youth as a soccer goalkeeper, giving him footwork and agility that contributed to his shot-blocking ability. In the NBA, he led the league in rebounding twice (1989, 1990) and blocks three times (1990, 1991, 1993). He was drafted first overall by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA draft. His college career at the University of Houston included three trips to the Final Four. He was voted the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1983 and named a consensus first-team All-American in 1984. His legacy includes being the first non-American to win NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, and the only player to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season.

Did You Know?

• Hakeem Olajuwon was a soccer goalkeeper during his youth, which helped give him the footwork and agility for basketball.
• He did not play basketball until the age of 15 in high school.
• He is the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season (1993–94).
• Olajuwon ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocks with 3,830.
• He is one of four NBA players to record a quadruple-double and is the all-time leader in 5x5 games with six.