Hakeem Olajuwon Biography

Hakeem Olajuwon, born January 21, 1963, is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player who has played 18 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Houston Rockets. He has won two NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards, two NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors, and was named the 1994 NBA Most Valuable Player. Olajuwon was selected first overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, a draft that also included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. The Rockets' 1994 championship victory over the New York Knicks marked the first in franchise history, with Olajuwon overcoming a prior college loss to Patrick Ewing. The following year, Olajuwon led the Rockets to a 4-game sweep of Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals. He was a member of the 1996 Olympic gold medal-winning United States national basketball team and was later selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In October 2021, Olajuwon was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, honoring him as one of the league's greatest players of all time.