The Number One Pick
After starring at the University of Houston, Hakeem Olajuwon stayed right where he had made his name when the Houston Rockets selected him with the first overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft.
Yes, that was the same draft that included Michael Jordan.
Jordan going third has become one of the most famous draft stories in sports history, but nobody looks back at Houston taking Hakeem first and wonders what they were thinking. Olajuwon became the greatest player in Rockets history and eventually delivered the franchise its first two championships.
The GOAT of Defense
Hakeem Olajuwon is the greatest defensive player in NBA history.
Start with the number that immediately jumps off the page: 3,830 career blocks. Nobody in NBA history has more.
But what really separates Hakeem is what comes next.
2,162 career steals.
Hakeem was a 6’11” center who finished with more than 2,000 steals. He wasn’t just waiting around the rim to block shots. His hands were incredibly quick, his anticipation was elite and he had the mobility to make plays all over the floor.
He remains the only player in NBA history to record at least 3,000 blocks and 2,000 steals.
That combination is ridiculous. Hakeem could protect the rim at an all-time level while creating turnovers at a rate you would never expect from someone his size. Add his ability to move his feet and defend without being limited to the paint, and there wasn’t an obvious weakness to attack.
He won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and made nine All-Defensive teams, but even those accolades don’t completely explain how special he was defensively.
The numbers do.
No player has ever blocked more shots. No other player has combined 3,000 blocks with 2,000 steals.
For me, that’s the GOAT of defense.
The Dream Shake
And Hakeem wasn’t some defensive specialist who needed everyone else to handle the scoring.
He had the Dream Shake.
Hakeem had some of the greatest footwork basketball has ever seen. Spins, fakes, pivots, counters and fadeaways made him nearly impossible to predict in the post. Defenders could know exactly what he wanted to do and still end up moving in the wrong direction.
It was a style completely associated with him. You didn’t need to see the name on the jersey to know when Hakeem had a defender caught in the Dream Shake.
Jordan Left. Hakeem Took Over.
Then Michael Jordan stepped away from basketball.
After Jordan and the Bulls had won three straight championships, the rest of the NBA suddenly saw an opportunity. The man who had controlled the league was gone, and for the first time in years, the championship looked completely wide open.
Well, guess not. Hakeem took over.
The 1993-94 season became the year of The Dream. Hakeem won MVP and Defensive Player of the Year before leading Houston through the playoffs and defeating the New York Knicks in seven games in the NBA Finals. He added Finals MVP, becoming the first player in NBA history to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season.
Back-to-Back
Then Houston came back the following year and did it again.
The Rockets entered the 1995 playoffs as the sixth seed, but seeding didn’t matter when Hakeem reached another level. Houston eventually reached the NBA Finals against a young Orlando Magic team led by Shaquille O’Neal and swept them 4-0.
Hakeem had gone from waiting behind Jordan’s dynasty to owning the two seasons immediately following Jordan’s departure.
Two seasons. Two championships. Two Finals MVPs.
The NBA finally had an opening.
Hakeem Olajuwon slammed it shut.
The Legacy of The Dream
By the time his career was finished, The Dream had built one of the most complete résumés ever assembled by a center:
2× NBA Champion
2× Finals MVP
1× NBA MVP
2× Defensive Player of the Year
12× NBA All-Star
12× All-NBA
9× All-Defensive
NBA’s all-time leader in blocks — 3,830
NBA 50th Anniversary Team & NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021
Hakeem averaged 21.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game across his career, but his impact on basketball didn’t stop when he retired.
Teaching the Next Generation
The Dream Shake became more than Hakeem’s signature move. It became something future generations wanted to learn.
His footwork was so respected that some of the greatest players who came after him personally sought him out for help.
Before winning his first championship with the Miami Heat, LeBron James trained with Olajuwon during the 2011 offseason, specifically working on his post game. Kobe Bryant also trained with Hakeem, taking pieces of Olajuwon’s footwork and incorporating them into his own offensive game.
Dwight Howard and Amar’e Stoudemire were among the other NBA stars who worked with Hakeem, and his influence has continued into the newest generation.
Even Victor Wembanyama has worked with Olajuwon.
Think about the span of basketball history represented there. Hakeem entered the NBA in 1984, yet players decades later are still looking to The Dream to improve their games.
That’s a legacy no stat can properly measure.
Hakeem didn’t just perfect some of the greatest footwork basketball has ever seen.
He passed it on.
There may have been centers with greater career accomplishments, but very few players in NBA history could impact both sides of the floor at the level Hakeem Olajuwon did.
On our list of the five greatest centers in NBA history, The Dream starts us off at number five.
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