InterBasket > profiles > Hakeem
InterBasket > Player Profiles > Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigeria Nba.com:  Olajuwon is a Nigerian native who was an All-America in 1984 and Final Four MVP in 1983 for the University of Houston Cougars. While at the University of Houston, Olajuwan was selected as the Southwest Conference Player of the Decade (1980) by a panel of media and coaches. He is one of eight centers to have led his team to the NCAA Final Four in three straight seasons. The Cougars were 88-16 during Olajuwon's three magnificent seasons. He had career averages of 13.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.5 blocked shots. His number 34 jersey was retired by UH in February 1997. "Akeem," as he was known by back them, was part of "Phi Slama Jama" - the dunking fraternity of the University of Houston in the early 1980s. Phi Slamma Jamma was a brotherhood that included "Clyde the Glide" (Clyde Drexler) and "Mr. Mean" (Larry Micheaux). The name Phi Slama Jama came from then Houston Post columnist Thomas Bonk in January 1983. To this day, Phi Slamma Jamma is considered one of the greatest collegiate teams to play in the NCAA. Olajuwan was the first overall pick by Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA draft. He led the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA titles (1994-95), was the regular season MVP (1994), and a 2-time Finals MVP ('94-95). Olajuwan is a 6-time All-NBA 1st team member (1987-89,93-95). He is the all-time NBA blocks leader. After 17 glorious seasons with Houston, he was traded to Toronto in the waning days of hiw career. With a steal against Seattle on November 20, 1999, Hakeem became the first player in NBA history to accumulate both 2,000 blocked shots and 2,000 steals in a career.	Akeem Olajuwon Profile Name: Hakeem Olajuwon (formerly "Akeem") Position: Center Nickname: Hakeem the Dream, Koko One (Nigerian), Lil'Mo, Too Tall (Nigerian) Born: 01/21/1963 Status: Retired Origin: Lagos, Nigeria Height: 6-11/2,11m Weight: 255lbs./116,3kg Schools: University of Houston Drafted: 1984, First Round, 1st pick by the Houston Rockets Languages: English (national language of Nigeria), French, and can converse in 3 dialects Yoruba, Ebo and Ekiti. Website: Hakeem Olajuwon Encylopedia & InterBasket Teams (jersey): University of Houston (34), US National Team (15), Houston Rockets (34), Toronto Raptors (34) IBN Notes: Mark my words - Hakeem Olajuwon won't get his due.  Even though he won two championships, is seventh all-time on the scorers list, made a multitude of all-NBA teams and had many all-star appearances, won the NBA MVP, the same player that developed the Dream Shake, the same player that actually outplayed Shaquille O'Neal, the same player that was the first to record 2000 blocks and 2000 steals, the same player that was drafted 2 picks ahead of Michael Jordan and nobody ever questions the pick. Call me crazy, but I don't think Olajuwon will ever get his proper credit.  He'll be lumped with players like Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Charles Barkley, not that there is anything wrong with that group, but the Dream deserves to be mentioned in the breath of the basketball gods; the Michael Jordans, the Larry Birds, the Magic Johnsons.. you know, the legends... yet somehow, I don't think it will happen.  As the years go on, people will forget Hakeem Olajuwon's greatness... excuse me, I almost forgot, his extreme greatness. Nba.com Personal: Abike is Hakeem's mother and Salaam is his father. His mother brokered cement deals at the Lagos docks and in their neighborhood. Olajuwon was married to Dalia Asafi on August 8, 1996. They have two children, Aisha and Rahmah. Hakeem's native country is Nigeria, which is officially known as Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is the most populous country in Africa and is located on the western coast of the continent. Most of the population is made up of three tribes: the Yoruba, Olajuwan’s tribe, are a mixture of Christians and Muslims, the Ibo are Christians, and the Hausa are Muslims. In his Yoruban dialect, Olajuwan means “always being on top.”
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