The Dream

With the first pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets selected Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston. Houston passed on Charles Barkley, John Stockton, and Michael Jordan to take a lanky kid raised in Lagos, Nigeria.

But, when Olajuwon retired in 2003, he left the game as the all-time leader in blocks and a 12 time NBA All-Star. He helped lead Houston to three consecutive NCAA Final Fours from 1982-84 and centered the Rockets to two NBA Championships in 1993-94 and 1994-95.

(The first overall pick, towering over Commish David Stern...with a mustache!)

The 7-footer dominated the college ranks with the ability to shut down opposing offenses in the paint and then dunk on opposing defenses with ease. But Olajuwon learned the outside game that let him conquer the NBA at the Fonde Recreation Center. The young Olajuwon competed with NBA star Moses Malone in one-on-one matchups, learning how to fight under the rim and eventually how to score against a fighter.

“Moses gave me nothing easy on the floor,” Olajuwon said in a 2008 interview with the Houston Chronicle. “He made me earn everything, and it made me expand the limits of my game.”

The center developed footwork and an outside shot that few big men can compare with called the “Dream Shake.” He could embarrass and frustrate other centers on the court by simply bobbing and weaving until he got the shot he wanted.

(How can you stop, what you can't contain?)

Olajuwon showed his skills in the paint during his rookie season as he pulled in a career-high 440 offensive rebounds and finished second in rookie of the year voting to Michael Jordan. In his second season, Olajuwon helped the Rockets to a Western Conference title before losing to the Boston Celtics in a hard fought six-game series.

(I loved Skybox cards.)

But Olajuwon and the Rockets would not find success until Rudy Tomjanovich became head coach in 1993. Tomjanovich preached a defensive style based around the stud center. During Tomjanovich’s second season – 93/94 - Olajuwon shot 53 percent from the field and averaged 24 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. He was named league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

Under Olajuwon’s defense, the Rockets returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1986. Waiting for the Rockets was the New York Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing, 1985 first overall pick.

The Rockets jumped out to a 2-1 lead before losing Games 4 and 5 at Madison Square Garden.

With their backs against the wall, the Rockets needed a hero.

(Olajuwon forces Ewing to meet him outside, meet him outside, meet him outside.)

The seven-footer stepped up and put the team on his back. He led the Rockets with 30 points and his block on a late three-point attempt by John Starks allowed the Rockets to hold on for a 86-84 victory. The Rockets would win another thriller in Game 7 with Olajuwon and guard Vernon Maxwell leading the team’s production. Olajuwon was named Finals MVP, capping off one of the best seasons in recent NBA history.

The Rockets returned to the finals the following season to face the Orlando Magic, who resembled the Rockets of 1986 with young stars Penny Hardaway and big man Shaquille O’Neal carrying the team. The sixth-seeded Rockets swept the Magic, setting up what seemed to be the dynasty that would replace the Chicago Bulls.

(Shaq's face. Hakeem's face. This picture is priceless.)

But the dynasty had reached its end. The Rockets would not – and have not – returned to the NBA Finals since 1995, depriving NBA fans of the dream 90’s match-up of Bulls-Rockets.

Olajuwon finished his career with the Toronto Raptors in 2002.

He is one of four players to record a quadruple double in league history, and is one of the best centers in league history.

Not bad for a seven footer that didn’t dunk until he was 17.

(Undeniably one of the best.)