Hakeem Olajuwon

Houston Rockets (1984-2001)

Toronto Raptors (2001-2002)

USA (1996) 

1994 NBA MVP

2-time NBA Champion (’94, ’95)

2-time NBA Finals MVP (’94, ’95)

6-time All-NBA 1st Team (’87, ’88, ’89, ’93, ’94, ’97)

3-time All-NBA 2nd Team (’86, ’90, ‘96)

3-time All-NBA 3rd Team (’91, ’95, ’99)

5-time NBA All-Defensive 1st Team (’87, ’88, ’90, ’93, ’94)

4-time NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team (’85, ’91, ’96, ’97)

1985 NBA All-Rookie 1st Team

12-time NBA All-Star

2-time NBA rebounding leader

3-time NBA blocks leader

NBA 75th Anniversary Team

1996 Olympic Gold Medal 

Basketball Hall of Famer

The #1 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft was Akeem Olajuwon, who had just had a remarkable college career at the University of Houston. He didn’t have to travel far to get to his pro team, which was the Houston Rockets. Olajuwon immediately made an impact on the Rockets, making the All-Rookie 1st Team in 1985. In 1986 he helped lead the Rockets to the Finals, where they fell short to the Boston Celtics. Olajuwon was a force for the remainder of the 80’s, but as the 90’s rolled in, the team struggled just a bit. After two ever so slightly down (relative to him) seasons, Olajuwon put together a four year run from ’92-’96 that rivals any player in league history. In that time the Rockets won the ’94 and ’95 titles, with Hakeem (his new name) being named MVP of both Finals series. He also won league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in ’94, in one of the most dominant individual seasons in the history of the sport. As the 90’s wound down, Hakeem remained effective but had lost a step. In 2001, his time in Houston came to an end and he ended up playing his final season in Toronto with the Raptors.

Olajuwon was a dominant force on both ends of the floor and is still the league’s all-time leader in blocked shots. His footwork in the post was impeccable, and he owes much of that to his time as a goalkeeper during his youth in Nigeria. Olajuwon’s two-way ability and incredible consistency land him in the top 10 of our list.

Other accomplishments that didn’t factor into this ranking

His #34 is retired by the Houston Rockets

1984 Consensus 1st Team All-American (Houston)

1984 SWC Player of the Year (Houston)

1983 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (Houston)

His #34 is retired by the University of Houston