Hakeem Olajuwon played football and handball as a boy in Lagos. He did not take up basketball until he was a teenager.
Within a decade and a half, he had become one of the greatest centres in NBA history. With the Houston Rockets, he won back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995, and in 1994 he became the only player to win the regular-season Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP awards in the same season.
Lagos to Houston
Olajuwon was born in Lagos in 1963 to Yoruba parents who ran a cement business. He was tall and athletic, and his footwork came from years of football as a goalkeeper and from handball. Coaches noticed his potential at basketball, and in 1980 he moved to the United States to play for the University of Houston.
At Houston, he was part of the “Phi Slama Jama” team, famous for its dunks, which reached the NCAA Final Four three times.
The draft
In 1984, the Houston Rockets chose Olajuwon with the first pick in the NBA Draft, ahead of Michael Jordan, who went third. The decision has been debated for decades, but Olajuwon went on to prove his own greatness.
The Dream Shake
Olajuwon, nicknamed “The Dream”, was famous for a move called the Dream Shake: a series of fakes, spins and pivots near the basket that left defenders off balance. He credited his footwork to his football background. The move is still taught to young players and imitated by stars.
The championships
In 1994, while Michael Jordan was away playing baseball, the Rockets won the NBA championship, beating the New York Knicks. In 1995, they won again, beating Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando Magic. Olajuwon was named Finals MVP both times.
Faith
Olajuwon is a devout Muslim and was known for continuing to play during Ramadan while fasting, and still performing at a high level. His faith became an important part of his public identity, and he changed the spelling of his first name from Akeem to Hakeem in 1991.
Honours
He became a naturalised American citizen in 1993 and won an Olympic gold medal with the United States in 1996. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and named one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history in 2021.
Legacy in Africa
Olajuwon inspired generations of African players, including Dikembe Mutombo and later stars such as Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has run camps and mentored players, and he remains a hero in Nigeria.
He arrived in Houston barely knowing the game. He left as one of the best players ever to step onto a court.
