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Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 7:44 pm EDTNBA legend. Named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Biography, honors and career statistics below.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Career at a glance
Hakeem Olajuwon played 18 NBA regular seasons between 1984 and 2002, appearing in 1,238 games and averaging 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He played for 2 teams: Houston (1984–01, 1,177 games), Toronto (2001–02, 61 games). His best scoring season was 1994–95 with Houston: 27.8 points per game over 72 games.
He rebounded best in 1989–90 at 14.0 per game. The season table marks him as the league leader in blocks 3 times, rebounding twice. Championship seasons: 1993–94 (Houston), 1994–95 (Houston).
In the playoffs he appeared in 15 postseason runs (145 games, 25.9 points per game). Multiplying each season’s games by its scoring average gives roughly 26,900 regular-season points (an estimate from per-game figures, not an official total). Among the 404 players with at least 200 NBA games profiled on whynba, Olajuwon ranks No. 25 in rebounds per game.
whynba analysis of the season-by-season statistics below (Wikipedia revision, CC BY-SA 4.0). Totals are estimates from per-game averages.
About Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), primarily with the Houston Rockets. He is a two-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and the 1994 NBA MVP. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players and centers of all time.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon traveled from his home country to play for the University of Houston under head coach Guy Lewis. His college career for the Cougars included three trips to the Final Four. Olajuwon was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first overall selection of the 1984 NBA draft, a draft well known for its immense talent, which also included players such as Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. He combined with the 7-foot-4-inch (224cm)Ralph Sampson to form a duo dubbed the "Twin Towers". The two led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. After Sampson was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 1988, Olajuwon became the Rockets' undisputed leader. He led the league in rebounding twice (1989, 1990) and blocks three times (1990, 1991, 1993).
Despite very nearly being traded during a bitter contract dispute before the 1992–93 season, he remained in Houston. He became the first non-American to be an NBA All-Star and start in an NBA All-Star Game, the first non-American to win the NBA MVP, the first non-American to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and in the 1993–94 season, he became and remains the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. His Rockets won back-to-back championships. The Rockets' 1994 championship against the New York Knicks was the first in franchise history, with Olajuwon avenging his college championship loss to Patrick Ewing. The following year, after a lackluster regular season, Olajuwon's Rockets swept Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic in 4 games in the NBA Finals.
- Born
- January 21, 1963 (age 63) Lagos, Nigeria
- Listed height
- 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
- Listed weight
- 255 lb (116 kg)
- Position
- Center
- High school
- Muslim Teachers College (Lagos, Nigeria)
- College
- Houston (1981–1984)
- NBA draft
- 1984: 1st round, 1st overall pick
- Playing career
- 1984–2002
Career highlights and awards
- 2× NBA champion (1994, 1995)
- 2× NBA Finals MVP (1994, 1995)
- NBA Most Valuable Player (1994)
- 12× NBA All-Star (1985–1990, 1992–1997)
- 6× All-NBA First Team (1987–1989, 1993, 1994, 1997)
- 3× All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996)
- 3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999)
- 2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993, 1994)
- 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994)
- 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996, 1997)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985)
- 2× NBA rebounding leader (1989, 1990)
- 3× NBA blocks leader (1990, 1991, 1993)
- No. 34 retired by Houston Rockets
- NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
- NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1983)
- Helms Foundation Player of the Year (1983)
- Consensus first-team All-American (1984)
- NCAA rebounding leader (1984)
- SWC Player of the Year (1984)
- First-team All-SWC (1984)
- Second-team All-SWC (1983)
- No. 34 retired by Houston Cougars
Career statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Houston | 82* | 82* | 35.5 | .538 | — | .613 | 11.9 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 20.6 |
| 1985–86 | Houston | 68 | 68 | 36.3 | .526 | — | .645 | 11.5 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 23.5 |
| 1986–87 | Houston | 75 | 75 | 36.8 | .508 | .200 | .702 | 11.4 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 23.4 |
| 1987–88 | Houston | 79 | 79 | 35.8 | .514 | .000 | .695 | 12.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 22.8 |
| 1988–89 | Houston | 82* | 82* | 36.9 | .508 | .000 | .696 | 13.5* | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 24.8 |
| 1989–90 | Houston | 82* | 82* | 38.1 | .501 | .167 | .713 | 14.0* | 2.9 | 2.1 | 4.6* | 24.3 |
| 1990–91 | Houston | 56 | 50 | 36.8 | .508 | .000 | .769 | 13.8 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.9* | 21.2 |
| 1991–92 | Houston | 70 | 69 | 37.7 | .502 | .000 | .766 | 12.1 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 21.6 |
| 1992–93 | Houston | 82 | 82* | 39.5 | .529 | .000 | .779 | 13.0 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 4.2* | 26.1 |
| 1993–94† | Houston | 80 | 80 | 41.0 | .528 | .421 | .716 | 11.9 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 3.7 | 27.3 |
| 1994–95† | Houston | 72 | 72 | 39.6 | .517 | .188 | .756 | 10.8 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 27.8 |
| 1995–96 | Houston | 72 | 72 | 38.8 | .514 | .214 | .724 | 10.9 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 26.9 |
| 1996–97 | Houston | 78 | 78 | 36.6 | .510 | .313 | .787 | 9.2 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 23.2 |
| 1997–98 | Houston | 47 | 45 | 34.7 | .483 | .000 | .755 | 9.8 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 16.4 |
| 1998–99 | Houston | 50* | 50* | 35.7 | .514 | .308 | .717 | 9.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 18.9 |
| 1999–00 | Houston | 44 | 28 | 23.8 | .458 | .000 | .616 | 6.2 | 1.4 | .9 | 1.6 | 10.3 |
| 2000–01 | Houston | 58 | 55 | 26.6 | .498 | .000 | .621 | 7.4 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 11.9 |
| 2001–02 | Toronto | 61 | 37 | 22.6 | .464 | .000 | .560 | 6.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 7.1 |
| Career | 1,238 | 1,186 | 35.7 | .512 | .202 | .712 | 11.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 21.8 | |
| All-Star | 12 | 8 | 23.2 | .409 | 1.000 | .520 | 7.8 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 9.8 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Houston | 5 | 5 | 37.4 | .477 | — | .1000 | 13.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 21.2 |
| 1986 | Houston | 20 | 20 | 38.3 | .530 | .000 | .638 | 11.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 26.9 |
| 1987 | Houston | 10 | 10 | 38.9 | .615 | .000 | .742 | 11.3 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 4.3 | 29.2 |
| 1988 | Houston | 4 | 4 | 40.5 | .571 | .000 | .884 | 16.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 37.5 |
| 1989 | Houston | 4 | 4 | 40.5 | .519 | — | .680 | 13.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 25.3 |
| 1990 | Houston | 4 | 4 | 40.3 | .443 | — | .706 | 11.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 5.8 | 18.5 |
| 1991 | Houston | 3 | 3 | 43.0 | .578 | .000 | .824 | 14.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 22.0 |
| 1993 | Houston | 12 | 12 | 43.2 | .517 | .000 | .827 | 14.0 | 4.8 | 1.8 | 4.9 | 25.7 |
| 1994† | Houston | 23 | 23 | 43.0 | .519 | .500 | .795 | 11.0 | 4.3 | 1.7 | 4.0 | 28.9 |
| 1995† | Houston | 22 | 22 | 42.2 | .531 | .500 | .681 | 10.3 | 4.5 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 33.0 |
| 1996 | Houston | 8 | 8 | 41.1 | .510 | .000 | .725 | 9.1 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 22.4 |
| 1997 | Houston | 16 | 16 | 39.3 | .590 | .000 | .731 | 10.9 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 23.1 |
| 1998 | Houston | 5 | 5 | 38.0 | .394 | .000 | .727 | 10.8 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 20.4 |
| 1999 | Houston | 4 | 4 | 30.8 | .426 | — | .875 | 7.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 13.3 |
| 2002 | Toronto | 5 | 0 | 17.2 | .545 | — | .667 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 5.6 |
| Career | 145 | 140 | 39.6 | .528 | .222 | .719 | 11.2 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 3.3‡ | 25.9 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | Houston | 29 | 6 | 18.2 | .607 | .000 | .563 | 6.2 | .4 | .9 | 2.5 | 8.3 |
| 1982–83 | Houston | 34 | 34 | 27.4 | .611 | .000 | .595 | 11.4 | .9 | 1.4 | 5.1 | 13.9 |
| 1983–84 | Houston | 37 | 37 | 34.1 | .675 | .000 | .526 | 13.5 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 5.6 | 16.8 |
| Career | 100 | 77 | 27.2 | .639 | .000 | .555 | 10.7 | .9 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 13.3 |
Per-game averages. † won an NBA championship · * led the league · ‡ NBA record (as marked).
Profile observation date unavailable.
- Height
- 7′ 0″
- Weight
- 255 lb
- Position
- Center
- Jersey
- Not listed
- Country
- Nigeria
- School / last affiliation
- Not listed
- Draft year
- 1984
- Draft pick
- Round 1 · Pick 1
Height, Weight, Position, Country, Draft year, Draft pick: blank in the NBA.com profile, filled from the Wikipedia infobox credited in the About section above.
Latest on Hakeem Olajuwon
Roster observations
These dates show when our saved NBA directory observations listed this player with a team. They are not signing, trade or contract dates, and this is not a complete career history.
No roster observations are stored for this player. Historical profile details above do not establish a current team assignment.
Profile source
Biographical fields reflect the saved official profile at the check time shown above. Team assignments use the dated directory evidence in Roster observations. Offseason rosters and jersey numbers can change.
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