Hakeem Olajuwon playing basketball at the University of Houston

Hakeem Olajuwon came from Lagos to lead Houston to two titles

ByDana Kowalczyk

Photo: University of Houston Digital Library, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1963 and played soccer and handball before he took up basketball as a teenager. In 1980 he arrived in Houston to play for the University of Houston, a near-unknown recruit.

Phi Slama Jama

At UH, he played for coach Guy Lewis on the high-flying Phi Slama Jama teams, which reached the Final Four three straight years from 1982 to 1984. The Rockets took him with the first pick in the 1984 NBA draft, ahead of Michael Jordan.

The championships

Olajuwon became one of the best centers in the history of the game, known for footwork and a move called the Dream Shake. In 1994 he was named league MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, as the Rockets won their first championship. They won again in 1995.

He played 17 seasons with the Rockets before finishing his career with Toronto. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Off the court

Olajuwon became a U.S. citizen in 1993. A devout Muslim, he fasted during Ramadan even during the season. After retiring, he invested in Houston real estate and ran camps for big men, including NBA stars.

His number 34 is retired by both the Rockets and UH. In Houston, he remains one of the city’s most beloved athletes.

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