On this day in 1984, Hakeem Olajuwon made his debut for the Houston Rockets at the Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets won 122-111. The legendary center was nicknamed “The Dream,” because he dunked so effortlessly his college coach said “it looked like a dream.” Olajuwon, standing at 7 feet tall, was dominant on both ends of the court. He led the league in rebounding twice and in blocks three times, Olajuwon also averaged 21.8 points throughout his 18 season career. Olajuwon guided the Houston Rockets to back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, he was named NBA Finals MVP in both years. In 1994, Olajuwon put up 26.9 points in the finals series. His 25 points and 10 rebounds in game 7, helped the Rockets defeat the Knicks for the title. In the 1995 postseason, Olajuwon averaged 33 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks. The Rockets swept the Orlando Magic for their back-to-back NBA championship. Olajuwon’s other accolades include 12x All-NBA selections, 9x All-NBA Defensive selections, and 12x NBA All-Star. Olajuwon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and his number 34 was retired by the Houston Rockets.
Today in Sports History: October 27
