Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem would take his reputation as one of the NBA's best role models into his retirement. At McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, one of Russell's basketball teammates was a future Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer, Frank Robinson. He also gained recognition for his sportsmanlike behavior on the court and his charitable pursuits off the court, and became known as one of the sports world's more intelligent individuals, speaking several languages and having a very developed sense of art appreciation. He was life-long friends with another legend, the late Wilt Chamberlain, who many consider to be the greatest ever offensive player; their on-court battles were perhaps the greatest individual rivalry in the history of the league. Olajuwon was still consistently recognized as one of the league's elite centers despite his strict observance (e.g., fasting during daylight hours) of Ramadan, which occurred during the NBA season during virtually all of his career and is usually a handicap for Muslim athletes. At one point, he refused to play a game when he and his black teammates were refused service at a local restaurant. "I'm not changing the spelling of my name, I'm correcting it", he explained. He was exceptionally active in the American Civil Rights Movement.

He officially announced the altering of his name from Akeem to Hakeem on March 9, 1991. In 1980, he was named the greatest player in the history of the NBA by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America. However, Olajuwon began exploring his spiritual side later in his career, becoming a devout Muslim and deciding to alter his name to the proper Arabic spelling when he became more pious. Russell has received virtually every NBA honor that exists, and in 1968, he received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. Throughout Olajuwon's college career and early years in the NBA, he was often an undisciplined player, talking back to officials, getting in minor fights with other players, and amassing personal fouls. Russell served as player/coach from 1966 to 1969, winning two NBA championships; he later coached the Seattle SuperSonics (1973 to 1977) and Sacramento Kings (1987 to 1988), but did not succeed in winning another championship. Shortly after his retirement, his #34 jersey was retired by the Rockets. In 1966, legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach named Russell his successor as head coach; he thus became the first African-American head coach in US major league team sports history.

In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Russell played for the Celtics from 1956 to 1969, winning the NBA championship every year except 1958 and 1967. Olajuwon is also in the top ten in scoring, rebounding, and steals; he is the only player in NBA history placed in the top ten for all four categories. Russell was also the captain of the 1956 United States men's Olympic basketball team, which won the gold medal at the Melbourne Summer Games. (Note: the NBA did not keep statistics for blocked shots until Abdul-Jabbar had been in the league several years). Born in Monroe, Louisiana and raised in Oakland, California, the 6-foot 9-inch (2.08 m) tall Russell played college basketball at the University of San Francisco, which he led to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956, including an impressive string of 55 consecutive victories. On August 8, 2001, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, where he would play his final NBA season before retiring as the all-time leader in blocked shots, well past second-placed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His major contribution to the sport was raising defensive play to a new level; he is commonly considered the greatest defensive center to ever play the game.

Houston then began a rebuilding effort, bringing in young guards Cuttino Mobley and Steve Francis, the 2000 Co-Rookie of the Year. William Felton Russell (born February 12, 1934) is a former American basketball player remembered for his central role in the Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in the 13 seasons that he played. Olajuwon continued to lead the team throughout the late 1990s, teaming with Drexler, Barkley, and the newly-acquired Scottie Pippen, but no combination of the four brought Houston a return to prominence. During this period, Olajuwon perfected his set of faking and spinning moves, all of which became known as his trademark Dream Shake and developed intense rivalries with some of the other great centers of that era, as well as his openly hated rival Karl Malone. He did eventually win the long coveted NBA championship, leading the Rockets to the title in both 1994 and 1995, bringing the first pro sports championships in Houston history.

He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1993. Olajuwon also won Defensive Player of the Year honors and league MVP in 1994. He finished second in scoring in both '95 and '96. Olajuwon also won the rebounding and blocked shots titles, becoming the third player ever (after Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton) to lead the league in both categories during the same season.

He also made the second and third team several times. After losing Sampson first to injury and then to trade, the Rockets struggled, though Olajuwon himself thrived individually, being named to the all-NBA First Team in 1987, '88, '89, '93, '94 and '97. The Rockets had immediate success as Olajuwon teamed with the 1984 Rookie of the Year Ralph Sampson to form the original NBA "Twin Towers" duo, taking Houston to the Finals in 1986 where they succumbed to the Boston Celtics. Olajuwon averaged 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.68 blocks in his rookie season, finishing as runner-up to Michael Jordan in the 1985 Rookie of the Year voting, and was the only other rookie to receive any votes.

He was noted as a prankster by his teammates, and once claimed to CBS broadcaster Billy Packer that his favorite food was ice cream. He was considered the top amateur prospect in the summer of 1984 over fellow collegians and future NBA stars Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton, and was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets in the 1984 NBA Draft. Olajuwon came from Nigeria, and played collegiately at the University of Houston, teaming with Clyde Drexler to form Phi Slamma Jamma. He was affectionately called "Hakeem the Dream" for his grace on and off the court.

Olajuwon was arguably one of the best centers to ever play, along with Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson as the best pivots in basketball history. Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born Akeem Abdul Olajuwon on January 21, 1963 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a former college and professional basketball player whose glory days were with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association.