Hakeem Olajuwon

Jordan beat him out for rookie of the year honors, but this number one draft pick can compete on the same level as his airness...and he has the 2 rings to prove it. He left college after his junior year, following his selection as a 1984 consensus First Team all-American. He was also the 1983 NCAA Tournament MVP. In his first year in the NBA, he was named to the All-Rookie First Team, after finishing as runner up to Jordan in ROY voting. He has had a steady and productive career. At the end of the 1995-1996 season he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for career blocks of 3,189. It looks like he will demolish this career record. He had 3,740 as of the end of the 2000-01 season. He was the ninth NBA player to amass 20,000 career points (26,511 through the 2000-01 season) and 10,000 career rebounds (13,382 through the 2000-01 season), but the first player to ever have 2000 career blocks and steals. He had an incredible year in 1993-94 winning the MVP Award, Defensive Player of the Year and the NBA Finals MVP. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1992-93 as well. Hakeem is 5 time member of the All-Defensive First Team (1987,1988,1990,1993 and 1994) and 4 time member of the All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996 and 1997). He shares two post-season blocks records: the NBA Finals record for most blocks in a game with 8 against the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the 1986 NBA Finals and the NBA Playoffs record for most blocks in a game with 10 against the L.A. Lakers in Game 2 of the 1990 Western Conference first round.
Along with Ralph Sampson, Olajuwon led the Rockets to the Finals in 1986, only to lose to the Celtics. He finally won it all in back to back years in 1994 and 1995. In 1996 he was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the third time (1986 and 1990) after five selections to the First Team (1987-1989, 1993-94). 1997 saw The Dream return to the All-NBA First Team. He was also named to the third team three times (1991, 1995 and 1999). Hakeem is a 12 time all star, including in 1997 when he started for the team, beating out Shaq. 1996 also saw Hakeem sign a lucrative 5 year contract extension worth around 60 million dollars. He signed the deal while on Dream Team III, which he was finally able to play on when his US citizenship went through. Even though he played for his national team, he was allowed to play on the US team because he was a minor when he played for the Nigerian team. Hakeem is an all-around good guy. He has his own shoe, but doesn't let the shoe company charge more than 35 dollars per pair! Olajuwon has led the league in rebounding twice (1990 and 1992). Hakeem also has the distinction of recording one of only 3 quadruple doubles in NBA history with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 11 blocks and 10 assists against Milwaukee on 3/29/90. After being named to the NBA's 50 All-Time Greatest Players List, Hakeem is a lock for the Hall of Fame. He recently had his #34 retired from his alma mater, the University of Houston, on 2/12/97. At U of H he was part of Phi Slamma Jamma with recent Rockets teammate, the now retired Clyde Drexler. Hakeem's career was in jeopardy toward the end of the 2000-2001 season when he underwent treatment for blood clotting that might have put him out of action for a year, but he returned just a few weeks later. Prior to the 2001-2002 season, Houston re-signed Hakeem Olajuwon to a 3 year, $16.7 million contract then traded him to Toronto for a 1st round draft pick and a 2nd round draft pick in 2002. On November 9, 2002 when the Raptors visted the Houston Rockets, Olajuwon retired from the NBA after 19 seasons.