Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon were probably the biggest NBA stars in the 90s in terms of success. They dominated the league from 1991 through 1998, winning eight championships in the process with their respective teams, becoming the only players to win MVP, Finals MVP and DPOY before Giannis Antetokounmpo emulated them this past season.
MJ took home six Larry O’Brien trophies while ‘The Dream’ won two. Even though they never faced each other in the playoff (although we pitted them against each other in this hypothetical match), these two were very important for the NBA in the 90s, leaving a huge mark on the game but depriving fans from seeing them clashing in the Finals.
They had the ultimate respect for each other, and Jordan used Olajuwon as the perfect example to describe the evolution of the game. Back in 1996, His Airness told Sports Illustrated how things had changed in the league, which went from having dominant centers like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to more mobile big men.
“Just a bunch of small, versatile guys playing different positions,” Jordan said while describing his 1995/96 Bulls team. “That’s the way the game is going. The dominant center is starting to be eliminated. You haven’t had a dominant center win a championship in eight years, and don’t talk about Olajuwon. He’s a small forward playing center.”
Olajuwon is considered the greatest center of all time by many fans. The Houston Rockets legend was way ahead of his time, so it’s not surprising that MJ had high praise for him.
He served as an inspiration for modern big men, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose game is very similar to Olajuwon.
It’s still sad that we never got to watch MJ and Hakeem going at it in the Finals, but that’s not strange in the NBA. Still, they had the ultimate respect for each other, and Jordan’s statement is the biggest proof of that.
