Every era brings new superstars into the NBA, as the kids that watched and cheered for the legends of old emulate and surpass them. Often, this means that a lot of players are forgotten, with newer stars taking their limelight, but the truly elite players to play in this league will never be forgotten. And when talking about the truly elite players to have graced this game, very few compare to the uniquely talented Hakeem Olajuwon.
Nicknamed ‘The Dream’, Olajuwon won two championships with his Houston Rockets teams in the middle of Michael Jordan’s three-peats with the Bulls. Hakeem is universally respected by players from that era and the ones that came after, and Reggie Miller is no exception to this. Speaking about Olajuwon, Miller broke down the one part of his game that truly set him apart, his footwork.
“What I can say about Hakeem Olajuwon is that he has arguably the best footwork of any center this game has ever seen. The inside, the outside jabs. Beautiful balance, he could face you up and drill shots. Beautiful back to the basket game, always hitting you with that Dream Shake.”
Barring his last season, Olajuwon played his entire career with the Houston Rockets, winning championships, MVPs, and Finals MVPs. This would not have been possible without his ability to score in a versatile manner in the post. In his peak from 1993-1996, he averaged 27 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, stats worthy of the greatest accolades.
Olajuwon was the best center of his time, and during his prime, no other big man could be counted as better, despite the likes of Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and a young Shaquille O’Neal, who thinks he was ‘too respectful’, being around. When celebrating the skilled big men of today like Jokic and Embiid, it’s worth remembering someone who blazed a trail for skilled bigs as well as international superstars.
