Hakeem Olajuwon had a rep as one of the NBA’s nice guys. He was polite and soft-spoken. But when it came to hitting him where it hurts most, he would torch his opponents, and facing the wrath of his rampage was 1995 MVP David Robinson.
The Rockets were locked in against the San Antonio Spurs in the 1995 Western Conference Finals and the league awarded Robinson the MVP, much to Olajuwon’s chagrin.
What followed was carnage as Olajuwon blew out Robinson and the Spurs with a 41-point performance, studded with 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. The Rockets won 106-96 to take a 2-0 lead. On his part, Robinson had 32 points, but it was Olajuwon who was the clear winner. Soon after the contest, he told Kenny Smith: “Kenny, I’m going to his house to get my award” (via Houston Chronicle)
28 years ago today:
The NBA awarded David Robinson with the 1995 MVP trophy in front of Hakeem Olajuwon and the #Rockets during game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
Olajuwon won the MVP the previous year and his teammates felt like he should’ve won back to back MVP’s. Here… pic.twitter.com/6ZVeoPYFPw
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) May 24, 2023
Smith laid out the context better soon after. “I’m sitting literally next to him,” he said. “David is getting the award right before they’re going to introduce the starting lineups. He gets the award and I said, ‘Doesn’t that bother you?’ He said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘He didn’t say your name.’ He goes, ‘No Kenny, no, no, no. He deserves it. He is the best player this year. No problem…’”
Leading up to the WCF, Robinson had 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists from 81 games, while Olajuwon had 27.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. However, the Spurs star was awarded by virtue of more games played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0AZxV2OrZU
But there was, and the Rockets legend made it clear he was the one dominating. The series ended with Houston winning the league and Olajuwon was Finals MVP for his 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.5 rebounds.
Shaquille O’Neal Believed Hakeem Olajuwon Was A Better Center Than Him In The 90s
There was a reason why Shaquille O’Neal had Olajuwon on his All-Decade NBA team, and it was as simple as the latter being a better big man than the Lakers legend.
“At the 5 spot, Imma go Hakeem Olajuwon. I know I was coming in and emerging/already emerged. He’s the only guy I couldn’t figure out. He’s the only guy I couldn’t intimidate. The Georgetown boys, we know they’re going to fake left and go right. Rik Smits used to kill me earlier on too. They’d go left and ahh, go ahead Alonzo (Mourning). Get that dumbass runner off.”
Both Olajuwon and Shaq met in the 1994 NBA Finals, which the former’s Rockets won via a sweep. That was his first NBA Championship. Shaq was a dominant force soon after and in the 2000s, but in the 8 years he played in the NBA in the ’90s, he couldn’t better Olajuwon.
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