Hakeem was so humble, at the end he hugged Shaq, during the interview thanked God first, and then his fans and his team. Didn't even mention himself. Players today would talk about how hard they work. Everyone at this level have to work hard, no doubt about that. But these guys never used to talk about it.
@@sophieenthusiast3161 yeah right Shaq got swept 5 times in the 90's when real centers were playing. He only wins rings against old Rik Smits and 6'9 Aaron Williams lol don't forget he got swept with young Kobe and almost got swept with prime Kobe. Shaq is the most overrated player ever
@@sophieenthusiast3161 here's a fun fact, Robinson was the league MVP and Shaq was the league scoring leader in 1995, and Olajuwon dusted both their asses in only 10 games while Olajuwon avg 33.5p, 12r, 5a, 1.6s, and 3 blocks on them both! Let's not forget that Shaq needed Tim Donaghy to rig the WCF against the Kings in 2002 just so Shaq could get his 3 peat so idiots like you will think he's the greatest
@@donvetano4662 Well I won't argue that. But I have Hakeem as #1 and Kareem at a very close #2. Kareem was a bad boy as well. So that one could go either way. But also remember Hakeem didn't even pick up a basketball till he was 15. And he still was able to do what he did in college and the NBA. That's absolutely amazing for anyone to do that.
During his back-to-back championship run, Hakeem went through David Robinson, Shaq, and Patrick Ewing. I remember watching those series and he outplayed each of those guys by a lot.
Ewing shot poorly, but did much better than the other two did, especially on defense. Olajuwon's numbers from the regular season went down in that series whereas they went up against the Spurs and Magic, on top of the series being as close as it gets going to game 7 where Hakeem actually shot 10 of 25.
@@bretmaverick9434 Ewing did better than the others but he still caught Hakeem in his prime and it was bad for him. Ewing shot poorly partially because Hakeem was a stellar defender.
I remember in 1996 i was about 8 years old, my family and I came to the United States as Immigrants fleeing a war torn Somalia. Hakeem Olajuwan bought us a house. i never got to know how him and my father met nor do i know most of the details of how this happened (father died in 1999). Ever since then I've always been a fan and tried to get ahold of him to no avail. This man is my hero and my family is forever grateful.
You should try to get in contact, I'm not specially a fan of him or the Rockets (but I admit they were great those two years), but this is a great story you're telling. I'm sure he would be touched to know that you are grateful for what he did so many years after.
There is a masjid in Houston he attends regularly since the early 90s. You can still see him there at fajr when he's in town, usually one of the last to leave the masjid because after salat he's reading Quran in a corner until sunrise. You can DM me and I can tell you which masjid. Hakeem is a role model for the muslim and non-muslim community in Houston, mashallah. May God accept his good deeds and preserve him and his family.
Such a nice and humble man Olajuwon is! He was asked "Where do you see yourself now as an all time great after 2 consecutive championships?" and first he says "I'm so happy for my long time friend Clyde Drexler here who finally won a championship." Such a classy humble man! My all time favourite center and big man.
he was class personified. when he got the regular season mvp trophy the year before he had all his teammates get together and take the photo like it was a team award. great player and an honorable individual
Let's keep in mind too while ya at it those offensive fouls that were being called on Shaq weren't being called on him while playing in L.A. and for the record Shaq was being double teamed too with Hakeem guarding him so it went both ways
(edit: now uploaded to my channel by demand) I bought somebody's VHS recording of this game years and years ago on eBay for a couple of bucks. Entire game from opening montage to the final credits. That's all that was supposed to be on the tape, but after that, the tape cuts to the entire broadcast of Mike Tyson's 2nd fight out of prison, followed by a mid 90s Cinemax porn......probably the best thing I ever bought on eBay
You brought back memories of folks on thrid shift pals spend the night Emmanuel lady chatterley and bro and his friends coming in talking about lames with pillows over laps
Bro thank you😂 on another UA-cam video some guy said “players today are jus better” and rhat Hakeem wouldn’t do good and he called me an old head. IM 15!!
@Anthony Smith Uh they were at their best this year. Robinson was league MVP with 62 win Spurs and Shaq was the league scoring leader with 57 win Magic this year and they both got smoked like a backwoods! This is the only time in history a #6 seed won a ring
@@franciscopizarro5424 did you even watch the series little kid? Olajuwon dominated Shaq, made him look silly! Had his lower lip shaking trying to keep up with the moves. Even when Shaq played good defense he still got dusted
Fresh C statistically speaking that isn’t true. His numbers were better in every stat when he played with Orlando vs when he played with the lakers. I think the only stat shaq improved upon was assist. Nonetheless the numbers are close to identical but again TECHNICALLY his stats were better in Orlando
@SUPPORT REVOLUTION John starks almost singlehandly won game six for the Knicks what you talking about? Guy was on fire and if Hakeem didnt block the final shot, the Knicks would of won the championship. Starks was garbage in game 7
How strong and conditioned was the Dream to deal with an in good shape Shaq defensively and be the main scorer...and produce on both ends the way he did that entire series. Dude was unreal
That's what people don't understand they just keep saying "Shaq was young here". Shaq averaged practically the same numbers in this series he would typically average, he was simply matched up against a player with more diversity.
These Houston teams are underrated because everyone assume Jordan wouldve won if he hadnt retired. I dont doubt they wouldve destroyed the Bulls just like they did in all their meeting before Jordan left
@@jordyjohn2275 nah, nobody knows cuz it didn't happen. the dream is no doubt the most skilled big man of all time but mj is the goat and also in his prime as well during this time. it's sad hakeem can't win the west in all of mj's title run so the final match didn't happen
@@ChrisM07 Yeah this was Hakeem at his absolute best though. Best he's every played and at his peak. Incredible to watch him in the finals. I remember watching this when I was very young boy.
And if you notice, no one on the Rockets backed down from Shaq. Didn't often work, but they let him know they weren't going to let him steamroll them without him putting in the work.
Nah. This was before the NBA changed their officiating on Shaq. They were still calling travels, 3 sec and offensive fouls on him at this time. That mostly evaporated by the time he was contending in the West. Those LAL title runs are littered by double standard officiating. Also one of the few guys to get official rules changes to benefit him: the last two second foul rule, to avoid Hack a Shaq.
MJ also picked Kwame as his #1 pick in the '01 draft. Though his selection of Hakeem is a good one, Kareem was another great pick too. Shaq and Wilt were more dominant but had some weaknesses.
@Erick Mandujano Shaq didn’t got locked by Rodman or Wallace. In 2004 finals Kobe Bryant sabotaged his team and didn’t want to pass the ball to Shaq but Shaq still averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds on 63% from the field. Rodman couldn’t guard Shaq too.
Olajuwon never feared Shaq, Ewing and Robinson for one second in his career and that is how great he was!! What made Olajuwon great, was the fact that he always looked relaxed in high pressure situations.
@@mattsharkey8437 Winning 2x eliminates being bounced from the first round 8x? People criticize Jordan for being put out of the playoffs the first round multiple times and he won 6 titles. Lebron 4/10. I'm just saying maybe that is why many put Shaq ahead of Hakeem.
In a span of 2yrs, Hakeem dominated David, Patrick, and Shaquille, on his way to winning back to back NBA championships. One of the all time great centers of his time. Give it up for Hakeem Olajuwon !!!!
@Moist Gnome He most certainly did dominate Shaq, and Shaq has admitted as much. Also, he's not "one of the all time great centers for his time", he's the best center of all time.
He might not be the greatest center of all time, because Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem are up there too. But, there was no respect for Wilt. Hakeem is much more admirable.
And it didn't matter often if he was double teamed or not. Double him that opens up the rest of the team or play him 1 on 1 he's dominating and the team still ends up finding ways to get good shots. They had a system where their PG wasn't the focal point of it like the majority of the other teams they moved the ball around as a team in general, that's why were such a tough team to play against.
Those two Rockets Championships, Olajuwon dominated against other dominant Centers of the time in the Playoffs, like Patrick Ewing in the 93-94 Finals, David Robinson in the 94-95 Western Conference Finals, and Shaquille O'Neal in the 94-95 Finals. He was one of my favorite players back then, and in my opinion, one of the all-time greatest Centers that constantly gets overlooked.
He's not underrated. LOL. Maybe today's young people don't know about him. But, everyone that saw this force play NEVER forgot how great he was. NEVER !!!!! and I'm from New York and I say that !
This finals was Hakeem at his absolute peak. Amazing to watch this. Squac had a hard time keeping up with him year, but I do know he was younger here, but still amazing to see how well he played in the playoffs and finals.
Cruz Thompson Another thing that made the 90s great was you didn’t have to hear all the constant annoying topics from the media and NBA talk about where free agents will be playing next next season. You also didn’t have to hear about coaches getting fined for tampering for saying something good about a players game. The NBA is more annoying with the tampering rules.
today's NBA ratings are in the tank, they have gone woke too, now they have female refs and female announcers 😂I can tell you that isn't helping the already low ratings.
@@johnames6430 i have no issues with female refs or announcers. what is tanking them is "player empowerment" which means that superstars demand to be traded and re-traded and take time for "time management" and talk smack about fans... all of that makes stars look even bigger jerks then they always were
It was such a pleasure growing up in Houston watching the dream play. I still have the Houston Chronicle clippings from the back to back titles. I've always thought Hakeem should be ranked higher in the greatest of all time debate. He was such a beast.
The current nba is more competitive. Better athletes, better training, better sports science, better recovery methods, better transportation, better team staff, more fans, etc. All of these things add up to a more competitive league.
Today's game also has more carries, more traveling and more flopping. The atmosphere and the game in general in the 90's destroys what passes off as basketball today.
Hakeem -- Pure skills, footwork and basketball fundamentals. Also he's got a smooth stroke and can knock down jump-shots like a guard. Also very lengthy and all-nba defender. Shaq -- Brute strength and power. Unrivaled girth, size, strength and power. Can basically bully his way down the post and push back defenders because he was like 50lbs heavier than most guys that was guarding him, also he is extremely strong. However, exposed because Hakeem is superior in skills.
@@drizzypizzman5849 lol.. 1 push from Shaq and it'll probably end Joel's season.. dude is just sooo brittle.. lmao! 🤣🤣🤣.. if you mentioned, steven adams, then we'll probably have an argument.. but Embiid? nah.. he good, but too brittle..
There's the physicality of basketball from the 90s, but think of the mental side and seeing these guys play Bird and his mind games? 🤔😂 The man would have anyone in the NBA nowadays crying before halftime.
Shaq was always bad at defending an opponent who played face up and unfortunately for him he was against Hakeem who was a HOF in facing up and posting up.
Hakeem one the best big man to ever lace them up. This my folks is real basketball. Even tho you beat my team the knicks and my favorite big man Ewing ,Thanks for the memories Hakeem.
#Agreed and I am a diehard Lakers fan. Hakeem schooled the best centers. Shaq as well as David Robinson. 18 years in the league or so. DPOY, Chips and more. Solidified in my book. Lol.
Top 5? No other center can touch Hakeem. Other centers had HoF teammates. Hakeem played and dominated alone. #1 Blocks all time, #9 Steals all- time as a Center and top 15 scoring. You put Hakeem with HoF teammates and it wouldn't be fair. He would murder clumsy Russel and Wilt. He dominated Kareem as a rookie in the playoffs. So, please stop!
Naaahh... He had two great years, he was good at other times but not as good as that time. Some centers (Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Russell, were good something like 10- years.
Refs took a VERY different approach to Young Shaq vs Prime Shaq; those travels and offensive fouls would become defensive fouls and no-calls later. Vlade Divac getting pissed watching this video
That 2001 Finals vs Dikembe mutombo was embarrassing to watch how one sided the referees were in favor of Shaq. I just stopped bothering to watch those Finals
As an MJ fan, it doesn't hurt as bad knowing that it was Hakeem who won those 2 while he was playing baseball. A 7ft big with a beautiful jump shot in the 90s. Incredible.
@@yigity4763 Yes that was when he came back from baseball and only played the last 17 games of the season. And then the following season Jordan swept shaq 4-0 and won 3 more rings.
@@Daveyboy_RS3 so? media made him feel like a god so he thought he can win without playing most of the season but he lost but idk why everybody says he wasnt playing that season he was playing and fuckin lost
@@yigity4763 okay so out of the 13 years that Jordan played he should have won every single playoff run? So he should have 13 rings? I'm assuming your favorite player never lost in the playoffs. Six rings is an amazing achievement. So shut up. There's nothing you can say to discredit Michael Jordan so stop crying
@@Daveyboy_RS3 yeah he was great but media made him goat and undefeatable to make people watch nba more after bird-magic debate but no he played that season and lost and if he didnt go to play baseball still olajuwon would win other ring like this one
Hakeem changed the game. Shaq learned some moves from him... Kobe improved upon those moves... It was a bit unfair these playoffs that Hakeem brought out insane moves noone even knew how to defend lol
The Deadliest center of all time! He singlehandedly cooked all the legendary big men in his way, David Robinson, Dennis Rodman, Patrick Ewing and Shaq etc... 2 years in a row 🏆 🏆
A number 6 seed beat a 1 seed and swept them that's never happened ever. That's why Hakeem is the Goat. Year before he won the ring with no stars or Hof players . He is the GOAT !!!!!!!!
@@theafroman304 He was 32... There are many players that have still been elite into their 30s. Drexler's 1994-95 stats: 21.8ppg, 52.1eFG%, 6.3rpg, 4.8apg, 2.4TOVs, 1.8spg, 0.6bpg Won the championship as the 2nd best player on his team. Since when is that not elite?
That 2nd year, when the Rockets won it all as a 6th seed, Hakeem was amazing that whole playoff run. Series after series, Hakeem put on one of the greatest playoff performances I've ever seen.
I don’t think people realize how great Olajuwon is. He beat and exposed Robinson and Shaq in 1 playoffs year. And Ewing the year prior. All those teams beat the Bulls and Olajuwon is known for giving MJ’s Bulls a lot of problems. A top 10 player for sure!! Not to mention a Godly person.
I watched that entire series and I left knowing one thing, H.O. is the greatest center of all time and top 5 goats of all time. Shaq, arguably the most dominant force in the NBA at that time, was treated like a school child. Seeing the 2 on the court and watching how deep the bag of tricks H.O. has was unbelievable. Like watching art in motion. The Dream
I remember seeing this live in my living room and being amazed at Hakeem The Dream. I thought he played so skill against O'neal (one of the best bigs in NBA history)
@@wweisdabomb2 Comparable? He's directly copying Hakeem's style. That doesn't mean he's in Hakeem's league. Hakeem was playing this way against top 10 all-time centers when defense was very physical and intense. Embiid against weak competition and under soft rules isn't the same situation to say the least.
@@AKSBSU Embiid is the best center in the league right now and hes somewhat similar to hakeems skillset, thats all what i was saying. Hakeem is obv on a diff level but embiid is still young.
Back in January of 1996 , I went for umra in Mecca of Saudia Arabia... As I was making my 7 rounds around Kaaba, saw this very tall man wearing white clothes, as I got closer to him , it's Hakeem Olajawan ... I shook his hands and Said I know you ... He said I don't you .. I reminded him that he visited my private school in Virginia when they played Washington, he remembered and Said yes ... we shook hands and then after that we each continued to finishing our religious umra .. Such a humble person , y clearly can see it in his face ! I wish other stars can look more humble , money is not everything in life ! Just be humble like everyone else , and do not take things for granted ..
You can see Shaq’s two biggest issues immediately: Lacklustre effort on the D and inexperience. He was predictable, and once he was predicted, he attempted to rush his responses. Hakeem ate him up.
If Shaq played with today rules he would have scored 10k plus points in his career. Just imagine, no charge, no traveling and no defence contact... Defence on Shaq was brutal in this game... Also the Glide was no joke!
Hakeem with his all timer defense, all timer post foot work, great range of moves and shots and Shaq with his size and uncalled offensive fouls. A battle for the ages!
A lot of the newer generation of NBA fans have no idea how scary good 90s NBA teams were besides the Bulls. Even teams that didn't win a ring in the 90s could win one in the current NBA era.
For all the young bucks that actually think shaq is better. SHAQ will tell you Hakeem was better. Hakeem was unstoppable. He could do everything, whenever he wanted to. Hakeem and Jordan were the two best players I have seen since being an NBA fan in 1991. If they played their primes together, they would have won 10 rings together. Maybe more!
Hakeem was so humble, at the end he hugged Shaq, during the interview thanked God first, and then his fans and his team. Didn't even mention himself. Players today would talk about how hard they work. Everyone at this level have to work hard, no doubt about that. But these guys never used to talk about it.
Hakeem was a total team player, no ego whatsover
Hakeem was special
You are absolutely right.. 👍
Not a claiming goat
an OUTSTANDING HUMAN BEING
Hakeem most skilled big of all time
super gilly not takin shaq over him period lazy bitch
@Isaiah Fickey Shaq couldn't even shoot past 7 feet and can't guard the pick and roll to save his life
@@sophieenthusiast3161 yeah right Shaq got swept 5 times in the 90's when real centers were playing. He only wins rings against old Rik Smits and 6'9 Aaron Williams lol don't forget he got swept with young Kobe and almost got swept with prime Kobe. Shaq is the most overrated player ever
@@sophieenthusiast3161 everybody knows that you're the one dislike you little bitch
@@sophieenthusiast3161 here's a fun fact, Robinson was the league MVP and Shaq was the league scoring leader in 1995, and Olajuwon dusted both their asses in only 10 games while Olajuwon avg 33.5p, 12r, 5a, 1.6s, and 3 blocks on them both! Let's not forget that Shaq needed Tim Donaghy to rig the WCF against the Kings in 2002 just so Shaq could get his 3 peat so idiots like you will think he's the greatest
Hakeem is the most underrated NBA legend of all time.
Hakeem is in the Top 10. *But he is not the greatest Center, as some think.*
Hakeem is the greatest period.
@@allanhouston6759 Only a hater would say and think that. Hakeem Olajuwon is the Greatest Center Ever.
@@bradfordlee7384 i put kareem first then hakeem 2nd
@@donvetano4662 Well I won't argue that. But I have Hakeem as #1 and Kareem at a very close #2. Kareem was a bad boy as well. So that one could go either way. But also remember Hakeem didn't even pick up a basketball till he was 15. And he still was able to do what he did in college and the NBA. That's absolutely amazing for anyone to do that.
During his back-to-back championship run, Hakeem went through David Robinson, Shaq, and Patrick Ewing. I remember watching those series and he outplayed each of those guys by a lot.
He absolutely did.
Jordans lucky he retired. Jordans lucky houston got robbed twice in 93.
Ewing shot poorly, but did much better than the other two did, especially on defense. Olajuwon's numbers from the regular season went down in that series whereas they went up against the Spurs and Magic, on top of the series being as close as it gets going to game 7 where Hakeem actually shot 10 of 25.
The numbers for the other three centers weren’t bad either, but Hakeem just did better
@@bretmaverick9434 Ewing did better than the others but he still caught Hakeem in his prime and it was bad for him. Ewing shot poorly partially because Hakeem was a stellar defender.
I remember in 1996 i was about 8 years old, my family and I came to the United States as Immigrants fleeing a war torn Somalia. Hakeem Olajuwan bought us a house. i never got to know how him and my father met nor do i know most of the details of how this happened (father died in 1999). Ever since then I've always been a fan and tried to get ahold of him to no avail. This man is my hero and my family is forever grateful.
You should try to get in contact, I'm not specially a fan of him or the Rockets (but I admit they were great those two years), but this is a great story you're telling. I'm sure he would be touched to know that you are grateful for what he did so many years after.
There is a masjid in Houston he attends regularly since the early 90s. You can still see him there at fajr when he's in town, usually one of the last to leave the masjid because after salat he's reading Quran in a corner until sunrise. You can DM me and I can tell you which masjid. Hakeem is a role model for the muslim and non-muslim community in Houston, mashallah. May God accept his good deeds and preserve him and his family.
@@Nhilzer i know where he prays. Its 2 blocks from where i live in Stafford(Houston). I even saw him today.
@@basilawad6834 MashaAllah. So humble is the man called Hakeem.
sheeko wanaagsan he is an amazing person.
The Energy Olajuwon had to expend on Offense and Defense guarding Shaq was amazing... Truly one of the great feats of NBA playoff basketball history.
All the while starving himself to death for his Muslim religion for 40 days. Just imagine if he was at full strength and weight.
@@ckobo84 30 days*.
You mean the Islamic religion and it’s 30 days buddy
Such a nice and humble man Olajuwon is! He was asked "Where do you see yourself now as an all time great after 2 consecutive championships?" and first he says "I'm so happy for my long time friend Clyde Drexler here who finally won a championship."
Such a classy humble man! My all time favourite center and big man.
he was class personified. when he got the regular season mvp trophy the year before he had all his teammates get together and take the photo like it was a team award. great player and an honorable individual
Clyde Drexler Portland befor
I was about to say, im happy cylde Drexler got his ring.
You took the words right out my mouth. 👈
Yes I agree
Also surprised me, so humble Hakeem
This shows how humble Hakeem was. Right after thanking God he shows respect to a legend Clyde for congratulating him on winning his NBA Championship.
Finally, he got the ring
Let's keep in mind too while ya at it those offensive fouls that were being called on Shaq weren't being called on him while playing in L.A. and for the record Shaq was being double teamed too with Hakeem guarding him so it went both ways
Olajuwon was the best big man to ever play. His skill set and footwork was off the charts for a center
I’m assuming you don’t know who Wilt, Rusell and Kareem are?
Maybe everyone should play soccer first before going to basketball xD
@@paradoxsweeps396 yes but I would still pick hakeem over these guys.
@@paradoxsweeps396 bro said wilt and Russell they were playing against plumbers. Hakeem only behind kareem MJ and bron all time idc
@@Veentalksball you can’t be a plumber & have more than 1 talent ?
I Love this Big mans era. Shaq, Olajuvon, Sabonis, Robinson, Ewing, Mourning, Mutombo,. Really entertaining.
Sabonis?? Lol he was okay not great.
Shawn Kemp is probably the only who can say he posterized everyone of those big guys.
Dont forget the power forwards Barkley, Malone, Kemp, Duncan, Rodman, Oaklay, Davises, Joe Johnson, Cliff Robinson
@@ericphillips6708 Whaaaaaaat?!
Eric Phillips casual nba fan
(edit: now uploaded to my channel by demand) I bought somebody's VHS recording of this game years and years ago on eBay for a couple of bucks. Entire game from opening montage to the final credits. That's all that was supposed to be on the tape, but after that, the tape cuts to the entire broadcast of Mike Tyson's 2nd fight out of prison, followed by a mid 90s Cinemax porn......probably the best thing I ever bought on eBay
Lolllllll
Skinemax ftw
David Alarcón Quiñones bro if that’s true, you must be pissed they gave it away 😂
I hope you disinfect the tape after realizing what the tape was originally designed for! Lol
You brought back memories of folks on thrid shift pals spend the night Emmanuel lady chatterley and bro and his friends coming in talking about lames with pillows over laps
Can you imagine Hakeem in this era? Holy shit he’d dominate
hed make embiid look like a bench player
@@Heaveaway23 lol tru
40 points 20 rbs 7 asts
Imagine if Hakeem mentored Embiid 😳
Bro thank you😂 on another UA-cam video some guy said “players today are jus better” and rhat Hakeem wouldn’t do good and he called me an old head. IM 15!!
Shaq admitted that the only one he couldn't intimidate was Hakeem.
He said he hit Olajuwon with a very hard elbow and Dream just smiled and laughed in his face. Unbreakable.
Tim Duncan too. I'd add Karl Malone as well.
Shaq wasnt invincible, I remember him getting bullied by Rodman.
Don Saizo Yao Ming too. He dominated shaq
@@AKSBSU dont forget Ben Wallace n Rasheed Wallace, also, just that whole Detriot team!
Hakeem literally exposed Robinson & Shaq in the same year😂
@Anthony Smith Uh they were at their best this year. Robinson was league MVP with 62 win Spurs and Shaq was the league scoring leader with 57 win Magic this year and they both got smoked like a backwoods! This is the only time in history a #6 seed won a ring
Shamon Shaw he didn’t expose Shaq. The numbers back that up. Shaq was playing with no help playoff chokers like penny hardaway.
@@franciscopizarro5424 did you even watch the series little kid? Olajuwon dominated Shaq, made him look silly! Had his lower lip shaking trying to keep up with the moves. Even when Shaq played good defense he still got dusted
Armando De Los Santos This was five years before Shaq's prime lol...
Fresh C statistically speaking that isn’t true. His numbers were better in every stat when he played with Orlando vs when he played with the lakers. I think the only stat shaq improved upon was assist. Nonetheless the numbers are close to identical but again TECHNICALLY his stats were better in Orlando
The first thing Hakeem did after the final buzzer was to congratulate Shaq for his effort. Massive respect to Olajuwon.
Just like Jokic..
@@MiguelHernandez-oj3mf yeah I respect the hell out of Jokić
Oh man... the Dream. Beat my Knicks in 94. I was 13 then. Brought me to tears... but he was so great.
@SUPPORT REVOLUTION John starks almost singlehandly won game six for the Knicks what you talking about? Guy was on fire and if Hakeem didnt block the final shot, the Knicks would of won the championship. Starks was garbage in game 7
How strong and conditioned was the Dream to deal with an in good shape Shaq defensively and be the main scorer...and produce on both ends the way he did that entire series. Dude was unreal
That's what people don't understand they just keep saying "Shaq was young here". Shaq averaged practically the same numbers in this series he would typically average, he was simply matched up against a player with more diversity.
These Houston teams are underrated because everyone assume Jordan wouldve won if he hadnt retired.
I dont doubt they wouldve destroyed the Bulls just like they did in all their meeting before Jordan left
@@jordyjohn2275 nah, nobody knows cuz it didn't happen. the dream is no doubt the most skilled big man of all time but mj is the goat and also in his prime as well during this time. it's sad hakeem can't win the west in all of mj's title run so the final match didn't happen
@@ChrisM07 Yeah this was Hakeem at his absolute best though. Best he's every played and at his peak. Incredible to watch him in the finals. I remember watching this when I was very young boy.
@@nassiglutt6587 I wanted to see Olajawon playing at this level against MJ and the bulls, but unfortunately it never happened.
Hakeem is definitely Number 1 in the category of having class. God bless!
"Dream was my favorite because he was the one I could never break" -Shaquille O'neal
And if you notice, no one on the Rockets backed down from Shaq. Didn't often work, but they let him know they weren't going to let him steamroll them without him putting in the work.
From this clip it looks like Shaq was the one getting broken by Hakeem.
Nah. This was before the NBA changed their officiating on Shaq. They were still calling travels, 3 sec and offensive fouls on him at this time. That mostly evaporated by the time he was contending in the West. Those LAL title runs are littered by double standard officiating.
Also one of the few guys to get official rules changes to benefit him: the last two second foul rule, to avoid Hack a Shaq.
@@David-iv6je I agree to the first part of your message but that rule was added after shaq retired....
@Mark Grace Absolutely agree. Shaq was a great player. He was also on the "Gap between what he was and what he should have been" All Stars.
If MJ the goat says Hakeem would be his center on his all-time starting five, enough said!!
MJ also picked Kwame as his #1 pick in the '01 draft. Though his selection of Hakeem is a good one, Kareem was another great pick too. Shaq and Wilt were more dominant but had some weaknesses.
@@TheGreatLoco idk about Wilt tho man that man was a monster
@Erick Mandujano Wilt played against plumbers. Shaq is much better than Bill Russell and Wilt.
@Erick Mandujano Shaq didn’t got locked by Rodman or Wallace. In 2004 finals Kobe Bryant sabotaged his team and didn’t want to pass the ball to Shaq but Shaq still averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds on 63% from the field. Rodman couldn’t guard Shaq too.
@Erick Mandujano Tell me about Wilt’s playoff and finals numbers! I’ll wait.
Olajuwon never feared Shaq, Ewing and Robinson for one second in his career and that is how great he was!! What made Olajuwon great, was the fact that he always looked relaxed in high pressure situations.
Yea but he wasn't clutch.k I guess that is why he has been bounced 8x in the first round of his career.
@@nbagoats4819 he won two titles, so your argument is canceled lol
@@mattsharkey8437 Winning 2x eliminates being bounced from the first round 8x? People criticize Jordan for being put out of the playoffs the first round multiple times and he won 6 titles. Lebron 4/10. I'm just saying maybe that is why many put Shaq ahead of Hakeem.
@@nbagoats4819 no lol. A career full of playoffs and titles is a win for any competitor.
@@nbagoats4819 you give Hakeem a Kobe or DWade, and Michael wouldn’t have won a single ring.
In a span of 2yrs, Hakeem dominated David, Patrick, and Shaquille, on his way to winning back to back NBA championships. One of the all time great centers of his time. Give it up for Hakeem Olajuwon !!!!
@Moist Gnome He most certainly did dominate Shaq, and Shaq has admitted as much. Also, he's not "one of the all time great centers for his time", he's the best center of all time.
Moist Gnome he did you idiot
@@dy120481 Kareem is better.
@@dy120481
1996 WCSF: Sonics vs Rockets ( 4:0 ).
Game 1,
*Hakeem Olajuwon = 6-Points, on 33%.*
Shawn Kemp destroyed Hakeem Olajuwon.
@@allanhouston6759 Kemp didn't guard Olajuwon🤦🏻♂️
Hakeem couldn't be stop here. Greatest Center all around in history
He might not be the greatest center of all time, because Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem are up there too. But, there was no respect for Wilt. Hakeem is much more admirable.
"I'm so happy for Clyde..." Hakeem is so humble man! Such a great person!
Look at the class that Olajuwon demonstrated. He acknowledged Clyde. So well spoken.
basically a guard that was 7 ft tall and played center. Hakeem was a pleasure to watch. the best i center i got to watch the whole career of
And it didn't matter often if he was double teamed or not. Double him that opens up the rest of the team or play him 1 on 1 he's dominating and the team still ends up finding ways to get good shots. They had a system where their PG wasn't the focal point of it like the majority of the other teams they moved the ball around as a team in general, that's why were such a tough team to play against.
The Dream was SMOOOOOOOTHHHHH!
Man how I missed 90s NBA! We will never get that same vibe from that era.
Those two Rockets Championships, Olajuwon dominated against other dominant Centers of the time in the Playoffs, like Patrick Ewing in the 93-94 Finals, David Robinson in the 94-95 Western Conference Finals, and Shaquille O'Neal in the 94-95 Finals. He was one of my favorite players back then, and in my opinion, one of the all-time greatest Centers that constantly gets overlooked.
Hakeem is the most underrated big of all time.
Yeah he should be in a GOAT debate
He's not underrated. LOL. Maybe today's young people don't know about him. But, everyone that saw this force play NEVER forgot how great he was. NEVER !!!!! and I'm from New York and I say that !
So much more entertaining than today's NBA. The low post game was excellent back then. Man I miss this type of basketball.
Facts
Between 94-95 Akeem took down Ewing Robinson and Shaq. That’s insanity
Punit Modi And Mourning
And paint area powerhouse Sir Charles Barkley, he is undersized but overpowered
He was just godlike
Especially in their prime on those 3 big men.
1996 WCFR: Sonicks vs Rockets ( 4:0 ).
Game 1,
*Hakeem Olajuwon = 6-Points, on 33%.*
Shawn Kemp destroyed Hakeem Olajuwon.
I'm loving these throwback games that the highlight channels have been posting. Lets me witness past greatness from legends.
Born in 56 I was blessed to have seen all the greats play through the years 😉🔥💪
You saw Wilt in his good years?? How does he stack up to the rest of the all time centers?
The Dream got his U.S citizenship in 93' just imagine one year earlier he would have been on the dream team
This finals was Hakeem at his absolute peak. Amazing to watch this. Squac had a hard time keeping up with him year, but I do know he was younger here, but still amazing to see how well he played in the playoffs and finals.
Shaq was more fit here compared to his later years with the Lakers, the LA version of him would have an even more difficult time on the defensive end.
NOTHING LIKE NBA IN THE 90'S 🔥🔥
Cruz Thompson Another thing that made the 90s great was you didn’t have to hear all the constant annoying topics from the media and NBA talk about where free agents will be playing next next season. You also didn’t have to hear about coaches getting fined for tampering for saying something good about a players game. The NBA is more annoying with the tampering rules.
maybe the 80's
@@legendaryTMNICO ok
today's NBA ratings are in the tank, they have gone woke too, now they have female refs and female announcers 😂I can tell you that isn't helping the already low ratings.
@@johnames6430 i have no issues with female refs or announcers. what is tanking them is "player empowerment" which means that superstars demand to be traded and re-traded and take time for "time management" and talk smack about fans... all of that makes stars look even bigger jerks then they always were
Post moves and mid range turnaround J, Hakeem was unstoppable....amazing footwork and great court vision...
You left out the best bit. Hakeem's 3 at the end to seal the win. What a shame.
altair28389
ua-cam.com/video/Iz7ZUzqG93c/v-deo.html
I was waiting for that 3 by Hakeem. That was the icing on the cake.
I thought it was on New york
Was waiting for this as well
That's right! You guys are real fans who remember details. That was the cherry on top!
Hakeem is by far the greatest center I have ever seen. He would absolutely EAT in today's game.
I met him in person, I have his autograph signed in my notebook, Hakeem the Dream #34
crazy that the guy didn't play basketball until 15 and became one of the most skilled big men in the history
17*
@@topboyyy3818 30*
@@chalinon 0*
It was such a pleasure growing up in Houston watching the dream play. I still have the Houston Chronicle clippings from the back to back titles. I've always thought Hakeem should be ranked higher in the greatest of all time debate. He was such a beast.
Problem is he admitted he studied and took moves from Jordan. Kinda hard to climb the ladder at that point
Literally this series turned me on to basketball. Watching hakeem and the Rockets got me hooked. Once Olajuwon retired Shaq took the torch.
Shaq performance was great but The Dream performance was legendary! Great game!
I missed that NBA 😭 the atmosphere the excitement and the competitiveness.
The current nba is more competitive. Better athletes, better training, better sports science, better recovery methods, better transportation, better team staff, more fans, etc. All of these things add up to a more competitive league.
Today's game also has more carries, more traveling and more flopping. The atmosphere and the game in general in the 90's destroys what passes off as basketball today.
I liked how Hakeem bigged up Clyde at the end. That was very classy of him.
Centers/players today just don't display the class that the Dream had.
Hakeem -- Pure skills, footwork and basketball fundamentals. Also he's got a smooth stroke and can knock down jump-shots like a guard. Also very lengthy and all-nba defender.
Shaq -- Brute strength and power. Unrivaled girth, size, strength and power. Can basically bully his way down the post and push back defenders because he was like 50lbs heavier than most guys that was guarding him, also he is extremely strong. However, exposed because Hakeem is superior in skills.
i doubt any center could really close and stop hakeem at his prime, maybe slow down, but he had million of ways to score...
@@NostalgicMem0ries Almost impossible to stop on the offensive end and he's a legitimate candidate for best defender of all time.
@@ivan24zg yeah also roids, tons of them
Unrivaled GIRTH
2000 Shaq vs this Hakeem would’ve been very interesting
when some people say that this era has lesser talent compare to now...I can't even imagine who would be guarding any of these 2 today..
Embiid duhh
@@drizzypizzman5849 lol.. 1 push from Shaq and it'll probably end Joel's season.. dude is just sooo brittle.. lmao! 🤣🤣🤣.. if you mentioned, steven adams, then we'll probably have an argument.. but Embiid? nah.. he good, but too brittle..
Exactly... you'd need a fleet of armed soldiers to guard these 2 today
There's the physicality of basketball from the 90s, but think of the mental side and seeing these guys play Bird and his mind games? 🤔😂 The man would have anyone in the NBA nowadays crying before halftime.
@@drizzypizzman5849 This comment aged so poorly lmao, Embiid is not only Brittle but a straight up choker, dude is soft.
The "DREAM" made like ten jumpers in Shaq's face. LOL
Shaq was always bad at defending an opponent who played face up and unfortunately for him he was against Hakeem who was a HOF in facing up and posting up.
@@therantingcat7891 FACTS
He missed a few wide open ones at the rim too, could've easily had 40+
*Hakeem Olajuwon lost to a team whose best player was Dale Ellis.*
Shaquile O"Neal is better than Hakeem Olajuwon.
@@allanhouston6759 You know nothing about basketball.
Hakeem has the best foot work by a Big all-time
Hakeem one the best big man to ever lace them up. This my folks is real basketball. Even tho you beat my team the knicks and my favorite big man Ewing ,Thanks for the memories Hakeem.
This man is teaching Kobe and lebron their post games its crazy
Lebron ?? 🤣🤣🤣
@@251Trioxin ua-cam.com/video/yF0vQGFpHrs/v-deo.html
@@251Trioxin yeah. Hakeem trained LeBron’s post game in 2012
I mean, if there's anyone who can teach *HoF-level* players about post-moves, it's Hakeem.
And people have the nerve to put shaq over Hakeem. Am I saying shaq is trash.... Hell no but Hakeem to me is the greatest center of all time
#Agreed and I am a diehard Lakers fan. Hakeem schooled the best centers. Shaq as well as David Robinson. 18 years in the league or so. DPOY, Chips and more. Solidified in my book. Lol.
@@KingFitch1990 He didn't just school them.... He embarresed them... Had them in a whirlpool
People only put Shaq over Hakeem because of his pure physical dominance.. Prime Shaq murdered the whole league..
MR BP
he didn't murder Duncan though, Timmy still got chips in 1999 and 2003
True Ogre - I'm on your side, I consider Hakeem as the GOAT center. So dont call me imbecile again.
9:55 10:04 there are great plays by Hakeem he is definitely a top 5 center, he got the IQ, the jumper, the footwork, and THE DREAM SHAKE
TOP 3
Top 5? No other center can touch Hakeem. Other centers had HoF teammates. Hakeem played and dominated alone. #1 Blocks all time, #9 Steals all- time as a Center and top 15 scoring. You put Hakeem with HoF teammates and it wouldn't be fair. He would murder clumsy Russel and Wilt. He dominated Kareem as a rookie in the playoffs. So, please stop!
hakeem was a man amongst boys. he had it all. best center of all time. 2nd best player ever.
Naaahh... He had two great years, he was good at other times but not as good as that time. Some centers (Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Russell, were good something like 10- years.
*Hakeem Olajuwon 8 times lost in the First Round and missed the Playoffs in his Prime.*
Shaq >>>> Hakeem.
Never underestimate the heart of a champion.
Hakeem would be even better in today's game
Hakeem could be in nba mount rushmore and nobody would be mad
Not necessarily; in today's nba game, center are not that useful after Stephen curry's revolution.
@@richrancy then 0:4 in post season?
Refs took a VERY different approach to Young Shaq vs Prime Shaq; those travels and offensive fouls would become defensive fouls and no-calls later. Vlade Divac getting pissed watching this video
👍👍
hahahahahaha
That 2001 Finals vs Dikembe mutombo was embarrassing to watch how one sided the referees were in favor of Shaq. I just stopped bothering to watch those Finals
*Hakeem Olajuwon lost to a team whose best player was Dale Ellis.*
1989 WCFR: Sonicks vs Rockets ( 3:1 ).
Hakeem is so overrated.
@@allanhouston6759 Michael Jordan lost to a team whose best player was Terry Cummings. 1986 1st rd Bucks vs Bulls (3:1) Jordan is so overrated.
Hakeem is definitely in my starting 5
How about O'neal then? He has 4 rings and 3 FMVP, take team to final in his 3rd year of NBA.
greatest center of all time
@@samuellalla91 Not with Wilt, Rusell and Kareem existing.
@@paradoxsweeps396 Hakeem’s better than all 3
As an MJ fan, it doesn't hurt as bad knowing that it was Hakeem who won those 2 while he was playing baseball. A 7ft big with a beautiful jump shot in the 90s. Incredible.
bro mj was playing the season in this video 😂😂😂 shaq beat his ass 4-2
@@yigity4763 Yes that was when he came back from baseball and only played the last 17 games of the season. And then the following season Jordan swept shaq 4-0 and won 3 more rings.
@@Daveyboy_RS3 so? media made him feel like a god so he thought he can win without playing most of the season but he lost but idk why everybody says he wasnt playing that season he was playing and fuckin lost
@@yigity4763 okay so out of the 13 years that Jordan played he should have won every single playoff run? So he should have 13 rings? I'm assuming your favorite player never lost in the playoffs. Six rings is an amazing achievement. So shut up. There's nothing you can say to discredit Michael Jordan so stop crying
@@Daveyboy_RS3 yeah he was great but media made him goat and undefeatable to make people watch nba more after bird-magic debate but no he played that season and lost and if he didnt go to play baseball still olajuwon would win other ring like this one
I'm glad to have been able to see the back to back champions I was screaming with joy when they swept Orlando .Goodtimes for real
I was at both games in Orlando, some of the best memories of my life!
That must have been some experience
The only #6 seeded team entering the playoffs to win the NBA title.. Amazing.
Hakeem changed the game. Shaq learned some moves from him... Kobe improved upon those moves...
It was a bit unfair these playoffs that Hakeem brought out insane moves noone even knew how to defend lol
He was doin Patrick Ewing the same way the year before
You don't "improve" on Hakeem's moves. You just learn them.
right because hakeem was spinning behind the 3 point line lol
ua-cam.com/video/SpWAyV-S7P0/v-deo.html
SHAQ DIDN'T TAKE SHIT FROM HAKEEM BUT A ASS WHOOPIN LOL
Sir Braxton Get Kobe meat out your mouth
The Deadliest center of all time! He singlehandedly cooked all the legendary big men in his way, David Robinson, Dennis Rodman, Patrick Ewing and Shaq etc... 2 years in a row 🏆 🏆
No words for Olajuwon. Super champion
A number 6 seed beat a 1 seed and swept them that's never happened ever. That's why Hakeem is the Goat. Year before he won the ring with no stars or Hof players . He is the GOAT !!!!!!!!
Drexler
@@taelabaho and drexler sucked
@@sschevmale24
Wtf are you talking about? Drexler was still elite
@@justsayin669 nope drexler was aged at that time
@@theafroman304
He was 32... There are many players that have still been elite into their 30s. Drexler's 1994-95 stats:
21.8ppg, 52.1eFG%, 6.3rpg, 4.8apg, 2.4TOVs, 1.8spg, 0.6bpg
Won the championship as the 2nd best player on his team. Since when is that not elite?
That 2nd year, when the Rockets won it all as a 6th seed, Hakeem was amazing that whole playoff run. Series after series, Hakeem put on one of the greatest playoff performances I've ever seen.
4:24 commentator says “Hakeem not a great permitted defender” Hakeem averaged nearly 2 steals in his prime as a center 💀 💀
80's and 90's is best years in nba history.Miss these years
I don’t think people realize how great Olajuwon is. He beat and exposed Robinson and Shaq in 1 playoffs year. And Ewing the year prior. All those teams beat the Bulls and Olajuwon is known for giving MJ’s Bulls a lot of problems. A top 10 player for sure!! Not to mention a Godly person.
Yup I believe hes 8-1 vs the bulls
@@AntonioHernandez-bh8ve Regular season doesnt really matter so if thats the case James harden have better record vs Lebron so it means hes better?
@@ranholic5027 umm jordan actually had pretty much a better team then hakeem during the 90s so I mean it's pretty significant
There goes that “I don’t think people understand “ guy…
you notice he didn't win his rings until MJ left though. Once he came back Jordan took control of the NBA again.
I watched that entire series and I left knowing one thing, H.O. is the greatest center of all time and top 5 goats of all time. Shaq, arguably the most dominant force in the NBA at that time, was treated like a school child. Seeing the 2 on the court and watching how deep the bag of tricks H.O. has was unbelievable. Like watching art in motion. The Dream
BEST BIG OF HIS GENERATION THE TOTAL PACKAGE AND A CLASS 🎬
Not Prime shaq tho
Shaq wasnt the most dominant force until he got on the Lakers
@@PresbianTier Stop it
@@c.kizzee8961 no u
Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon!!! A BIG SILENT OPERATOR KILLER PLAYER. He is SUPERB BASIC TALENTED STRATEGIC HUMBLE EXECUTER PLAYER OF THE NBA!!!
This was my senior year in high school, living in Houston. Amazing time
I remember seeing this live in my living room and being amazed at Hakeem The Dream. I thought he played so skill against O'neal (one of the best bigs in NBA history)
These are the REAL Centers. Deandre Jordan, Andre Drummond, Rudy Gobert are Jokes compared to these two
Eric Zhu embiiid is comparable
AMEN!
Deandre, Andre, Rudy are definetly bench warmers in the 90's NBA and 80's NBA
@@wweisdabomb2 Comparable? He's directly copying Hakeem's style. That doesn't mean he's in Hakeem's league. Hakeem was playing this way against top 10 all-time centers when defense was very physical and intense. Embiid against weak competition and under soft rules isn't the same situation to say the least.
@@AKSBSU Embiid is the best center in the league right now and hes somewhat similar to hakeems skillset, thats all what i was saying. Hakeem is obv on a diff level but embiid is still young.
I a was 17 years old when this game took place. Crazy
sekai daniels lol I wasn’t even born when this game happened
You was old
I had just turned 10, they had a big parade in Houston about a week or 2 later and I watched it on TV.
sekai daniels .. i was 19 😊
I was 9 :)
Back in January of 1996 , I went for umra in Mecca of Saudia Arabia... As I was making my 7 rounds around Kaaba, saw this very tall man wearing white clothes, as I got closer to him , it's Hakeem Olajawan ... I shook his hands and Said I know you ... He said I don't you .. I reminded him that he visited my private school in Virginia when they played Washington, he remembered and Said yes ... we shook hands and then after that we each continued to finishing our religious umra .. Such a humble person , y clearly can see it in his face ! I wish other stars can look more humble , money is not everything in life ! Just be humble like everyone else , and do not take things for granted ..
You can see Shaq’s two biggest issues immediately:
Lacklustre effort on the D and inexperience. He was predictable, and once he was predicted, he attempted to rush his responses. Hakeem ate him up.
If Shaq played with today rules he would have scored 10k plus points in his career. Just imagine, no charge, no traveling and no defence contact... Defence on Shaq was brutal in this game... Also the Glide was no joke!
Don’t forget Hakeem played in championship series while fasting for ramadan. Legend
That year the Rockets were 6th in their conference. Hakeem beats in the playoffs Malone, Barkley, Robinson and finally Shaq. Unbelievable !
Hakeem was injured half the season, they also traded for Drexler mid-season. The Rockets were far better than a typical 6th seeded team.
Big Olajuwon fan. Loved to watch him play.
I have never seen a center do what Dream did and we probably won't!! Humble and just incredibly awesome
Hakeem was the best player after Jordan and it's not even really close with anyone else omg he was amazing
that beautiful move by Hakeem at 9:35, such technique and movement 😩😩
Nothing you can do against that, Hakeem created so much separation
Dirk brought it to another level, but for The 90s thats pretty unique for a big guy like him
@@alessandropagani5186Dirk never did anything as graceful as that move by Olajuwon
Hakeem so Humble. Truly is the Dream.
How about that victory speech. 'I want to thank god for the opportunity...I'm happy for for Clyde and my teammates. Thank you to the fans!'
Because of Hakeem you don't have to imagine what Jordan would be like at 7 foot
Hakeem is such a nice guy he was so happy Cyde won his first nba championship. Hakeem is a true nice guy.
Increíbles rebotes y bloqueos de Shaq y excelentes juego de piernas y tiros de rango medio por parte de Olajuwon, estuvo impecable.
Hakeem has the greatest footwork of all time
Not better than MJ's footwork
Hakeem with his all timer defense, all timer post foot work, great range of moves and shots and Shaq with his size and uncalled offensive fouls. A battle for the ages!
9:33 how do you guard this move? If he's hitting these, there's nothing anyone can do to stop this.
He had too many moves in his arsenal. Absolutely nothing you can do. If you try, he’d use his quickness and counter it. Hakeem was just too good
Well it's all about footwork
*You don't.*
Shaq did as much as anyone could hope to do contesting that shot (and had an incredible performance in his own right, let's not forget).
EWING SAID THAT HAKEEM THE DREAM, GAVE HIM NIGHTMARES!!
I sat with Hakeem at mecca back in 2010, was a humble brother.
Skill and finesse vs Strength
What a great duel...
Do you remember those promos that Taco Bell used to run (leading up to the Finals)?
_Crunchy vs Soft_
2 of the best big men of all time and at opposite spectrums. Sucks we'll never see bigs like this anymore
The Greek Freak the Joker and Embid aren't too bad.
A lot of the newer generation of NBA fans have no idea how scary good 90s NBA teams were besides the Bulls. Even teams that didn't win a ring in the 90s could win one in the current NBA era.
For all the young bucks that actually think shaq is better. SHAQ will tell you Hakeem was better. Hakeem was unstoppable. He could do everything, whenever he wanted to. Hakeem and Jordan were the two best players I have seen since being an NBA fan in 1991. If they played their primes together, they would have won 10 rings together. Maybe more!