Averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of his first 12 seasons in the league, Hakeem's numbers are out of this world. As the NBA's all-time leading shot-blocker and eighth on the career steals list (by far the highest for a center), “The Dream” can say with conviction that he was the greatest defensive center ever. As impressive as the numbers are, they don't do Olajuwon justice. Hakeem played the game with an elegance that had to be seen to be believed. He had impeccable footwork on the low block and a silky-smooth jump shot. The power and grace with which he went about his business were breathtaking. On top of that he was the ultimate teammate. Hakeem Olajuwon was the greatest combination of size, power, and grace the game has ever seen. Numbers are only part of what made Olajuwon so incredible, as a few other post players have put up tremendous stats. It was not only the two championships he won in 1994 and 1995; many great big men won NBA titles. It was the way he won those championships, annihilating everyone in his path on the way to those rings that makes me say Olajuwon is the best center in the history of the game. For two seasons, the incredible raw athleticism Hakeem possessed joined forces with a finally 100 percent evolved skill set to devastate the league. Hakeem took home most of the NBA's hardware in the 1993-94 season. Olajuwon became the only player in history to win the regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and the Finals MVP in the same season. On the way to his first title, Olajuwon and the Rockets knocked out Charles Barkley and the defending Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns in seven games. In the decisive Game 7 with everything on the line, Olajuwon went for an incredible 37 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. After making short work of Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals, Houston defeated the New York Knicks in seven games to win the NBA championship. Olajuwon could have went to jail for what he did to Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing in the series, holding the career 50 percent shooter to a miserable 36 percent from the field and outscoring him in every single contest. Highlights from Game 5 vs. the Spurs in the 1995 Western Conference Finals The 1994-95 regular season was a tumultuous one for the Rockets, as they won only 47 games despite Olajuwon's 27.8 points per game. For the second consecutive season, "The Dream" was Houston`s lone All-Star. Receiving only the sixth seed in the west, the Rockets faced a seemingly impossible road to defend their title. In the first round of the 1995 playoffs, the Rockets took down a 60-win Utah Jazz team despite being heavy underdogs, and in the conference semifinals they needed another seven games to defeat Barkley and the Phoenix Suns for the second straight year. Olajuwon performed magnificently in each of the first two rounds; neither of which the Rockets were expected to win. The next series, however, is where Olajuwon went from a superstar to an immortal. The San Antonio Spurs had the NBA's best record in 1994-95 at 62-20 and were the favorites to win the title. Their leader, regular-season MVP David Robinson received his trophy (won by Olajuwon the year before) in front of Hakeem prior to Game 2 of the series. Big Mistake. Robinson was a terrific player, but nowhere near Olajuwon's level at that time and Olajuwon proved it by humiliating the "Admiral." After watching the trophy celebration, Olajuwon shut everyone in San Antonio up by tossing in 41 points to go with 16 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. He followed that up in Game 3 with 43 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. After four games, the series was tied at two games apiece. In a pivotal Game 5 on the road against the best team in the league, “The Dream” picked up his game even more. Forty-two points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five blocked shots later, Robinson was left shaking his head. Olajuwon had played Robinson like a puppet with a dazzling display of post moves, jump shots and crossover dribbles. He did the same in Game 6, dropping 39 and 17 to go along with five more blocks to close out the series. The 1995 Finals were no contest. The Rockets swept the great Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic in a series in which Olajuwon outscored Shaq in every game, never scoring less than 30 points. Like Robinson and Ewing, Shaq was simply outclassed. To put this in perspective, over his consecutive championship runs, Hakeem destroyed the three best centers in his era in Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Shaquille O'Neal. In 17 total matchups, Olajuwon was never outscored in a game by any of those three. During this two-year period, Olajuwon was at the peak of his powers. Offensively and defensively, it was the highest level any center has ever reached. That is why Hakeem Olajuwon is the best center who ever played the game.
People forget Hakeem went head to head with two of the greatest teams ever in 1986. Magic and Bird in back to back series and almost took both of them out in his 2nd year. I completely agree with you!
Strength. Speed. Skills. Shooting touch. Fades left. Fades right. Feints either way. Hook shot. Jump shot. Dunk. Crossover. Bank shot. Spins both directions. Scores with back to the basket/face up. Reverse layups. Uses both hands. Rebounds. Blocks. Knows to read double teams. Great 1 on 1/team defender. Left/right side of the court. Decent range. Hell, who needs a blind layup? Oh I quit, he did that as well.
tenki1 That's good tenki1 you did your homework on Hakeem but you forgot one important thing that he was great in and when he started applying to his game and the rockets started winning championships that was when he became a great passer when his assist went up and everybody was scoring and the defense didn't know what to do so they didn't know weather to double Hakeem and let him pass the ball to Kenny Smith and let him burn you with a 3 or to let Hakeem just dominate you so a lot of teams what play just man to man defense on Olajuwon to just get burn with the two weather then the three and that's one reason why he was so great because he can change the defense and he was a great passer.
neal6473 The only bone I’d pick with your post is I wouldn’t ever call him a great passer.. He was always a great rebounder and OUTLET passer, which I’d why the Rockets could always run on anyone.. But the team got better, as you say, when he bought in and became a willing passer out of the block.. And he was effective, for the most part doing so, although Seattle’s defense gave him fits.. But being effective as a passer was what put that team over the top, offensively, no doubt.. With Olajuwon, their defense, the easy buckets in the running game, AND the ability to do lethal damage from deep, that team became tough to beat.. The chemistry was amazing, too..
@@jacobjones5269 Hakeem, had no choice to pass with the Rudy T teams, cause the entire team was based on passing the ball out with the shooters. Obviously, Rudy knew Hakeem had to be able to pass in order to do that. And if you watch his early games (first, 2nd year in the league) he made some nifty passes, when he was already into his offense or dribbling facing the basket, as players cut or were open. So, though he didn't pass a lot in his early years (comparatively speaking). It appears, the same court vision and instinct that allowed Dream to play such good defense/great offensive moves, was available to him in recognizing teammates to pass the ball to. So, that let's me know he always had that ability, and he wasn't deficient in it. This is probably why Rudy knew he could do that with him. Think about it? Now, I'm not calling him Kareem, Sabonis, or even Wilt with the passing. However, I I think Hakeem's certainly ahead of the likes of Shaq; Ewing; Malone, etc., when it comes to passing . But yes: He threw some nice outlet passes, many times to the opposite basket on a dime.
Visually, it was clear that Ewing and Robinson are taller than Hakeem. Both are authentic 7 footer. Hakeem has a big wingspan, so it seems that he is a 7 footer but he is indeed 6'10. He looked small against almost every center back them, even against Alonzo (for example) who is another 6'10 center.
+Rafael Teles you are right, karl was 6-9, thorpe was 6-10, both hakeem and alonzo were only 6-9 1/2 or 6-9 3/4, but neither were undersized and both had 7 footer wingspans, hakeem could also jump elbows at the rim high
Low post moves - Best ever Blocks - Best ever Steals - Best ever Running - top 3 ever Crossover - in his own league Clutch - as clutch as they come Elegance - Ballerina
I really don't think Hakeem was athletically great, perhaps only "good" athletically quickness jumping etc but nobody and I mean nobody made more out of what they were given physically
7 footer who dances on the floor, runs as good as anybody, strong as an oak, and you call him not a great athlete? Bro drop that pot, it's hurting your synapses really.
@@gillianotto4582, 😂... I'm guessing you believe your opinions are "facts" simply because you say so. 😂 Anyway, Hakeem definitely had the best footwork in his category. It is very unlikely we will ever see another big this nimble and agile. As for MJ, his is really as good as it gets. His ability to change directions in response to the defence is something that we have not really seen since. Kyrie is possibly the only one I can think of that comes close, except he takes 3x as many dribbles.
Imagine Hakeem in today's NBA. He dominated in a time of really good centers. There are very few elite centers right now. He would literally be an unstoppable god on the court.
@@redeemed1079 1) Kobe went to dream to learn the baseline fadeaway and never perfected it like dream did...video on TH-cam 2) MJs own son asked MJ if there was anyone who gave him problems. MJ said that he didn't want any part of the african over there...interview from 2021
It's crazy, he doesn't even move like a center. It's almost like watching MJ or Lebron, the way he plays the game. How come he doesn't get more recognition? Top 2-3 center of all time, no doubt.
ladistar agreed, most underrated big man that ever played. it's inane, this guy's talent is ridiculous....I think there is also some merit in the fact that Jordan selected Hakeem as his center in his personal all-time starting five lineup tho.
Olajuwon was the best center of all time. He played in an era of great big men, and tore them all up. In his 2nd year in the league, he got the Rockets to the finals against a truly great '86 Celtics team, and took them to 6 games. When Jordan retired the 1st time, we saw who the next best player was, with Hakeem leading the Rockets to 2 championships. He outplayed Parrish, Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, Mutombo, Mourning, you name it. Between about 1986 and 1997, he was the best center in the game. No disrespect to Kareem, who was still great late in his career. Wilt Chamberlain was the most statistically dominant big man of all time, but he had a massive physical advantage over most of the centers of his era. I can understand people thinking that maybe Wilt or Kareem were better than Olajuwon, but that's it. Shaq was a walking offensive foul who should have fouled out of almost every game. My pick is The Dream.
gerizzyYMcrew I watched the games when they were being played. I've looked at the stats for both players, probably more than you have. Olajuwon was a far more complete player than Shaq. In the 95 finals, guess who tipped in the game winning basket in game 1? Olajuwon did it, slipping past Shaq. Who led the series in scoring? Shaq himself said that Hakeem "dusted his butt." Olajuwon was a truly complete player. That is something that Shaq never was. He depended on physical size and bulk to push people out of the way for a good percentage of his baskets. The refs were too afraid to call fouls. The only time that Shaq really got the best of him was once Olajuwon was old. Hakeem was even near the end of his prime when they played in 95.
Hakeem is a center who can also play on the perimeter. His lower FG% doesn't mean he's inefficient. It means he has the skills to take perimeter shots - something that 90% of centers can't do consistently.
And in 95 hakeem outscored Shaq every game of the finals, had the game winner in Game 1 while Shaq didn't do anything in the clutch, and Shaq had twice as many turnovers as hakeem in the finals.
A lot a people are trying to replicate Hakeem's footwork but what they don't get is that Olajuwon developed this kind of agility on his lower body cause growing up in Nigeria he started as a soccer player before switching to basketball.
I grew up a Laker fan watching Kareem and became a huge Spurs (Tim Duncan) fan. Hakeem is the most skilled big man to ever play the game, barring none!!!!!
How great was he? He was drafted before Jordan and it was NEVER second guessed. In his second year he had the Rockets in the Finals, and though they fell short against Boston, everyone knew he was the best center in the game. And nearly a decade later he steamrolled through Robinson and Shaq just to make the point.
how do you guard this guy lol. When he gets the ball in the paint he's got 6 different moves with 6 different counter moves....you don't fall for his fake he will just shoot that jumper from the baseline. If you fall for his pump fake, he will just dunk on you. You guard him close, then he will just cross you. He has a lethal hook as well as a consistent jumper and an unguardable fadeaway. Great footwork and excellent body control. There is no way you can guard this guy. Impossible.
Skim Charles: Thanks bro - totally agree. MJ and Dream had bodies as close to perfect as you'll get for hoops. Both smooth, agile and explosive. The two best ever for me.
@1995 GetJiggyWitIt I had a Rookie card of Akeem at 7'3. Video games list him at 7'2. He doesn't look shorter than the centers he made look like chumps. He's 7 feet tall.
The precision of his footwork is just absurd. Spin moves, crossovers, pump fakes, turn around jumpers AND to top it all off... He plays defense. As far as big men, he's the G.O.A.T. in my book.
I lived in Houston the whole time Dream was there. As a ball player, I watched all the Rocket's games I could. To clear up some misconceptions: - Hakeem's Dream Shake was his little shoulder-shimmy before going right or left. It was not his simple catch and turn-over-right-shoulder baseline fade - His most money move was catch low left block and baby hook over his left shoulder from the middle of the lane - Hakeem liked the left block more so he could fade baseline over his right shoulder (easier for righties to do than left shoulder) without fear of a double team affecting the shot - The Rockets beat up on Jordan's Bulls. The SuperSonics gave them the most trouble, by far. - Hakeem was not a great open floor dribbler. If he took it coast to coast, it looked awkward, and he often traveled taking a 3rd step before dunking. In the half-court, he had a better handle on the ball. I loved the guy. He's on my all-time 1st team as the starting center.
I just wanna say how much I appreciate you making this video. More people need to be made aware of how much skill - on top of super rare height and athleticism - it takes to play center or PF at its best.
In my opinion he is the greatest center, no one had ever seen a center move the way he did at the time and even today no one center could move like him!
HOLY BEJESUS! He may be the greatest all-around center ever. I mean outside of the absolutely insane catalogue of moves here he was just as good defensively. His footwork, especially for a center, is so quick and fluid.......just perfection really. I watched this absolutely slack-jawed. How is this even possible? And you watch his training videos with Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant and Lebron and even at 53 he is more precise and fluid than they are. Poetry in motion. Awesome post too!
Probably my favorite center ever: 21.8 ppg, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 3.1 BPG, 1.7 SPG. Truly an all around 5 category player. In fact only him and Andrei Kirilenko have ever had a 5x6: a game where you have at least 6 in the 5 positive categories above!
gerizzyYMcrew True, but it's tough to compare centers from their era to the post-Bird/Magic era. Teams got bigger, the talent pool increased dramatically, rules changed, etc. Wilt and Russell wouldn't have the same kind of stat lines in the modern (80's-present) era. Olajuwon had the best combination of footwork, quickness, touch and size of all centers ever, imho. To me, he compares most closely to Russell, but a little bigger and more skilled offensively.
Nathalie Leduc Exactly. Also 3 point line rule and 3 seconds rule make more important the big men's role in game. Watch the battle of giants video(KAJ-WILT) you can easily realise the low basketball iq of Wilt. Wilt is not even top 5 center. Hakeem-Shaq-KAJ-Bill-Moses are better than him.
He's the all time leading shot blocker. 11th all time in points. 13th in Rebounds. But the thing that really impressed me, he's 8th all time in steals. 8th!!!! And he plays center!!! There was nobody quite like the Dream. Amazing.
Arguably the scariest NBA Athlete across 5 Categories💯 Heard he had a slow start in the NBA though. Can’t imagine how he’d stack up with 2-3 hall of famers on his team in their prime💯 Give him an Isiah Thomas, Clyde Drexler, and Two First/Second Tier position players and a bet he retires with 5 Rings. Hell, Reggie Lewis and Len Bias brought up next to those strong but aging Celtics might have taken a ring from Jordan
I was lucky enough to witness all this greatness growing up in Houston. Those 2 championships so much fun to live through. Clutch City what a ride. Best sports time of my life.
@ kareem has a longer career,more Accolades and the skyhook but if you watched this video or seen Olajuwon live then you would understand there is no center that has ever done things with a basketball quite like Hakeem....Olajuwon is the most complete and skilled center ever. I watched Kareem...and as great as he was, he wasnt as graceful, didnt have the same footwork, jumpshot, array of moves, crossovers, or quickness Olajuwon had. Just because Kareem won more rings or played for the Lakers doesnt make him the better player. I think people are too stubborn to Acknowledge Olajuwon over Kareem or Russell, or even Wilt because he played in Houston and not a historic or bigger market team such as Lakers or Celtics. Also people rely too heavily on what you accomplished instead of the skillset.....the problem is accomplishments many times coincide with who you played with to get you those accomplishments or Era.
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@@peterguidry6084 You didn't watch Kareem, then. Or, you only watched the 80s lakers. I watched Hakeem's entire career. Yes, he was great. But, you've over-exageratted his level. Kareem had much better footwork, was far more versatile on offense, was far more efficient. Kareem was far more successful as well. It's not even close. And, Kareem even has more blocks. Just think about that. Kareem is the all time leader in blocks, and almost no one knows that.
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@@peterguidry6084 Olajuwon isn't even in the conversation when it comes to the all time greats, nor should he be. Akeem, first of all, had the most talent of any college superstar, ever....and didn't manage to win one NCAA title. Kareem won 3. Akeem joined a Houston team which just had the #1 pick the year before, and the #3. He was paired with top talent from the beginning of his career. Lead to one year in the finals, and a bunch of years getting bounced early. Kareem (Lew) joined an expansion franchise which was 1 year old, and made them immediate contenders. Hakeem, then gets bounced in the 1st round 8x in his career, only challenges when MJ is retired, and fails to even play well after his 2nd title. Olajuwon disappears after the Orlando victory. Despite having Drexler and Barkley and Pippen and more, he can't even contend.
@ Olajuwon is in almost everyone's conversation when it comes to all time greats. And when it comes to down to mentioning the Best centers ever...the names are always Kareem, Hakeem, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Shaq. Shaq even said Olajuwon was better than him and Jordan and his whole family places Olajuwon as the top center ever and in his personal top 5 players. Olajuwon is noted for having the best footwork ever of any center....not kareem. Olajuwon is the NBA shot Blocking leader in history...not kareem, that is why nobody heard that before. Now people speculate if Wilt or Bill had more shot blocks but this is because they didnt keep that Record back then. No center in NBA history could dribble like a guard and cross players over with that kind of handles....out of all kareem games I watched, I never seen him cross anybody up. He was lanky, but had different types of hook shots, including the skyhook. But Olajuwon put players in a spin cycle. Even gary payton said no one had an answer for him and he was unguardable. Olajuwon dominated or bested more dominate centers and power forwards than almost any center ever...this list includes. David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, shaquille Oneal, Brad Daughtery, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Walton, Robert Parish, Rik Smitts, karl Malone, Charles Barkley, shawn Kemp, Kevin Mchale and a young Kevin Garnett. In 86 Rockets with Olajuwon almost beat both the Lakers and Celtics in one single playoff run... They beat the Lakers in 5 when it was the showtime Lakers who featured a prime Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and an older Kareem. Rockets went on to challenge the mighty Celtics to 6 games before losing. But the celtics had about 5 hall of famers including Bird on one team at the same time. You want to know the whole truth after that... Ralph Sampson got hurt for the Rockets and two other good Rockets players got busted for drugs and got kicked out the league. So Rockets never got to their full potential....this is the reason Rockets got bounced early in the playoffs because the only good player left was Olajuwon. This was no fault of his. It wasnt until the window between 93 through 96 that the Rockets were ready to win a title. And they won in 94 and 95. Many people believe that the Rockets had the personnel to beat the Bulls had they met in 93 or 94. But it never happened. So it is hypothetical. You bash Olajuwon for having a stacked College team for the year that was the phi slamma jamma....but did you know the coach changed the gameplan and it costed them the championship. Look it up. In the NBA Olajuwon won titles... But he didnt win enough rings because the GM hardly ever put any great players around Olajuwon to win. Olajuwon is in rare territory as a superstar to win a title as the only superstar on his team in 94. An older drexler came in 95. By the time barkley came to Houston...thet were all old and not the same players anymore. Didnt most of Kareems championships came playing alongside prime magic?
Of note is the calibur of players that the Dream is domintaing. Patrick Ewing, D.Robinson, McHale, Bird, Robert Parish, a young strong Shaq (before the refs decided to let Shaq get away with offensive fouls for the rest of his career), Barkley, Magic Johnson. These are all hall of famers and considered some the best ever and Hakeem is making them look like they've never played ball before. Then there's Mutombo, Oakley, AC green and a whole host of defensive specialist getting taken to school.
Indeed... He thrived on the era where the likes of the Bad Boys Pistons, the Knicks, the Celtics and Pacers frontline are what clogging his scoring area. For a center, he has a great perimeter game and was a dependable freethrow shooter unlike his peers. Also his strength is very underrated. The only weakness I can think of perhaps is his knees but then again he only had problems with it in his later years. The greatest center of all time in my book.
@@MozTheBoz Nice post. Yeah. Hakeem always played great defense as a foundation, and didn't always have to go wild offensively. But (yeah), whenever he played the top centers or Jordan, etc., he always had to put on an offensive show as well as a defensive one. LOL I agree: Best player I ever saw, and I watched him from his first season, and extensively in the playoffs during his early years (85+). He was killing them with the same, similar moves during his first and second season in the league. LMAO!!
0:40 that is the creation of the Dead-Leg Fadeaway that Dirk Nowitzki lived and died by BUT created by Hakeem Olajuwon. For Dirk it was his #1 go to move, for Hakeem it was his right side low-block #6 counter go to move. #LevelsToHisBag
The guy has one of the best footwork that the center position has ever had and his offensive repertoire on the low block is the best. He also got the job done defensively even if he was not a tall center.
Job done? The guy is the alltime leader in blocks and a top 10 in steals, lol he doesn't do the job, he is the best defensive center that ever played. His defense is actually better than his offense.
@@zenmar84 Russell had the same wingspan of Trevor Ariza and the man himself said he played a different game (West and Oscar said the same thing, only Wilt brags about his era). So, it's counterproductive for us to compare these guys with modern players considering even they don't do that. It's common logic really.
@@RRRRRRRRR33 but we can only judge them by the era that they played and he was head and shoulder above defensively during his time (it also help i guess that wilt didnt totally focus his energy in that area) btw im not disputing that hakeem is great defensively, but your reasoning why he is which is his stats is not yet being recorded during bills time.
@@zenmar84 Yeah. But like Russell: Olajuwon's DEFENSE goes way beyond his stats and block shots. I don't think Russell could do what Olajuwon did (unless you saw him do it). For starters: Olajuwon could guard any position on the floor, anywhere on the floor. I've seen it many times. Guards don't blow by him up top when caught on a switch, and many times he steals the ball from them. He always flashed the rebounder to slow down the fast break, and many times he'd steal the ball from them to for a basket. Of course he could guard his own guy, but he was also capable (while guarding his own guy) to get to anyone else on the court, without losing his guy, while not getting beat on the inside pass often. Down low (like Russell) he terrorized the opposition to change and pass up shots more often than he blocked, because most weren't going to try to shoot if they knew he was there. Best player I ever seen, cause I watched him a lot from the end of his first season, including when they demolished the defending champion Lakers in 86, when he went crazy (before Drugs and Injuries decimated them from many potential championships), losing to another all time great Celtics team in 6 games.
Hakeem and Barry Sanders have a lot in common. Both are once in a lifetime true originals as far as their skill sets go. The way they move, what they bring to the table. Such a pleasure watching them do their craft.
I had been watching basketball for almost 30 years when Hakeem retired & as a Rocket fan for all those years, I can honestly say, No center ever, could handle the ball like Hakeem did. He was like a 7' tall PG. not even mentioning his steals & blocked shots. Look up his steals & compare to the average Point guard
i was fortunate enough to watch olajuwon throughout his career...during his prime years from 93-95 there is no one player i would choose over hakeem...that 95 team with drexler kept getting better and better as the playoffs mushed on...when they faced the magic in the finals i would argue that no team in history could defeat them in a 7 game series
Basketball is a beautiful sport to watch when executed properly, and Hakeem Olajuwon is probably the most aesthetically pleasing offensive player in the history of the game
I'd back off that "pound for pound" part. That means he'd not only have to be the most skilled, but SIGNIFICANTLY more skilled than a Chris Paul or Michael Jordan to make up the pound-for-pound ratio.
Well, basketball is a game focused 100% in size, right? If you want a good ratio of overall skill in a player, the size should be considered the equalizer. There many examples: Jordan is the unanimously best perimeter player in basketball, right? But in his size/weight range, he is not the most skilled. Kobe is far more skilled than him, better handles, passing ability, range, etc... Big guys who relies on sheer strength like Shaq or even LeBron shouldn't even be considered "skilled" in this scenario. So, if you make a pound for pound situation only considering the finesse skills of the player and using the size as equalizer, Hakeem is far more skilled than anyone else. And this could be considered both ways, Iverson and Barkley has this kind of higher skill standards because their diminuted height limited them considerably. Hakeem basically moves like D-Wade, footwork of a guard, crossovers, steals, blocks, etc... This kind of combined traits is something that you don't see in any basketball player of any size, its basically something exclusive to him.
Chris Paul is a incredible talented player, but in his size range, the NBA has many examples of skilled players. Pond for pound, my opinion, the most talented players are basically a draw between Olajuwon and Magic, with Iverson and Bird right behind them. Jordan for me don't even qualifies on a "top 5" regarding pure skill/talent because he had elite athleticism in his entire career. Some could say that athletic ability can be considered a form of "skill", but I respectly disagree with that. Pure skill should be put in a special paradigm, you see athletic freaks every day in college and even on street ball level, but a pure skilled player like Olajuwon is something incredibly rare.
***** Of course, the extra pounds limits their movements. The pound for pound scenario works in this situation because even with this limitation, Olajuwon still was capable to move like a guard. For that he needed even more skill. The same scenario is applied to Iverson, only inverting the extra pounds of the bigger player compared to a very small player with fewer pounds. If the guy is capable to dominate even with those disadvantaged, that qualities him even more. Don't you agree?
I just love watching this guy man. I used to hate being the center because I never had any post moves and I'd always be the one being yelled at for shooting 3's when I was a big man. After watching his videos and studying his post moves, I now enjoy the one very thing I hated before...being a center.
What a legend. This man has moves that all positions are using today, except he combines all of them. He has carmelos up and under, has Rondo's fake, has Tim Duncan's hook. All the players I listed above must've learned one thing from him. Poor Dwight Howard is now officially a coward center. Lol
I think the up and under was McHale's move. I always heard it attributed to him. Hakeem's move was the dream shake. Everything else, he got from someone else.
Justs99171 The "dream shake" has nothing to do with the way he finished - it just means that he was able to fake and shake players off to create the space he needed to take his shot.
This was a wonderful showcase of the incredible amount of offensive ability Hakeem had. You did a fantastic job. If you ever feel like it, I'd love to see a similar video of Dream's defensive skills. Most blocked shots of all time by a huge margin. Top ten all time in steals, which would be impossible to believe for a center if it weren't Hakeem. Easily the most complete center of all time.
+Just a Guy Hakeem was 7'0. That's what makes him so remarkable. 7'0 feet with the ability to isolate from beyond the 3 pt line. Amazing. And he dominated the Prime Orlando shaq.
+Just a Guy Bruh. he was every bit of 7'0. LeBron is close to 6'9. No way in the world you sayin LeBron is close in height to hakeem. I'm 35. I seen Hakeem.
i think i ve watched and rewetted those dream moves against admiral about 30 times in the past few years. never gets old. just perfection in terms of footwork, so smooth, so quick, perfect rhythm. people talk about fundamentals and footwork and teach it now- but before dream, nobody moved like that in the post, they're teaching what dream invented and perfected man. the way he placed his pivot foot and faked and spun off it in perfect rhythm. beauty. poetry man .
Thank you for the terrific video. Growing up a Rockets fan during Hakeem's great years was just a sight to behold. Seeing this video just gives me flashbacks to his incredible dominance when he was at the height of his career. He was unstoppable. The greatest footwork by a big man ever seen that still sets the standard today. Ewing, Robinson, Shaq amongst others were all superb players, But there was truly only one Dream. If he ever had a true star along side him for many years like a lot of the other greats did, Hakeem may have won 5 or 6 rings. I'm honored to have watched him as a home town kid during the amazing Clutch City days.
.. quard in a power forward's body, forced to play center.No1 pick 5 years after touching the ball for the first time!!!!(it's true). Played most of his time with 2 or 3 players quarding him on his attempts... underrated.. one of the very very bests
Cant imagine him playing in his prime in this generations league. 90's defense is so physical while today's era is just soft, Hakeem surely will beasting and feasting todays players.
What a marvel of a player, a real delight to see him play. What a repertoire of movements and technical fundamentals, never seen in a center, that is able to move like an escort... Simply the best... Legend The Dream.
Dirk also did that. But he was playing against one of the most shameful teams in NBA history, they were partially mentally broken (LeBron was completely melted, his soul left his body). Still, Dirk played like a God. Hakeem played like a God his entire career, then he played like a Titan in 94 and 95
0:40 That is just stunning. It was good defending but the fact he knew and managed to lean back enough to create that extra space because the defender was wide footed and couldn’t possibly reach that far forward was beautiful. I still enjoy watching the NBA nowadays but I miss the post game. I’m glad Jokic and Embiid have been dominating with it so much recently.
one of the best I've ever seen and I've been watching NBA for 30 years. There is a reason no one talks smack about Olajuwon being picked #1 over Jordan. The reason is how can you complain about someone this good.
Hakeem to me in the Greatest and most Skilled Center that has ever played in the NBA. For several reasons. 1. Footwork. As a basketball coach for 9 year footwork is key to any players success and he by far has the best footwork I have ever seen from a center. 2. Dominance. This guy played against Many hall of fame centers, Kareem, Ewing, Shaq, Ect. and he dominated all of them. Don't believe me.... watch what he did to Shaq and Ewing in back to back finals. 3. Skills. How many big men could start at the foul like and blow by their defenders off the dribble and it looks as smooth as a guard. In his era it was only him. He was so skilled. 4. Intelligence. He knew the game. He knew how important footwork was, and he knew how to out smart his opponent. Used ball fakes head fakes shoulder fakes better than anyone. 5. 2 way player. The man not only was an elite offensive player, but he was also an elite defender.
Wilt Chamberlain I can't really make an opinion on considering he's just from too long ago. However, as much respect as I have for Kareem, he didn't have the moves that Hakeem did. Kareem had the best sky hook and the most unguardable move in NBA history. Hakeem is just so more versatile and could NOT be stopped on most of his moves. He can find many ways to score. One of the best centers of all time hands down.
***** Wilt never owned Russell. Wilt put up big stats simply because he went out of his way to chase stats instead of helping his team win "Chamberlain was concerned about Chamberlain. He was in love with his stats." - Red Auerbach "He got a stat sheet at half time and he'd come over and question whether or not he got enough rebounds" - Chick Hearn "It wasn't a matter of Wilt vs. Russell with Bill. It was a matter of who won." - John Havlicek "Bill Russell understood how to make his team better. I don't think Wilt ever really understood that" - Paul Westphal *1962 EDF vs Russell* - after Wilt's 50 ppg 26 rpg season Game 1 - Wilt 12 pts in first half... down 15 at half time... Wilt pads his stats in garbage time to 33 as the Celtics keep blowing them out Game 3 - Russell outscored and out rebounded Wilt 21-14 to 13-11, and they were up 20 at half time... Wilt pads his stats in garbage time as they lost Game 5 - Wilt 11 points on 4/13 FG in first half (31%) and outrebuounded 11-9 by Russell then he pads his stats in the 2nd half after being down 20+ at half time Game 7 - no garbage time, so no chance to pad stats Wilt only had 22 points (28 ppg below average), out rebounded by Russell 22-21 and sent home as Sam Jones hit the game winner over Wilt
He had the nicest inside shot as any player I ever seen,that's when the NBA had the big boys,Patrick Ewing also had as nice of jump shot he was my opinion one of the better shooting big men to NBA was so amazing to watch at the time it was special It doesn't have the magic any more
Im sad because this guy didn't get much respect... he's the best for me and I would pick him against any other best centers to ever play the game... long live THE DREAM... and you must teach joel embiid THE PROCESS so he can bring back those good old times were bigman truly dominates the paint. A fan from the Philippines
Not saying he's as good as the Dream but Cousins is of the few really good big men. He is in my opinion the most skilled center in the game today. Can do everything very well particularly on the offensive end. That being said no one comes close at the center position at overall skill today or in the past as Hakeem.
Hakeem is the most versatile Center of all-time. He can play like a guard...crossover dribble, fade-away, shimmy shake and can pass like a PG. And then he can eat you in the post like baby-food, spin off the catch, catch fade-away, spin-off dunk, pump fake finger-roll. And I'd say his fakes were absolute best in the league, pump fake, fake pass, fake off the dribble then pump fake and then step-through. Unbelievable... Greatest Center of all-time
There has not been anybody who has a post game like Hakeem. He is the best big man down low of all time for sure. There will never be another like him because they all focus on flashy moves nowadays and don't develop any solid fundamentals. Why do you think Lebron went to him on hands and knees begging for tips? Lebron knows the old players were all just better than him and anyone in the league.
kingcam0775 MChale was actually kinda simila. He was taller and longer but not nearly as quick. The speed with which Dream moves down low is just unreal.
Averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of his first 12 seasons in the league, Hakeem's numbers are out of this world. As the NBA's all-time leading shot-blocker and eighth on the career steals list (by far the highest for a center), “The Dream” can say with conviction that he was the greatest defensive center ever.
As impressive as the numbers are, they don't do Olajuwon justice. Hakeem played the game with an elegance that had to be seen to be believed.
He had impeccable footwork on the low block and a silky-smooth jump shot. The power and grace with which he went about his business were breathtaking. On top of that he was the ultimate teammate.
Hakeem Olajuwon was the greatest combination of size, power, and grace the game has ever seen.
Numbers are only part of what made Olajuwon so incredible, as a few other post players have put up tremendous stats. It was not only the two championships he won in 1994 and 1995; many great big men won NBA titles.
It was the way he won those championships, annihilating everyone in his path on the way to those rings that makes me say Olajuwon is the best center in the history of the game.
For two seasons, the incredible raw athleticism Hakeem possessed joined forces with a finally 100 percent evolved skill set to devastate the league.
Hakeem took home most of the NBA's hardware in the 1993-94 season. Olajuwon became the only player in history to win the regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and the Finals MVP in the same season.
On the way to his first title, Olajuwon and the Rockets knocked out Charles Barkley and the defending Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns in seven games. In the decisive Game 7 with everything on the line, Olajuwon went for an incredible 37 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
After making short work of Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals, Houston defeated the New York Knicks in seven games to win the NBA championship.
Olajuwon could have went to jail for what he did to Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing in the series, holding the career 50 percent shooter to a miserable 36 percent from the field and outscoring him in every single contest.
Highlights from Game 5 vs. the Spurs in the 1995 Western Conference Finals
The 1994-95 regular season was a tumultuous one for the Rockets, as they won only 47 games despite Olajuwon's 27.8 points per game. For the second consecutive season, "The Dream" was Houston`s lone All-Star. Receiving only the sixth seed in the west, the Rockets faced a seemingly impossible road to defend their title.
In the first round of the 1995 playoffs, the Rockets took down a 60-win Utah Jazz team despite being heavy underdogs, and in the conference semifinals they needed another seven games to defeat Barkley and the Phoenix Suns for the second straight year.
Olajuwon performed magnificently in each of the first two rounds; neither of which the Rockets were expected to win. The next series, however, is where Olajuwon went from a superstar to an immortal.
The San Antonio Spurs had the NBA's best record in 1994-95 at 62-20 and were the favorites to win the title. Their leader, regular-season MVP David Robinson received his trophy (won by Olajuwon the year before) in front of Hakeem prior to Game 2 of the series.
Big Mistake. Robinson was a terrific player, but nowhere near Olajuwon's level at that time and Olajuwon proved it by humiliating the "Admiral."
After watching the trophy celebration, Olajuwon shut everyone in San Antonio up by tossing in 41 points to go with 16 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. He followed that up in Game 3 with 43 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. After four games, the series was tied at two games apiece.
In a pivotal Game 5 on the road against the best team in the league, “The Dream” picked up his game even more. Forty-two points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five blocked shots later, Robinson was left shaking his head.
Olajuwon had played Robinson like a puppet with a dazzling display of post moves, jump shots and crossover dribbles. He did the same in Game 6, dropping 39 and 17 to go along with five more blocks to close out the series.
The 1995 Finals were no contest. The Rockets swept the great Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic in a series in which Olajuwon outscored Shaq in every game, never scoring less than 30 points. Like Robinson and Ewing, Shaq was simply outclassed.
To put this in perspective, over his consecutive championship runs, Hakeem destroyed the three best centers in his era in Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and Shaquille O'Neal.
In 17 total matchups, Olajuwon was never outscored in a game by any of those three. During this two-year period, Olajuwon was at the peak of his powers. Offensively and defensively, it was the highest level any center has ever reached.
That is why Hakeem Olajuwon is the best center who ever played the game.
People forget Hakeem went head to head with two of the greatest teams ever in 1986. Magic and Bird in back to back series and almost took both of them out in his 2nd year. I completely agree with you!
John H Yeah almost forgot
Your argument is not complete bro. He won his championships with role players. He had no sidekick or superstar.
THE TRUTH in 1995 he had Drexler.
Christopher Jhagroo He won before he got Drexler. Remember Drexler was also not at his prime when he joined Hakeem
Strength. Speed. Skills. Shooting touch. Fades left. Fades right. Feints either way. Hook shot. Jump shot. Dunk. Crossover. Bank shot. Spins both directions. Scores with back to the basket/face up. Reverse layups. Uses both hands. Rebounds. Blocks. Knows to read double teams. Great 1 on 1/team defender. Left/right side of the court. Decent range. Hell, who needs a blind layup? Oh I quit, he did that as well.
tenki1 That's good tenki1 you did your homework on Hakeem but you forgot one important thing that he was great in and when he started applying to his game and the rockets started winning championships that was when he became a great passer when his assist went up and everybody was scoring and the defense didn't know what to do so they didn't know weather to double Hakeem and let him pass the ball to Kenny Smith and let him burn you with a 3 or to let Hakeem just dominate you so a lot of teams what play just man to man defense on Olajuwon to just get burn with the two weather then the three and that's one reason why he was so great because he can change the defense and he was a great passer.
neal6473
The only bone I’d pick with your post is I wouldn’t ever call him a great passer.. He was always a great rebounder and OUTLET passer, which I’d why the Rockets could always run on anyone.. But the team got better, as you say, when he bought in and became a willing passer out of the block.. And he was effective, for the most part doing so, although Seattle’s defense gave him fits..
But being effective as a passer was what put that team over the top, offensively, no doubt.. With Olajuwon, their defense, the easy buckets in the running game, AND the ability to do lethal damage from deep, that team became tough to beat.. The chemistry was amazing, too..
AND doing all that with class
And only two rings ...
@@jacobjones5269
Hakeem, had no choice to pass with the Rudy T teams, cause the entire team was based on passing the ball out with the shooters. Obviously, Rudy knew Hakeem had to be able to pass in order to do that.
And if you watch his early games (first, 2nd year in the league) he made some nifty passes, when he was already into his offense or dribbling facing the basket, as players cut or were open. So, though he didn't pass a lot in his early years (comparatively speaking). It appears, the same court vision and instinct that allowed Dream to play such good defense/great offensive moves, was available to him in recognizing teammates to pass the ball to. So, that let's me know he always had that ability, and he wasn't deficient in it. This is probably why Rudy knew he could do that with him. Think about it?
Now, I'm not calling him Kareem, Sabonis, or even Wilt with the passing. However, I I think Hakeem's certainly ahead of the likes of Shaq; Ewing; Malone, etc., when it comes to passing .
But yes: He threw some nice outlet passes, many times to the opposite basket on a dime.
His defense is twice as good as this. No question, the guy is the greatest center in basketball history, talentwise it's not even close.
***** He was actually 6'10. It just adds more lore to his accomplishments.
Visually, it was clear that Ewing and Robinson are taller than Hakeem. Both are authentic 7 footer. Hakeem has a big wingspan, so it seems that he is a 7 footer but he is indeed 6'10. He looked small against almost every center back them, even against Alonzo (for example) who is another 6'10 center.
Rafael Teles not talent wise but skill wise his low post moves were just too good
***** I really don't know for sure. He looked bigger than Malone, but smaller than Alonzo.
+Rafael Teles you are right, karl was 6-9, thorpe was 6-10, both hakeem and alonzo were only 6-9 1/2 or 6-9 3/4, but neither were undersized and both had 7 footer wingspans, hakeem could also jump elbows at the rim high
Low post moves - Best ever
Blocks - Best ever
Steals - Best ever
Running - top 3 ever
Crossover - in his own league
Clutch - as clutch as they come
Elegance - Ballerina
don't forget the 19 foot range, team leadership and longevity/durability
Elnardo Webster not best at steals or running
running can be arguable, steals are not. He's n 9 all time. Next center is David Robinson at n 56. That gives you an idea.
I really don't think Hakeem was athletically great, perhaps only "good" athletically quickness jumping etc but nobody and I mean nobody made more out of what they were given physically
7 footer who dances on the floor, runs as good as anybody, strong as an oak, and you call him not a great athlete? Bro drop that pot, it's hurting your synapses really.
His footwork is better than even Jordan's. He's just on another level all by himself, and he's a center!
All due to his time playing soccer. The man was simply on another level athletically.
I wouldn't say his footwork is better than Jordan's
@@AnHebrewChild Then argue with facts. His footwork is WAY BETTER THAN JORDAN'S. PERIOOOOOOD!!!
@@TheBrett04Football. Only loser Americans call it "sucker"
@@gillianotto4582, 😂... I'm guessing you believe your opinions are "facts" simply because you say so. 😂
Anyway, Hakeem definitely had the best footwork in his category. It is very unlikely we will ever see another big this nimble and agile. As for MJ, his is really as good as it gets. His ability to change directions in response to the defence is something that we have not really seen since. Kyrie is possibly the only one I can think of that comes close, except he takes 3x as many dribbles.
Imagine Hakeem in today's NBA. He dominated in a time of really good centers. There are very few elite centers right now. He would literally be an unstoppable god on the court.
His footwork around the post is better than even MJ's. Absolutely peerless.
debatable
i think kobe, mj, willis, reed in terms of block skill
@@redeemed1079
1) Kobe went to dream to learn the baseline fadeaway and never perfected it like dream did...video on TH-cam
2) MJs own son asked MJ if there was anyone who gave him problems. MJ said that he didn't want any part of the african over there...interview from 2021
The dream is the only guy i would take over MJ
Of course sincr he is a soccer player too
@@dacoldest3896 like in the draft lol
It's crazy, he doesn't even move like a center. It's almost like watching MJ or Lebron, the way he plays the game. How come he doesn't get more recognition? Top 2-3 center of all time, no doubt.
If he plays today. He could be top 3 center.
Wayne Hwang yes. perhaps the best!
ladistar agreed, most underrated big man that ever played. it's inane, this guy's talent is ridiculous....I think there is also some merit in the fact that Jordan selected Hakeem as his center in his personal all-time starting five lineup tho.
Not Lebron tho
He's consistently rated as one of the top 5 centres of all time.
Olajuwon was the best center of all time. He played in an era of great big men, and tore them all up. In his 2nd year in the league, he got the Rockets to the finals against a truly great '86 Celtics team, and took them to 6 games. When Jordan retired the 1st time, we saw who the next best player was, with Hakeem leading the Rockets to 2 championships. He outplayed Parrish, Ewing, Robinson, Shaq, Mutombo, Mourning, you name it. Between about 1986 and 1997, he was the best center in the game. No disrespect to Kareem, who was still great late in his career. Wilt Chamberlain was the most statistically dominant big man of all time, but he had a massive physical advantage over most of the centers of his era. I can understand people thinking that maybe Wilt or Kareem were better than Olajuwon, but that's it. Shaq was a walking offensive foul who should have fouled out of almost every game. My pick is The Dream.
gerizzyYMcrew Only once Hakeem was old and past him prime.
gerizzyYMcrew I watched the games when they were being played. I've looked at the stats for both players, probably more than you have. Olajuwon was a far more complete player than Shaq. In the 95 finals, guess who tipped in the game winning basket in game 1? Olajuwon did it, slipping past Shaq. Who led the series in scoring? Shaq himself said that Hakeem "dusted his butt." Olajuwon was a truly complete player. That is something that Shaq never was. He depended on physical size and bulk to push people out of the way for a good percentage of his baskets. The refs were too afraid to call fouls.
The only time that Shaq really got the best of him was once Olajuwon was old. Hakeem was even near the end of his prime when they played in 95.
gerizzyYMcrew Define "inefficient." Also, take out anything 1997 or later. Hakeem was not the same player after the 95-96 season, versus anybody.
Hakeem is a center who can also play on the perimeter. His lower FG% doesn't mean he's inefficient. It means he has the skills to take perimeter shots - something that 90% of centers can't do consistently.
And in 95 hakeem outscored Shaq every game of the finals, had the game winner in Game 1 while Shaq didn't do anything in the clutch, and Shaq had twice as many turnovers as hakeem in the finals.
I grew up watching this guy. I forgot how awesome he was. You never see a big man with moves like that anymore. I miss you "Dream"
There's never been a big man with moves like that ever
A lot a people are trying to replicate Hakeem's footwork but what they don't get is that Olajuwon developed this kind of agility on his lower body cause growing up in Nigeria he started as a soccer player before switching to basketball.
Yeah, I agree 100%. Plus, when you look at his shooting style closely, his shot is like amost Jordan. Semi-fadaway? I think.
Embiid next Hakeem Olajuwan confirmed
Tomono Kentaro Looking at his highlights, he kinda looks like a 7' Michael Jordan, doesn't he? As if Michael grew 6'' taller and played the post!
A 7ft soccer player.... yeah I thing he made the right choice switching sports
@@CarbonComs not even close
I grew up a Laker fan watching Kareem and became a huge Spurs (Tim Duncan) fan. Hakeem is the most skilled big man to ever play the game, barring none!!!!!
How great was he? He was drafted before Jordan and it was NEVER second guessed.
In his second year he had the Rockets in the Finals, and though they fell short against Boston, everyone knew he was the best center in the game. And nearly a decade later he steamrolled through Robinson and Shaq just to make the point.
Dont forget Ewing!
Ewing was drafted a year later. And he took a backseat to Hakeem
@@DaxSports1 He owned Ewing in the Finals
He was a power forward in 1986
@@fuckthechinesevirus9462 Yeah he only mentioned shaq and Robinson. I meant dont forget he torched Ewing as well.
I love it when he puts the ball on the floor , dribbles, crosses, and puts it up... It's amazing , he looks like a shooting guard instead of a center
MyTwitzWorld I remember reading somewhere that Hakeem actually said when he faces up he believes that he is a small forward.
I thought i was watching Jordan for a second. This is really what jordan would look like if he was 6 inch taller.
how do you guard this guy lol. When he gets the ball in the paint he's got 6 different moves with 6 different counter moves....you don't fall for his fake he will just shoot that jumper from the baseline. If you fall for his pump fake, he will just dunk on you. You guard him close, then he will just cross you. He has a lethal hook as well as a consistent jumper and an unguardable fadeaway. Great footwork and excellent body control. There is no way you can guard this guy. Impossible.
dhjn4214 truth
Just had to pray he went for the fadeaway n missed lol
Double team and hope he misses. One on one, it's not possible. Even against the double team he could spin baseline and shoot the fadeaway anyway.
He was basically Michael Jordan of center.
dhjn4214 nothing they could’ve done he did David Robison so dirty I never seen nothing like it
I've never seen an NBA Center with these kind of moves.
west jack Lol al jefferson! Dude looks like his feet are stuck in mud compared to Hakeem
west jack you're crazy
That’s why I always considered Hakeem the most skilled center in NBA history.
@-- embiid is more similar to patrick ewing
now you saw it
always felt like he was the 6"11 version of MJ.. his moves were so fluid
his footwork was impeccable
Skim Charles: Thanks bro - totally agree. MJ and Dream had bodies as close to perfect as you'll get for hoops. Both smooth, agile and explosive. The two best ever for me.
Hakeem's 7 feet exactly.
The dude is also master of fakes, plays with his opponent's psychology so well lmfao.
@1995 GetJiggyWitIt I had a Rookie card of Akeem at 7'3. Video games list him at 7'2. He doesn't look shorter than the centers he made look like chumps. He's 7 feet tall.
The precision of his footwork is just absurd. Spin moves, crossovers, pump fakes, turn around jumpers AND to top it all off... He plays defense. As far as big men, he's the G.O.A.T. in my book.
+Cy Wait And in my Book too. He simply did it all.
I lived in Houston the whole time Dream was there. As a ball player, I watched all the Rocket's games I could. To clear up some misconceptions:
- Hakeem's Dream Shake was his little shoulder-shimmy before going right or left. It was not his simple catch and turn-over-right-shoulder baseline fade
- His most money move was catch low left block and baby hook over his left shoulder from the middle of the lane
- Hakeem liked the left block more so he could fade baseline over his right shoulder (easier for righties to do than left shoulder) without fear of a double team affecting the shot
- The Rockets beat up on Jordan's Bulls. The SuperSonics gave them the most trouble, by far.
- Hakeem was not a great open floor dribbler. If he took it coast to coast, it looked awkward, and he often traveled taking a 3rd step before dunking. In the half-court, he had a better handle on the ball.
I loved the guy. He's on my all-time 1st team as the starting center.
"If he took it coast to coast, it looked awkward, and he often traveled taking a 3rd step before dunking."
That's just a regular dunk in today's NBA.
@@thefibrillator2927 Today they call it the Euro-step. Basically just allowing players to travel legally.
Nice to see someone who understands nuance and knows what they're talking about; this assessment is spot on.
I just wanna say how much I appreciate you making this video. More people need to be made aware of how much skill - on top of super rare height and athleticism - it takes to play center or PF at its best.
I've watched it 4-5 times easily. And your channel is awesome.
In my opinion he is the greatest center, no one had ever seen a center move the way he did at the time and even today no one center could move like him!
Ashok Hegde Kareem is not even closed to more skilled.All he had over Hakeem is his sky hook and rings
HOLY BEJESUS! He may be the greatest all-around center ever. I mean outside of the absolutely insane catalogue of moves here he was just as good defensively. His footwork, especially for a center, is so quick and fluid.......just perfection really. I watched this absolutely slack-jawed. How is this even possible? And you watch his training videos with Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant and Lebron and even at 53 he is more precise and fluid than they are. Poetry in motion. Awesome post too!
"holy bejesus"?
yeah i am weird that way. :)
Probably my favorite center ever: 21.8 ppg, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 3.1 BPG, 1.7 SPG. Truly an all around 5 category player. In fact only him and Andrei Kirilenko have ever had a 5x6: a game where you have at least 6 in the 5 positive categories above!
gerizzyYMcrew True, but it's tough to compare centers from their era to the post-Bird/Magic era. Teams got bigger, the talent pool increased dramatically, rules changed, etc. Wilt and Russell wouldn't have the same kind of stat lines in the modern (80's-present) era. Olajuwon had the best combination of footwork, quickness, touch and size of all centers ever, imho. To me, he compares most closely to Russell, but a little bigger and more skilled offensively.
gerizzyYMcrew their most of blocks will not count today's game because of goaltending
So true! The game changed from an era to another. Hakeem was the best center Ive saw, but Kareem, prime Sabonis and Wilt were great too.
Nathalie Leduc Exactly. Also 3 point line rule and 3 seconds rule make more important the big men's role in game. Watch the battle of giants video(KAJ-WILT) you can easily realise the low basketball iq of Wilt. Wilt is not even top 5 center. Hakeem-Shaq-KAJ-Bill-Moses are better than him.
Amazing thing about Dream's career is he was even greater in the post season..15 post season years-scoring up to 26/game at 53%,3 assists/game
This man has taught many players how to post like Kobe and Lebron. Greatest post player of all time! Best footwork of all time!
No disrespect to Kareem shaq wilt bill or any other centers but Hakeem is my favorite and all time. Best in my opinion
He's the all time leading shot blocker. 11th all time in points. 13th in Rebounds. But the thing that really impressed me, he's 8th all time in steals. 8th!!!! And he plays center!!! There was nobody quite like the Dream. Amazing.
Arguably the scariest NBA Athlete across 5 Categories💯
Heard he had a slow start in the NBA though. Can’t imagine how he’d stack up with 2-3 hall of famers on his team in their prime💯 Give him an Isiah Thomas, Clyde Drexler, and Two First/Second Tier position players and a bet he retires with 5 Rings.
Hell, Reggie Lewis and Len Bias brought up next to those strong but aging Celtics might have taken a ring from Jordan
I was lucky enough to witness all this greatness growing up in Houston. Those 2 championships so much fun to live through. Clutch City what a ride. Best sports time of my life.
Most skilled big man ever!
No. Kareem.
@ kareem has a longer career,more Accolades and the skyhook but if you watched this video or seen Olajuwon live then you would understand there is no center that has ever done things with a basketball quite like Hakeem....Olajuwon is the most complete and skilled center ever.
I watched Kareem...and as great as he was, he wasnt as graceful, didnt have the same footwork, jumpshot, array of moves, crossovers, or quickness Olajuwon had.
Just because Kareem won more rings or played for the Lakers doesnt make him the better player.
I think people are too stubborn to Acknowledge Olajuwon over Kareem or Russell, or even Wilt because he played in Houston and not a historic or bigger market team such as Lakers or Celtics.
Also people rely too heavily on what you accomplished instead of the skillset.....the problem is accomplishments many times coincide with who you played with to get you those accomplishments or Era.
@@peterguidry6084 You didn't watch Kareem, then. Or, you only watched the 80s lakers. I watched Hakeem's entire career. Yes, he was great. But, you've over-exageratted his level.
Kareem had much better footwork, was far more versatile on offense, was far more efficient. Kareem was far more successful as well. It's not even close.
And, Kareem even has more blocks. Just think about that. Kareem is the all time leader in blocks, and almost no one knows that.
@@peterguidry6084 Olajuwon isn't even in the conversation when it comes to the all time greats, nor should he be.
Akeem, first of all, had the most talent of any college superstar, ever....and didn't manage to win one NCAA title. Kareem won 3.
Akeem joined a Houston team which just had the #1 pick the year before, and the #3. He was paired with top talent from the beginning of his career. Lead to one year in the finals, and a bunch of years getting bounced early.
Kareem (Lew) joined an expansion franchise which was 1 year old, and made them immediate contenders.
Hakeem, then gets bounced in the 1st round 8x in his career, only challenges when MJ is retired, and fails to even play well after his 2nd title. Olajuwon disappears after the Orlando victory. Despite having Drexler and Barkley and Pippen and more, he can't even contend.
@
Olajuwon is in almost everyone's conversation when it comes to all time greats.
And when it comes to down to mentioning the Best centers ever...the names are always Kareem, Hakeem, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Shaq.
Shaq even said Olajuwon was better than him and Jordan and his whole family places Olajuwon as the top center ever and in his personal top 5 players.
Olajuwon is noted for having the best footwork ever of any center....not kareem.
Olajuwon is the NBA shot Blocking leader in history...not kareem, that is why nobody heard that before. Now people speculate if Wilt or Bill had more shot blocks but this is because they didnt keep that Record back then.
No center in NBA history could dribble like a guard and cross players over with that kind of handles....out of all kareem games I watched, I never seen him cross anybody up.
He was lanky, but had different types of hook shots, including the skyhook. But Olajuwon put players in a spin cycle.
Even gary payton said no one had an answer for him and he was unguardable.
Olajuwon dominated or bested more dominate centers and power forwards than almost any center ever...this list includes.
David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, shaquille Oneal, Brad Daughtery, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Walton, Robert Parish, Rik Smitts, karl Malone, Charles Barkley, shawn Kemp, Kevin Mchale and a young Kevin Garnett.
In 86 Rockets with Olajuwon almost beat both the Lakers and Celtics in one single playoff run...
They beat the Lakers in 5 when it was the showtime Lakers who featured a prime Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and an older Kareem.
Rockets went on to challenge the mighty Celtics to 6 games before losing.
But the celtics had about 5 hall of famers including Bird on one team at the same time.
You want to know the whole truth after that...
Ralph Sampson got hurt for the Rockets and two other good Rockets players got busted for drugs and got kicked out the league. So Rockets never got to their full potential....this is the reason Rockets got bounced early in the playoffs because the only good player left was Olajuwon.
This was no fault of his.
It wasnt until the window between 93 through 96 that the Rockets were ready to win a title. And they won in 94 and 95.
Many people believe that the Rockets had the personnel to beat the Bulls had they met in 93 or 94. But it never happened. So it is hypothetical.
You bash Olajuwon for having a stacked College team for the year that was the phi slamma jamma....but did you know the coach changed the gameplan and it costed them the championship. Look it up.
In the NBA Olajuwon won titles... But he didnt win enough rings because the GM hardly ever put any great players around Olajuwon to win.
Olajuwon is in rare territory as a superstar to win a title as the only superstar on his team in 94. An older drexler came in 95. By the time barkley came to Houston...thet were all old and not the same players anymore.
Didnt most of Kareems championships came playing alongside prime magic?
Clearly the best center of all time
Of note is the calibur of players that the Dream is domintaing. Patrick Ewing, D.Robinson, McHale, Bird, Robert Parish, a young strong Shaq (before the refs decided to let Shaq get away with offensive fouls for the rest of his career), Barkley, Magic Johnson. These are all hall of famers and considered some the best ever and Hakeem is making them look like they've never played ball before. Then there's Mutombo, Oakley, AC green and a whole host of defensive specialist getting taken to school.
lol that interview where Robinson pretty much admitted that he couldn't stop hakeem just makes me laugh every time.
Alonzo Mourning too
Indeed... He thrived on the era where the likes of the Bad Boys Pistons, the Knicks, the Celtics and Pacers frontline are what clogging his scoring area. For a center, he has a great perimeter game and was a dependable freethrow shooter unlike his peers. Also his strength is very underrated. The only weakness I can think of perhaps is his knees but then again he only had problems with it in his later years. The greatest center of all time in my book.
@@MozTheBoz
Nice post.
Yeah. Hakeem always played great defense as a foundation, and didn't always have to go wild offensively. But (yeah), whenever he played the top centers or Jordan, etc., he always had to put on an offensive show as well as a defensive one. LOL
I agree: Best player I ever saw, and I watched him from his first season, and extensively in the playoffs during his early years (85+). He was killing them with the same, similar moves during his first and second season in the league. LMAO!!
0:40 that is the creation of the Dead-Leg Fadeaway that Dirk Nowitzki lived and died by BUT created by Hakeem Olajuwon. For Dirk it was his #1 go to move, for Hakeem it was his right side low-block #6 counter go to move. #LevelsToHisBag
The BADDEST center in NBA history. Superior defense, unmatched low-post repertoire and ridiculous athleticism.
Definitely one of the greatest players ever hands down absolutely no question unbelievable!!!
@ 2:24 perfect foot placement and foot work. Keeping it out of the pant and pivot back in. Phenomenal.
7:07 that move is so difficult!
Hakeem a top 3 defender of all time and top 5 of all time
So fucking underrated man
From 7:07 to 7:48..that's some smoove as shit from a center man no matter what fkn era you playing in lol DR34M pretty much got every ga damn move lol
That move is sick for any player. For a rim protecting Center? Cmon it’s unreal.
OMG there was none like him. He’s a beast🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Easily the most skilled offensive big ever. Arguably greatest overall.
Very versatile. Always a pleasure to watch because he was hard to predict
I can proudly say “I watched the greatest center of all time” play and destroy all centers
The guy has one of the best footwork that the center position has ever had and his offensive repertoire on the low block is the best. He also got the job done defensively even if he was not a tall center.
Job done? The guy is the alltime leader in blocks and a top 10 in steals, lol he doesn't do the job, he is the best defensive center that ever played. His defense is actually better than his offense.
@@RRRRRRRRR33 well blocks weren't counted during bill Russell's day.
@@zenmar84 Russell had the same wingspan of Trevor Ariza and the man himself said he played a different game (West and Oscar said the same thing, only Wilt brags about his era). So, it's counterproductive for us to compare these guys with modern players considering even they don't do that. It's common logic really.
@@RRRRRRRRR33 but we can only judge them by the era that they played and he was head and shoulder above defensively during his time (it also help i guess that wilt didnt totally focus his energy in that area) btw im not disputing that hakeem is great defensively, but your reasoning why he is which is his stats is not yet being recorded during bills time.
@@zenmar84
Yeah. But like Russell: Olajuwon's DEFENSE goes way beyond his stats and block shots. I don't think Russell could do what Olajuwon did (unless you saw him do it). For starters: Olajuwon could guard any position on the floor, anywhere on the floor. I've seen it many times. Guards don't blow by him up top when caught on a switch, and many times he steals the ball from them.
He always flashed the rebounder to slow down the fast break, and many times he'd steal the ball from them to for a basket.
Of course he could guard his own guy, but he was also capable (while guarding his own guy) to get to anyone else on the court, without losing his guy, while not getting beat on the inside pass often. Down low (like Russell) he terrorized the opposition to change and pass up shots more often than he blocked, because most weren't going to try to shoot if they knew he was there. Best player I ever seen, cause I watched him a lot from the end of his first season, including when they demolished the defending champion Lakers in 86, when he went crazy (before Drugs and Injuries decimated them from many potential championships), losing to another all time great Celtics team in 6 games.
Dirk's One Legged Fadeaway my foot. Hakeem had been doing that move long before Dirk stept foot in the NBA
Olajuwon...first NBA player to ever give life to the term "beast mode" on the court!
Hakeem and Barry Sanders have a lot in common. Both are once in a lifetime true originals as far as their skill sets go. The way they move, what they bring to the table. Such a pleasure watching them do their craft.
I had been watching basketball for almost 30 years when Hakeem retired & as a Rocket fan for all those years, I can honestly say, No center ever, could handle the ball like Hakeem did. He was like a 7' tall PG. not even mentioning his steals & blocked shots. Look up his steals & compare to the average Point guard
Anyone wants to know wear Dirk Nowitzki gets his 1-legged fall-a-way from, then just look at the move at 0:37.
Mytown Trill why was I thinking that
Exactly. Hakeem did it first. Wonder did Dirk see that?
i was fortunate enough to watch olajuwon throughout his career...during his prime years from 93-95 there is no one player i would choose over hakeem...that 95 team with drexler kept getting better and better as the playoffs mushed on...when they faced the magic in the finals i would argue that no team in history could defeat them in a 7 game series
Agreed!
The GOAT post player! Thank you for making me watch sports daily grandma.
He truly is a guard stuck in a center's body.
this is UNREAL. I forgot Dream use to cross dudes up. Like watching Coltrane play the sax man. Genius in motion
Basketball is a beautiful sport to watch when executed properly, and Hakeem Olajuwon is probably the most aesthetically pleasing offensive player in the history of the game
Travis Edmondson what happens to the NBA today? Almost everyone is shooting 3 after 3 now. It sucks. Only LaMarcus Aldridge keeps the 90s style alive.
Pound for pound, the most skilled bball player in history.
I'd back off that "pound for pound" part. That means he'd not only have to be the most skilled, but SIGNIFICANTLY more skilled than a Chris Paul or Michael Jordan to make up the pound-for-pound ratio.
Well, basketball is a game focused 100% in size, right? If you want a good ratio of overall skill in a player, the size should be considered the equalizer. There many examples: Jordan is the unanimously best perimeter player in basketball, right? But in his size/weight range, he is not the most skilled. Kobe is far more skilled than him, better handles, passing ability, range, etc... Big guys who relies on sheer strength like Shaq or even LeBron shouldn't even be considered "skilled" in this scenario. So, if you make a pound for pound situation only considering the finesse skills of the player and using the size as equalizer, Hakeem is far more skilled than anyone else. And this could be considered both ways, Iverson and Barkley has this kind of higher skill standards because their diminuted height limited them considerably. Hakeem basically moves like D-Wade, footwork of a guard, crossovers, steals, blocks, etc... This kind of combined traits is something that you don't see in any basketball player of any size, its basically something exclusive to him.
Chris Paul is a incredible talented player, but in his size range, the NBA has many examples of skilled players. Pond for pound, my opinion, the most talented players are basically a draw between Olajuwon and Magic, with Iverson and Bird right behind them. Jordan for me don't even qualifies on a "top 5" regarding pure skill/talent because he had elite athleticism in his entire career. Some could say that athletic ability can be considered a form of "skill", but I respectly disagree with that. Pure skill should be put in a special paradigm, you see athletic freaks every day in college and even on street ball level, but a pure skilled player like Olajuwon is something incredibly rare.
Pound for Pound doesn't work for big players. They are at a disadvantage because they weigh more pounds.
***** Of course, the extra pounds limits their movements. The pound for pound scenario works in this situation because even with this limitation, Olajuwon still was capable to move like a guard. For that he needed even more skill. The same scenario is applied to Iverson, only inverting the extra pounds of the bigger player compared to a very small player with fewer pounds. If the guy is capable to dominate even with those disadvantaged, that qualities him even more. Don't you agree?
Hakeem is the best big man of all time. His skill and footwork are just too deadly.
I just love watching this guy man. I used to hate being the center because I never had any post moves and I'd always be the one being yelled at for shooting 3's when I was a big man. After watching his videos and studying his post moves, I now enjoy the one very thing I hated before...being a center.
What a legend. This man has moves that all positions are using today, except he combines all of them. He has carmelos up and under, has Rondo's fake, has Tim Duncan's hook. All the players I listed above must've learned one thing from him. Poor Dwight Howard is now officially a coward center. Lol
I think the up and under was McHale's move. I always heard it attributed to him. Hakeem's move was the dream shake. Everything else, he got from someone else.
Justs99171 The "dream shake" has nothing to do with the way he finished - it just means that he was able to fake and shake players off to create the space he needed to take his shot.
This was a wonderful showcase of the incredible amount of offensive ability Hakeem had. You did a fantastic job. If you ever feel like it, I'd love to see a similar video of Dream's defensive skills. Most blocked shots of all time by a huge margin. Top ten all time in steals, which would be impossible to believe for a center if it weren't Hakeem. Easily the most complete center of all time.
Best center to ever play the game of Basketball. I am glad I was able to watch him through out his career.
Me too!
Thanks Hakeem, you just made me dizzy after watching this video.
One of the best highlight videos ever. Nobody in today's NBA has Hakeem's skill set. A true legend of the game.
most beautiful post up moves iv'e ever seen.. Classic moves has its own beauty.
If he was playing today. Nobody could stop him! Today game is so small. He would dominate the small game now days.
Complete and utter domination! Who's gonna guard him, faith D Howard?
Hakeem Olajuwon was only 6'9/6'10. Most centers in the NBA today are 7'0. Howard may be the only center under 6'11.
+Just a Guy Hakeem was 7'0. That's what makes him so remarkable. 7'0 feet with the ability to isolate from beyond the 3 pt line. Amazing. And he dominated the Prime Orlando shaq.
YouCanCallMeLizzy He wasn't 7'0.. He pointed out he was undersized just like Dwight.
+Just a Guy Bruh. he was every bit of 7'0. LeBron is close to 6'9. No way in the world you sayin LeBron is close in height to hakeem. I'm 35. I seen Hakeem.
i think i ve watched and rewetted those dream moves against admiral about 30 times in the past few years. never gets old. just perfection in terms of footwork, so smooth, so quick, perfect rhythm. people talk about fundamentals and footwork and teach it now- but before dream, nobody moved like that in the post, they're teaching what dream invented and perfected man. the way he placed his pivot foot and faked and spun off it in perfect rhythm. beauty. poetry man .
his moves are so fluid, gracful and flawless its like he's humiliating the opposition with his skill and footwork, true master.
Thank you for the terrific video. Growing up a Rockets fan during Hakeem's great years was just a sight to behold. Seeing this video just gives me flashbacks to his incredible dominance when he was at the height of his career. He was unstoppable. The greatest footwork by a big man ever seen that still sets the standard today. Ewing, Robinson, Shaq amongst others were all superb players, But there was truly only one Dream. If he ever had a true star along side him for many years like a lot of the other greats did, Hakeem may have won 5 or 6 rings. I'm honored to have watched him as a home town kid during the amazing Clutch City days.
i watch this every time before a game. my favorite player and i use some of his moves any time i can.
I still can't believe Hakeem was a center with the moves that he had, dude was incredible for Houston.
1:15 that is rare for a center to do that. Hakeem to me is the best Center ever.
jumping off the weak foot which starts around 6:00 is a move that nba players like Dirk, Kobe, KD use.
perfect editing, no any meaningless plot exist
So beautiful. Every true basketball fan knows that Hakeem is the greatest center of all times
.. quard in a power forward's body, forced to play center.No1 pick 5 years after touching the ball for the first time!!!!(it's true). Played most of his time with 2 or 3 players quarding him on his attempts... underrated.. one of the very very bests
hakeem olajuwon is the michael jordan of the center position
Cant imagine him playing in his prime in this generations league. 90's defense is so physical while today's era is just soft, Hakeem surely will beasting and feasting todays players.
Wow! Wow! Wow! Hands down the best footwork ive seen in a center!
What a marvel of a player, a real delight to see him play. What a repertoire of movements and technical fundamentals, never seen in a center, that is able to move like an escort... Simply the best...
Legend The Dream.
the only player in history who win a title alone, with an average team but in a great era...
Dirk also did that. But he was playing against one of the most shameful teams in NBA history, they were partially mentally broken (LeBron was completely melted, his soul left his body). Still, Dirk played like a God. Hakeem played like a God his entire career, then he played like a Titan in 94 and 95
I think one on one, Olajuwon is the one person Jordan could not consistently beat.
Nirky no there r many players jordan would lose to one on one, a lot of players that r way bigger and taller
brum brum daddy can you name them?
Jhonathan Cosme Steph
@@deafboricua21 any all time great big man
Hakeem Olajuwon FLAT OUT EMBARRASSED David Robinson. DAMN!!!!!!
@Carlos Vazquez are you serious?
1:14 is ridiculous. Cross over and huge slam over Parrish.
one of my favourite highlight videos ever. Dream was amazing.
i almost had an heart attack when i got him in a pack in nba 2k14 my team
Did he had HOF ankle breaker?? 😂😂😂
People were dropping in the post literally crossover moves unbelievable footwork best center to me ever
1:34. Sickest move of the video.
so cool watching this a remembering when post moves were a valuable asset. this guy was the best back to the basket move guy ever
0:40
That is just stunning. It was good defending but the fact he knew and managed to lean back enough to create that extra space because the defender was wide footed and couldn’t possibly reach that far forward was beautiful. I still enjoy watching the NBA nowadays but I miss the post game. I’m glad Jokic and Embiid have been dominating with it so much recently.
I didn't get to see Hakeem, but watching Dirk work the whole Western Conference in 2011 was a pleasure to watch. Ibaka had no idea what to do with him
8:36 - Greatest front court ever. Olajuwon doubled team by Bird and McHale...spins out of that and dunks on the Chief.
Preach!
@Trump
And that was in his 2nd year, during the 86 NBA finals. SMH
he had the most unique game ever
bernard james You are so correct! I cant imagine anyone duplicating his moves!
Marvel and DC Fan man jahlil okafor might, just might
Marvel and DC Fan man demarcus could if he was more humble
Billy Mormand hell no, not even remotely close, like hahahahahahah, not at all
5:05-5:50 "same move? what will he do if noone takes the fake?"
5:50-6:00 "OHHHHHHHH"
this guy is unstoppable!
one of the best I've ever seen and I've been watching NBA for 30 years.
There is a reason no one talks smack about Olajuwon being picked #1 over Jordan. The reason is how can you complain about someone this good.
most underrated player of all time,he's easily a top 10 player all time imo
The "Dream Shake" is the "Skyhook" of early to mid 90's basketball. It should never be forgotten.
Preach! You ain't ever lied.
Hakeem to me in the Greatest and most Skilled Center that has ever played in the NBA. For several reasons. 1. Footwork. As a basketball coach for 9 year footwork is key to any players success and he by far has the best footwork I have ever seen from a center. 2. Dominance. This guy played against Many hall of fame centers, Kareem, Ewing, Shaq, Ect. and he dominated all of them. Don't believe me.... watch what he did to Shaq and Ewing in back to back finals. 3. Skills. How many big men could start at the foul like and blow by their defenders off the dribble and it looks as smooth as a guard. In his era it was only him. He was so skilled. 4. Intelligence. He knew the game. He knew how important footwork was, and he knew how to out smart his opponent. Used ball fakes head fakes shoulder fakes better than anyone. 5. 2 way player. The man not only was an elite offensive player, but he was also an elite defender.
Wilt Chamberlain I can't really make an opinion on considering he's just from too long ago. However, as much respect as I have for Kareem, he didn't have the moves that Hakeem did. Kareem had the best sky hook and the most unguardable move in NBA history. Hakeem is just so more versatile and could NOT be stopped on most of his moves. He can find many ways to score. One of the best centers of all time hands down.
*****
Wilt never owned Russell. Wilt put up big stats simply because he went out of his way to chase stats instead of helping his team win
"Chamberlain was concerned about Chamberlain. He was in love with his stats."
- Red Auerbach
"He got a stat sheet at half time and he'd come over and question whether or not he got enough rebounds"
- Chick Hearn
"It wasn't a matter of Wilt vs. Russell with Bill. It was a matter of who won."
- John Havlicek
"Bill Russell understood how to make his team better. I don't think Wilt ever really understood that"
- Paul Westphal
*1962 EDF vs Russell* - after Wilt's 50 ppg 26 rpg season
Game 1 - Wilt 12 pts in first half... down 15 at half time... Wilt pads his stats in garbage time to 33 as the Celtics keep blowing them out
Game 3 - Russell outscored and out rebounded Wilt 21-14 to 13-11, and they were up 20 at half time... Wilt pads his stats in garbage time as they lost
Game 5 - Wilt 11 points on 4/13 FG in first half (31%) and outrebuounded 11-9 by Russell
then he pads his stats in the 2nd half after being down 20+ at half time
Game 7 - no garbage time, so no chance to pad stats
Wilt only had 22 points (28 ppg below average), out rebounded by Russell 22-21 and sent home as Sam Jones hit the game winner over Wilt
Most of Wilt's stats I believe and could be wrong, came after Russell's Celts had the game sealed.
He had the nicest inside shot as any player I ever seen,that's when the NBA had the big boys,Patrick Ewing also had as nice of jump shot he was my opinion one of the better shooting big men to NBA was so amazing to watch at the time it was special
It doesn't have the magic any more
His moves were a sight to behold it was like watching brazilian soccer in the air plus his humility was unmatchable
Im sad because this guy didn't get much respect... he's the best for me and I would pick him against any other best centers to ever play the game... long live THE DREAM... and you must teach joel embiid THE PROCESS so he can bring back those good old times were bigman truly dominates the paint. A fan from the Philippines
Dreams post moves were just amazing...
Ahhh no more centers like him in the nba anymore.
never been a center like him :/
Tim duncan? Oh wait..... He gone lol
+adam koshkuson Tim Duncan was a power forward
joel embiid!
Not saying he's as good as the Dream but Cousins is of the few really good big men. He is in my opinion the most skilled center in the game today. Can do everything very well particularly on the offensive end. That being said no one comes close at the center position at overall skill today or in the past as Hakeem.
Hakeem is the most versatile Center of all-time. He can play like a guard...crossover dribble, fade-away, shimmy shake and can pass like a PG. And then he can eat you in the post like baby-food, spin off the catch, catch fade-away, spin-off dunk, pump fake finger-roll. And I'd say his fakes were absolute best in the league, pump fake, fake pass, fake off the dribble then pump fake and then step-through. Unbelievable... Greatest Center of all-time
He's already into his move a split second before he catches. Masterful.
There has not been anybody who has a post game like Hakeem. He is the best big man down low of all time for sure. There will never be another like him because they all focus on flashy moves nowadays and don't develop any solid fundamentals.
Why do you think Lebron went to him on hands and knees begging for tips? Lebron knows the old players were all just better than him and anyone in the league.
kingcam0775 MChale was actually kinda simila. He was taller and longer but not nearly as quick. The speed with which Dream moves down low is just unreal.
FreeeeBeer The only other guy with a post game like Hakeem is Jordan.
Have you ever heard of kevin mchale??
McHale had a sweet, sweet post game.
Mchale is the only matchup with Hakeem at the low post. Both are unguardable. 85~86' seasons are the glory days at the painted area