That's your opinion mate. It doesn't matter what others say. Dennis Rodman is also the best power forward for me. I know Charles Barkley is better in terms of performance. In addition, there were such beasts as Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin McHale etc, but for me the Worm is the best
Add the fact that Dream was playing in the golden age of centers and beat them all. Kareem was smooth and destroyed you with finesse. Dream killed with mind numbing combinations and tenacity with unmatched footwork.
Technically speaking both of them were on par as far as fundamentals go. Yes Kareem was set of skills was more finesse as evidenced by his shot, while the dream had a bit more physicality to his game but both of them are on par if we take them at their peak. In their youth by the footage I've seen from Kareem he was more explosive than Hakeem.
1970-80s HOF centers Kareem played against: Wilt, Dave Cowens, Bob McAdoo, Bob Lanier, Artis Gilmore, Parish, Ewing, Bill Walton, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, Willis Reed, Nate Thurmond (and I'm probably missing a couple)
Hakeem is one of the only players that could have been drafted #1 ahead of Michael Jordan and No one ever did or ever will question that pick. That really says it all: Drafted ahead of the GOAT and the Rockets may well go back in time and do the same thing with full Hindsight.
It certainly was ! And I'm 100% against putting players down just to hype your favorite. For me, the only "knock" - if you can even call it that - is that Kareem played in (arguably) a relatively weak era in terms of other centers. That isn't to say he isn't easily a top 10 player of all time (and all top 20 or even top 30 all time are absolutely *legends* of the game of basketball) ! I actually have both Hakeem and Kareem in my top 5 !
@@juanio7036 Don't tell such nonsense. Jordan was asked what his top 5 are. And he answered himself, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Hakeem . so with this Crew he would never lose. He didn't just say that about Hakeem, he said that about all of his top five. about his own best team ever.
@@keeptahoeblue7496 Did you not watch the video??? Dominique Wilkins stated he had no skills prior to going to Houston, Who was in Houston at the time of his development??? "Moses Malone"!
@@lamar1990lg I actually watched his career kid, the only thing Moses taught him was how to be physical in the paint! His footwork and eye hand coordination was already there
@@keeptahoeblue7496 Moses Malone fit all of that criteria, he mentored Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon also credits Malone for his game. “I would never have accomplished what I did if I did not play against Moses at Fonde,” Olajuwon This is out of Hakeem mouth now case closed!
@@lamar1990lg Olajuwon didn't say he had no skills before learning groom Moses kid, that's just the way you understood what he was saying! And Barkley was a freaking monster on offense and defense before he ever played with Moses. Why are you trying to make up a story in your head?
@Johnny Ringo And you are missing the point. Name another great center that was known for steals. Second, Hakeem is all time leader in 'recorded' blocked shots. Whether or not kareem has more blocks; we'll never know because not all of his blocks were recorded. So how am I supposed to realize what you just said?
@Johnny Ringo You're still missing the point. It's about steals. Everything about them is comparable, except steals. Do you understand? No center in the history of the NBA compares to Hakeem in steals. That's what makes him unique. That's what makes him the greatest center ever. And I hope I don't have to keep repeating myself that it's steals and not any other stat. You are responding to the wrong comment.
@Johnny Ringo First of all, best center in the NB fvckin A. No college. Second, kareem played more seasons than hakeem. So you should've listed the per game stats. Third, I didn't say hakeem was better in all stat categories, I said their stats were comparable. Fourth, in all of kareem's chips, he had all.star help. kareem was in a better position to achieve more than hakeem because he had help. And weak championships my ass, hakeem carried his teams on his own against better competition. Kareem played against electricians and plumbers who played ball in their spare time. Now let's talk about steals... Wait, we can't. There is no comparison. Centers aren't even supposed to do that.
Kareem won the title 3 years in a row in high school (in NYC), 3 years in a row in college, and 6 NBA championships on 2 different teams. He also holds the ALL-TIME NBA scoring record. You can easily make a case that he is the greatest of all-time. Hakeem had 2-3 amazing years early in his career and 2 of the greatest years ever when Jordan dipped out and he won his 2 titles. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is head and shoulders above the Dream. Stop the disrespect. They are not even close.
@@FuShengAlex If you said Kareem was the greatest PLAYER of all-time you wouldn't be wrong. No ones says that about the Dream. Hakeem was nowhere near Wilt or Russell in terms of accomplishments. You can talk about his two-way skills, but honestly, Shaq has a better resume. So does Duncan. I'd put him around #6 or maybe #7 behind Moses Malone.
@@jonathanwiggins5366 first off I don't think any one player is GOAT. Hakeem was a better playoff performer than Wilt and better all around than Russell so he definitely has a argument against both of them. Olajuwon already won a Finals MVP vs Shaq so he has no reason to feel any less than him.
@@FuShengAlex I respect not singling any one player out as the GOAT, but I do think a resume speaks volumes. Granted it's a team game and there is a lot of luck involved, but the men I put ahead of him have ridiculously impressive career achievements. As for Russell specifically, I do not think you can honestly say that Hakeem was "better all around." Russell wasn't a prolific scorer, but that was because he didn't have to be given the depth of Boston's scoring talent. He was a better rebounder and passer than Hakeem though, and as good as Hakeem was on the defensive end Russell is known as the greatest defensive big man of all-time. He is literally the standard. You say Wilt was worse in the playoffs (there was a production drop off in areas like scoring to be sure), but he still put up better numbers than Hakeem in rebounds (25 per!) and assists. And yes he was 2-4 in the Finals, but he won just as many rings as Hakeem 2-1. That means that Wilt also made it to the Finals more often than the Dream-- a la Lebron. Does that make him better or worse?
@@GABEMOORE533 1970 and 1971 Kareem led the NBA in scoring. Kareem's best years was the 10 years of the 1970's. Kareem was hanging around in the 1980's with Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy and Norm Nixon helping him stay relevant by the Lakers being in the NBA Finals.
@@beaujac311 Kareem by 1982 couldn't if he wanted to average 30 points a game. All NBA players scoring averages drop after 10 or more years in the NBA. Whether they are on a team loaded with talent or not. Do you even watch basketball? Or do you make bad arguments like this all the time?
Hakeem is the second best player I've ever seen after Jordan. He was the complete player on both ends. He was the best big man of the best era for big men. And he won a title with literally no other stars on the team. Then did it again a season later with a post-prime Drexler. Those two championships are the most impressive achievements of any Top 10, Top 20 player in history.
2 3 peats for MJ? 5 titles vs Dr. J and Bird for Magic and Kareem? Bird's 84 victory over Magic and Kareem? Isiah Thomas vs LA, BOS and Chicago in 88-90? Shaq and Kobe's 3 peat? Dirk's 2011? Hakeem's 94 & 95 huh? No. 1? Okay 👍.
Talent wise, I would agree. If there was a draft, I would take Kareem. He wasn't as quick and didn't have the footwork, but he was 7'3 and had a 9 foot wingspan and was very athletic. Hakeem was 6'11 with a 7'6 wingspan.
Olajuwon won titles just because Jordan was retired. I don't give Olajuwon any respect. My top 3 centers are Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'neal.
The fact that an Old Kareem could keep up and put up number (27 ppg 6 reb) against Hakeem shows Hakeem isn't not better. When Hakeem came in the league in 1985, Kareem was 37/38 years old...Imagine if Kareem was still in his 20's
@Vain Freeland Avg 17.5 pts at age 40, Hakeem at age 39 7.1 pts. Also Hakeem played on super teams at the end of his career. Barkley, Drexler, Pippen. Kareem was carrying the Bucks and Lakers in the early years. Kareem was the #1 scoring option for the Lakers from 1975 - 1986.
@@descepticon9213 I agree with you too. Jabbar never proved anything in NBA . He is wagon of superteam from day 1. Last time I check Oscar Robertson was MVP and best guard in 60's era also HOF and 50 GOAT member. Nobody in 1994 Rockets are even all star caliber. Also pathological lie that Jordan was out of NBA, well Shaq beat Jordan as you said above , then Olajuwon swept Shaq 4-0. You can say also that Only reason why Jordan saw 2nd round is Pippen and Bird retirement cause Larry humiliated Jordan every playoff Jordan never saw 1 game vs Larry Bird.
I'm older and I've seen Hakeem and Jabbar play but the most dominant big I've ever seen was Wilt Chamberlain, the Big Dipper. Why? Wilt is the greatest rebounder of all-time, the greatest shot blocker, dominated the 60s in the paint on offense and defense, and is the most athletic player ever to play in the NBA with his speed, jumping ability, and strength. When he played against Jabbar he was playing on one good knee but still blocked the sky hook multiple times and outplayed Kareem in the playoffs to lead the Lakers to the chip. Hakeem was more mobile than Wilt and could guard the perimeter better than Wilt, but Wilt was also very mobile in the first half of his career. As far as low block scoring goes, nobody could stop him when he wanted to score and Wilt had great footwork to go along with his fadeaway, sweeping hook, finger roll, powerful dunks over anybody (Russell, Thurmond, Bellamy, Beaty, Jabbar, Lanier, etc...) as well as a number of other moves around the basket. Earlier in his career, Wilt also had a potent mid range game he could go too. No player in NBA history has averaged 30 ppg and 20 rpg except Wilt. Wilt averaged 30 and 20 for his CAREER,
@Richard Charles If it was the deciding game of their playoff series in '72, Kareem made Wilt really mad by sucker punching Happy Hairston out of bounds and under the bucket. Wilt was livid! An unspoken rule back in the day was to never make Wilt angry because if that happened, he would probably take over and that's exactly what happened to Kareem and Wilt's Lakers defeated Kareem's Bucks in the 4th quarter. Even on one bad knee an older Wilt could take over the game against a young Kareem in his prime. After Wilt retired, he rehabbed his knee back to 100% playing beach volleyball in the deep sand and would dominate other pros in the summer like Magic, Worthy, Bernard King, Byron Scott, etc... Wilt was in his 40s.
@@jingqi9106 oh puhleeze. Hairston undercut Kareem on that play and could've caused him a serious injury. If anything Kareem was the one who had more reason to be livid. Kareem and Hakeem were superior playoff performers to your hero Wilt so no I don't think so about him being the greatest C ever.....Jing.
@@FuShengAlex That's a bunch of crap, I saw that game. As far as who is the greatest playoff player ever, Wilt holds more records than Sony and set them mainly playing on bad teams relatively speaking. Please smh
@Vain Freeland You do know Kareem held Wilt to zero points in one game and stats wise (Points/Rebs) Kareem beat Wilt head to head... look it up ....basketballreference.com
I'll always go with Hakeem. He was the smartest defensive big of all-time, had an unprecedented offensive skillset, played with lesser talent and elevated them and dominated the golden era of NBA centers. Team success is the most important thing at the end of the day, but individual matchups and the outcome of those are a big measuring stick for how good a player was/is at his position.
russell best defensive center ever by a mile. See what russell did to a PRIME wilt in playoffs,,,,,,, year after year. Oh; and those pesky titles and all time BEST playoff rebounder *EVER*
Hakeem's highlights and awards: 2× NBA champion (1994, 1995) 2× NBA Finals MVP (1994, 1995) NBA Most Valuable Player (1994) 12× NBA All-Star (1985-1990, 1992-1997) 6× All-NBA First Team (1987-1989, 1993, 1994, 1997) 3× All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996) 3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999) 2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993, 1994) 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994) 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996, 1997) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985) 2× NBA rebounding leader (1989, 1990) 3× NBA blocks leader (1990, 1991, 1993) No. 34 retired by Houston Rockets NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team Consensus first-team All-American (1984) NCAA rebounding leader (1984) SWC Player of the Year (1984) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1983)
lets make dream being 34/35/36/37/38/39/40 age with those subsequent teams,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and have those lakers face against a 23/24/25/26./27/.28/ Kareem on houston ands see who dominated
@Johnny Ringo Kareem and Wilt come first. Then it's actually a crapshoot between Russell, Shaq, Hakeem, and Moses. Duncan is considered by most sources as a power forward.
I 100% agree with Hakeem being better than Kareem. Kareem played in the 70’s in Milwaukee, where he won most of his MVPs & scored most of his points. The 70’s was the worst decade of basketball & would’ve been the easiest for one of the all-time greats to succeed in. It was after Wilt & Russell were in their primes & before Magic & Larry came into the league. When ppl think 70’s NBA they think major cocaine problems & bad basketball.
When people think of 1970s NBA, they show how much they actually know about the history of the game. The 1970s is the bridge that connects all eras of the league. The merger was supposed to take place in 1970 NOT 1976; which would have eliminated countless players drafted by the NBA teams from ever having a chance to jump ship. Dr. J would have been Kareem’s teammate in 1972 coming off his 1st championship. Mikan would have pushed earlier for a 3PT line to be introduced. I can list off plenty of changes the ABA would have had influenced in the new NBA game.
We fail to realize that Kareem was older than. Go by his early years when he played again superstars in the late 60s and 70s. The man average 25 points a game for a long time.
@@keeptahoeblue7496 Kareem did everything humanly possible to beat Boston in 74. He averaged 32/12 on 52% fg in the Finals. Saved them in game 6 with the skyhook winner.
@@FuShengAlex what would have Olajuwon done to a team with Dave Cowens being the tallest player on the roster?! In your opinion how would Olajuwon have done against that level of competition with those teammates?
@@keeptahoeblue7496 about the same as Kareem. Again....Kareem played as good as anyone could've individually played in the 74 Finals. Oscar Robertson was too tired and at the end of his career Lucious Allen hadn't gotten injured and missed the Finals they'd have easily won that series. Kareem went from 27ppg in the regular season to 32ppg in the Finals. You want to see your best player deliver on the biggest stage and Kareem did. 5 out 7 games he had over 30 points. I don't think any Center in NBA history could've done "more" individually than Kareem in that series
Dream is the most COMPLETE Center in NBA history. Period! I'm a Lakers fan, but I love the game 1st. No doubt about the most unstoppable shot in history, or the stats Kareem put up, but Dream had SG skill & SF athleticism at Center. That's unmatched.
How can anyone who never saw him play say he's "overrated?" Dude averaged 50 and 26 one year. When did you ever hear of MJ or Hakeem putting up 100 points in a game? He led the league in assists another year, he could run the court better than any big, and was probably stronger than Shaq. He could've played a smarter team game, but in terms of all-around talent, you're not going to find anyone better.
Hakeem should always be mentioned as one of the top three centers ever to play. Jabbar never loss games from high school, college, and pros. His resume alone gives him the nod over Hakeem. But again, Hakeem deserves his props as one the greatest all-time centers. Wilt would be the third center over Shaq. Give Wilt a Kobe and see what would've happened...even in different eras.
@ Wilt I dismiss because of the level of competition and he really did not have a skill, not his fault the era he was born in, and Hakeem use to murder Kareem I know Kareem was a older but not even close.
No player has ever averaged at least 30 points and 20 rebounds a game for a season, except Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt averaged 30 and over 20 for his CAREER. No who's the GOAT center? Wilt did not do this against plumbers and firemen, he was getting these numbers against Hall of Fame centers like Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy, etc...
bro the hypocrisy is so real kareem has more rings than hawkeem but says hakeems rings are more valuable cause he was on weaker teams and kareem only won those rings cause he played wit top tier teamates but refuses to say the same lebron and mj if lebron had mjs teamates for his whole career bron would prolly be sitting on 8 championships but we don’t do that for bron and mj argument so how u go do it for this one kareem>hakeem
There's a lot of recency bias going on here. Kareem was a transcendent player at every level he ever played at. In college, they outlawed the dunk because he was so dominant. In his late 30's and early 40's he was still unstoppable. I love Dream, but you can argue Kareem is the goat.
Love the channel but I’m gonna have to disagree on this one. Both are top5 GOAT centers, of course, but Kareem has to be the #1 (and also - in terms of career - Jabbar is top3 all-time overall). I’d give defense to Olajuwon but that’s about it probably… while it has to be said that Kareem would’ve most likely received a DPOY if the award was given out before 1983 (some people don’t even know how great of a defensive player he was, in his prime). At their best, both were great athletes but Kareem was taller (which is important, especially for a center); both were great rebounders; Kareem was probably the better passer; in terms of scoring, both were terrific at it obviously, but I’d give the edge to Kareem… Hakeem had a more diverse skill-set and could even work more out on the perimeter but Jabbar was also a beast at using counters or even fadeaways out of the post (don’t think otherwise), and he could also hit some jumpers close to the paint and whatnot (it’s also a wash between both in terms of FT shooting)… yet, Kareem has the most effective offensive weapon in basketball history (and could do it with both hands, with plenty of range), which also made him more efficient. Both of them were extremely clutch, too. And then when you look at overall careers, longevity, accolades, and so on… Kareem definitely has him beat also. KAJ dominated in high-school, in college, and then played until he was 41 in the NBA. Kareem in his late 30’s(!) was still giving hell to a YOUNG Hakeem (alongside Ralph Sampson), that has to be said. Then you look at Kareem from 1970 to 1981… that’s TWELVE prime seasons in which he averaged like 28/14/4/1/3 on 56% FG and 72% FT; racking up 6 MVP’s, couple of scoring titles, playing DPOY-level defense, won a title and FMVP, and wrecked shop in the Playoffs even with horrible teams (go look at what he did in 1977, probably his peak). The man still won FMVP at 38 years old! Averaging 25.7/9.0/5.2/1.0/1.5 on 60.4%/76.9% over the course of six games, against Robert Parish and Kevin McHale!
what are you talking about? the dude still makes money from teaching players the fundamentals(everybody who is somebody has been taught by him)... he is in every discussion about the best tall guy ever, he is the undisputed best post player ever(no matter what shaq wants to believe) and he is considered one of the top 10 players of all time... disrespected and underrated are not words that describe how people view him... the only bad thing people ever say about him, is that in order for him to win a championship jordan had to play baseball, which is a fact of life...
Hakeem is a center where if you took all of the strengths from all the other HOF centers you’d basically have Hakeem. It’s hard to find any flaws in his game.
Whoa, hold up. Let's look at this... 8:49 Kareem was 37 at that time, and I'm going to go ahead and assume that Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon shared time on Kareem, while Olajuwon spent a lot of time being guarded by Worthy.
Anyone who thinks Hakeem is better than kareem needs to rethink their knowledge of basketball. As great as Hakeem is, he ain't no kareem. Thats just blasphemous
Put Kareem in that 94-95 Rockets team. He won’t do anything with it. Put Olajuwon in with Magic and Showtime Lakers, they would have 7+ championships. That’s how you know the difference. And you know Kareem cannot move like Olajuwon. And he always had an excellent guard (Magic, Oscar) to set him up. During ‘71, Kareem won his 1st championship against the worst team to reach the Finals, Bullets 42-40, and when half the great players were in the ABA. And Kareem won rest of his championships with Showtime Lakers. Kareem had it relatively easy, compared to other centers.
@@frostdagger2199 Wilt played through the 1970s and constantly played HOF centers. Yall are talking out of school. You should see the battles he had against Jabbar.
Kareem slapped Olajuwon as an old man. At the same age, Hakeem was slightly better than the waterboy. Olajuwon is close to, if not in, the top 10. Kareem has a legitimate claim to the GOAT title.
As a huge Hakeem fan this is really tough for me. If I'm honest, I would give Kareem a slight edge, only for his longevity, more awards, and that sky hook. Kareem was still going decently at age 40, while Hakeem was terrible by age 36, 37. A one on one matchup of the prime forms of both these guys would be very.....interesting.
The one thing I really like better about Hakeem is he always played with sense of urgency, while Kareem was in a perpetual state of pacing himself. I feel like if a crucial block had to be made (like against John Starks at the buzzer to win game 7 of the NBA finals) Hakeem would go after it with every fiber of his being, where as Kareem would be like nah.
In a 1v1 Hakeem would rim run the hell out of Kareem's weak slow ass. I'd he could do that to Shaq and ROBINSON don't even put Kareem in the same sentence
@@rangerheir5821 man, Kareem and Hakeem actually faced each other a lot. Hakeem was a sophomore when he OWNED Kareem in the 1986 WCF. Both were not int their PRIMES but still, Hakeem owned Kareem
@@dylanlanzuela7305 check your facts. Kareem dropped 46pts in Akeem's face in 1986. A month later he reigned 43 pts on Olajawon. Thats why Olajawon wasn't guarding Kareem in the 86 playoffs. Jabbar made him move to forward. Sampson played center.
I heard some commentators on FS1 saying, they think the center with the most dominate 5 year span in the NBA was, 1. Shaq. 2. Wilt. 3. Hakeem. 4. Russell. 5. Kareem. But they all went on to say over a career, that Kareem is the overall greatest center the game has ever seen. They said there have been centers more dominate over shorter periods of time. Of the 5 commentators, 3 of them said that if they were going to start a team with all the players who have ever played in the NBA, they would first pick Kareem. And two of the commentators said Jordan would be their first pick. To me there was nothing sexy about Kareem effectiveness. A sky hook. Kind of boring. Especially if you compare his play to Hakeem or Jordan. I can go along with the commentators. There have been more dominate centers over shorter periods of time. But over a career, I'd take Kareem over any one.
Kareem's career highlights and awards: 6× NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) 2× NBA Finals MVP (1971, 1985) 6× NBA Most Valuable Player (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980) 19× NBA All-Star (1970-1977, 1979-1989) 10× All-NBA First Team (1971-1974, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986) 5× All-NBA Second Team (1970, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985) 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1974, 1975, 1979-1981) 6× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1970, 1971, 1976-1978, 1984) NBA Rookie of the Year (1970) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1970) 2× NBA scoring champion (1971, 1972) NBA rebounding champion (1976) 4× NBA blocks leader (1975, 1976, 1979, 1980) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team No. 33 retired by Milwaukee Bucks No. 33 retired by Los Angeles Lakers 3× NCAA champion (1967-1969) 3× NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1967-1969) 3× National college player of the year (1967-1969) 3× Consensus first-team All-American (1967-1969) No. 33 retired by UCLA Bruins 2× Mr. Basketball USA (1964, 1965) 3× First-team Parade All-American (1963-1965) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)
I'll give Kareem the slight edge, but it's a team sport. Kareem played with Magic and Worthy in the 80's. He also had Oscar Robertson with Milwaukee in the 70's. What if Hakeem played with Magic and Worthy? I'm sure they would have still win all those titles. Hakeem's Rockets teammates sucked after Ralph Sampson got hurt and traded. The late 80's was Joe Barry Carroll, Lewis Lloyd, Mitch Wiggins, Sleepy Floyd, Buck Johnson, etc. They all disappeared after they were cut or traded by Houston. It was Hakeet and a bunch of donuts for most of his prime years and that wore him down trying to do everything Kareem had the edge with the NBA MVP's, but he didn't have a GOATs like Jordan, Magic, and Bird around at the same time scooping up all the awards.
Hey man, thank you for this content! I’m only 21 so my historical perspective on basketball is limited. I’ve been doing a deep dive on some of the best players in history and your channel really helps to put things into perspective.
@@abrahamsmith9344 You have a point there. Perhaps he was the best, but he only faced 5 other teams back then. I'm not gonna say he is or he isn't, but your argument for him being the best center is strong. I'm not gonna say Bill Russell dominated him either. Bill Russell had overall better teammates around him. However, there is also a case for Bill Russell being the best center ever too. But I am talking about just pure skill set. I think in my humble opinion that Hakeem the Dream had way too many moves to go to. Better off the dribble than all these guys I've mentioned. And most certainly better than any center playing today.
Hakeem imo is the best center of all time.. he was so skilled theres a reason why Jordan feared him and shaq knew what time it was with him but Kareem was a complete player as well.. at the end pick your poison they are both phenomenal players and I miss basketball in the 80s n 90s
You my friend are crazy... Kareem in his prime ate all the centers... Sky hook was and still is unstoppable....He won 4 championships in HS.. 3 in College 6 in NBA... Really... Smh
this is OBVIOUSLY made by someone who is not aware of Kareem's BEST years which was in Milwaukee. No PLAYER in history is/was/will be better than THAT Kareem. Actually watch some footage and listen to some interviews from other players from back in those years. If all you remember about Kareem is a "skyhook" then more research needs to be done on him. That guy was the greatest COLLEGE player and PRO player that ever lived when all things are considered.
I always thought Hakeem was better, but even though it’s still an opinion. People get so crazy about this stuff, like really they’re only playing basketball it’s not like they’re curing cancer
Prime Hakeem is definitely the best center ever no one could do what he could do athletically or shoot like he could I think the debate should be is Hakeem the greatest player ever? No joke! he did retire in the top 5 of all most every category at the time of retirement watch the games he played against Jordan and the Bulls
No question, he had the best 2 or 3 year stretch of any center (short of Wilt) ever but to me, it's a no-brainer. Young Kareem (rookie-80) was way more dominant offensively and he dominated for a longer period as not only the clear cut best center in the league, but easily the best player of the 70s. Hakeem in 93-95 was on some weird level of play that has never been matched but overall, in my opinion, it's still easily Kareem. If we look at their later years, Kareem was more effective the last few years than Hakeem. When you look at ages 37, 38 and 39, Kareem was still up and over 20 ppg while Hakeem was more like 10 ppg. Kareem would have similar block totals if the first few years of his career had kept that statistic. Did Hakeem have better post moves? Sure, but taht doesn't mean he was overall better to me.
Some weird level of play “that has never been matched”?!?!?!? That would be a Wilt sir… with his mind-numbing video game stats throughout much of his career.
I'm from Houston and was a big Rockets fan during the Hakeem era, but I would pick Kareem if there was a draft. He was very athletic for his size and had a 9 foot wingspan. He's just was too dominant.
Kareem was actually an 8 time blocks champion. They did not keep stats on blocks until his 5th season. He is the real all time shot blocker. Kareem had greater teammates but he also played better opponents. Sampson and Olajuwon were together against Kareem in 1986. Both are excellent passers but I think Kareem is slightly better. 1970s Kareem was as good as ANYONE ever.
1970-80s HOF centers Kareem played against: Wilt, Dave Cowens, Bob McAdoo, Bob Lanier, Artis Gilmore, Parish, Ewing, Bill Walton, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, Willis Reed, Nate Thurmond (and I'm probably missing a couple); 90s HOF Centers Hakeem played against: Ewing, Robinson, Shaq... and there's a pretty steep dropoff to Alonzo Mourning and Mutombo and 90s Parish. Jabbar won Finals MVP 14 years apart, 1971 & 1985. BTM is smoking Houston crack.
Both are NBA legends, no doubt about it but ... In his first 17 seasons in the NBA (out of 21) Kareem never averaged under 20 PPG and his career average for FG% is .559 with 15 season with +.550 and career average FT% as .721 while Hakeem did it in 13 seasons (4 less) never winning the scoring champion in the process and his career average FG% .512 and with no any +.540 season and career average FT% .712 Hakeem rebounds career average is 11.1 and led the league twice in rebounding and has 12 seasons with +10 RPG while Kareem career average more a bit with 11.2 with the same seasons 12 but Hakeem NEVER had +16 BPG as Kareem did 4 time (3 of them in a row) Hakeem career average for blocks 3.1 and led the league twice with 9 times +3 BPG while had 7 of those but he could had more if the NBA counted the blocks in his first 4 seasons (NBA wasn't counting blocks until 1973) Hakeem never had a season with 4 APG with career average 2.5 while Kareem career average 3.6 with 9 seasons with +4 APG (some of them +5) Kareem is superior almost in every category when compared to Hakeem and he also has the long jeopardy and 6 MVPS and 6 RINGS and let's not to forget the ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER OF THE NBA !!
I'm old enough to remember the name change when a younger Kareem would insist on "Abdul-Jabber, you wouldn't call the Van Arsdale brothers just Arsdale"
Kareem was a better scorer, a better rebounder, had a higher fg% and a better passer based on his stats (keep in mine that he played until his mid 40s, if he retired at 35 his averages would have been insane). When Kareem was younger he was a good defender as well, although I give Hakeem the edge on that, but he was not better than Kareem. Kareem has a good argument as the GOAT. This guy was effective until his early 40s and had the most indefensible shot of all time.
Kareem had Magic, who did Hakeem have? If you're doing a career comparison, you'll also be comparing the rosters they're in. Now go remember the Lakers rosters and look at the '94 Rockets roster and marvel at how Hakeem made that team the champion.
@@nba2kclassicmatchups906 Kareem didn’t have Magic in high school, college and the first half of his career. Kareem remained valuable to the team in all his years, Hakeem was consistent from beginning to end.
Tbh, I agree. Everyone has Kareem ahead for his accolades and championships, but without Magic, Kareem had 1 title, and that was with Oscar Robertson. Kareem got to the Lakers 3 years before Magic and did nothing. Magic gets there and boom. Championship. Imagine how many rings Dream would have if he spent his career with Oscar and Magic lol.
The dream had to invent the dream shake because he was smaller and the talent back then was getting more fundamental. The dream was a more all around post. The dream is the 🐐
That's kinda low comparing Kareem in his last year's to a young Hakeem, and he still scored 27. If I had to pick to start a franchises it's Karewm all day. He is super smart, durable , and give you 20 years, was virtually unstoppable.
hakeem was basically a baby in nba years so neither was their prime still kareem had the experience and wisdom hakeem didnt have at that point kareem should have had a edge . it just shows that no center could guard hakeem already was ahead of the curve
@@ryanr20091 Hakeem picked up Basketball at 15yr, so he had only been playing what 4 to 5 years seriously? Kareem had what, 30 years Basketball experience, both wonderful for different reasons, probably a close match up at that point in time.
In my opinion, Kareem Abdul Jabbar is overrated because he only won 1 championship in his own era, which was the 70s. Hakeem Olajuwon was able to win back-to-back titles without another Top 100 player in the best era for big men. Kareem needed two Top 3 point guards ever to win titles: Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.
hakeem was great in his peak, he had many good shooting teammates to compliment his scoring ability down low(horry, kenny, cassell, Tracy, Mario, Vernon, Drexler). Kareem is arguably the goat, not just his offense/defense impact, but his ability to make his teammate better. Kareem's a winner from high school to end of his nba career. I think Kareem gives more attention to defense without the ball better than hakeem, he would compliment superstar players better. Kareem was a better passer in his prime. Edge I give to kareem. My starting 5 in their prime: curry, jordan, kawhi, bird, kareem(maybe victor in the future)
I understand the concept of this video but it’s mostly click bait because this is a blasphemy! If you want to talk about the variety of shots taken of course Hakeem! But Kareem is actually the greatest player, Especially if you go by Hall of Fame standards he was the greatest high school player of all time, the greatest college player of all time, three player of the year awards and his NBA championship and stats! But I still like the way you do your videos and it gives people a chance to have these conversations
It's not blasphemy when Hakeem faced superior competition at his position and dominated them where as Kareem didn't. Also Kareem didn't have the impact Hakeem had on defense, and he played with far more help than Hakeem. Hakeem played with the least amount of star power than any player in any Top 10 All-Time list.
Hakeem was a great player but so was Kareem and wilt and Bill Russell and Moses Malone...people kill me with these who was better commentaries...they were both great at what they did -end of story!!! Who someone thinks was better and the greatest is a matter of opinion!!!! Prime Jabbar and Wilt would have mopped the floor with a lot of these modern nba players....they were all great so stop with these bs who was better vids....the record book always shuts all of these bs vids forthwith....
@Vain Freeland he won in 94 alone? The most he scored in the series was 32, so his teammates were doing their job scoring. But let's pretend that he did it by himself
All of this Jabbar played with super teams nonsense tells me that most people are emotionally lead sheeple that know nothing about the NBA record book and not one scintilla of real analytics before arriving at reasonable conclusions.. other than Bill Russel and Wilt the most dominant center in nba history is Jabbar ...period!!! It does not matter who he played with...the man won 6 NBA championships ...one ring he won with Milwaukee when Milwaukee was nearly an expansion team in the 70’s and anyone who saw Jabbar in his prone knows he would have embarrassed these modern guys including Hakeem ...when Hakeem came in the NBA jabbar was nearing 40 and yet was averaging 25+ ppg against every center in the NBA at the time including Hakeem, furthermore, an aging Robert Parrish gave Hakeem and Ralph Sampson the business in the 86 NBA finals (Sampson is a HOF) ...enough said!!!!
Hakeem had the most diverse scoring as a big, only flaw in his skillset was that he didn’t really have a left hand. My only thing with Hakeem is that Hakeem only won 2 rings & you can argue those 2 rings were flawed cause he won those rings when MJ retired. Kareem has 6 rings & resume wise Kareem is better
@@dbfalk86 I understand all that. Hakeem is in that weird category of very skilled player but lacks the resume or was never in that convo of best player due to his era & had a very short window of being the best player. Hakeem is in that category like Kyrie, Hakeem is much better than Kyrie but like someone like Kyrie he’s the most skilled PG but he has PGs like Curry, Dame, CP3 & even Westbrook(even with how polarizing Westbrook is) over him & he gets overshadowed despite the skill. Hakeem was overshadowed by great centers like Moses Malone, Kareem & Shaq. You can say Hakeem outplayed Patrick Ewing in the Finals & David Robinson in the playoffs in their prime I’ll give you that. Many say Hakeem outplayed Shaq & that’s true to a degree but Orlando Shaq wasn’t Shaq at the peak of his powers. Orlando Shaq was much skinnier & 285 pounds, Lakers Shaq was much bigger & beefier being 330-350 pounds, by the time Hakeem faced that Lakers Shaq Hakeem was old & washed up.
@@dbfalk86 Hakeem had early success in the 80s with Ralph Sampson going to the Finals losing to the Bird Celtics but Sampson got injured & retired early & the Rockets were a middling mediocre team. To be fair Kareem had a period in the 70s after he won his 1971 chip & his Bucks & Lakers squad were a middling mediocre team & had some worst years than Hakeem cause Kareem actually missed the playoffs two times in his prime & won 1 of those MVPs when his team missed the playoffs & won 4 MVPs with his team being pretty much mediocre in the 70s. Hakeem never did what Kareem did like missing the playoffs in his prime. Kareem’s 4 of the 6 MVPs he won in the 70s were inflated due to a weak 70s era when the NBA was on tape delay.
@@dbfalk86 Not only Magic saved the NBA but Magic saved Kareem’s legacy coming their being the leader of the team & Kareem taking a stepback to let Magic shine. Even though Magic was the #1 guy on the Lakers, Magic wasn’t really a scorer like that & was more of a passer that put prolific assists #s & Kareem was still the main scorer so it appeared to be that Kareem was still that guy even though Kareem was taking a backseat to Magic. To go off topic that’s why I got Kobe over Kareem who has a better case for that GOAT convo even more which is a hot take thing to say but Kobe was able to prove he can win without Shaq by winning 2 consecutive chips with Gasol who’s much less talented than Shaq. Magic didn’t win a chip but he went to the Finals with Vlade Divac who’s not close to Kareem’s legacy. Kareem’s legacy gets elevated by getting saved by Magic. Hakeem didn’t have that luxury & by the time he had his superteam with Clyde & Barkley & then Pippen & Barkley Hakeem was too old & his other superstars were old too.
@@dbfalk86 Most of these rankings of who’s better comes down to circumstances & Kareem had better circumstances by playing in a weak 70s era where he collected inflated MVPs with no opposition at sight & was saved by Magic. You can say in a vaccum Hakeem was better with his skill level & his versatility especially on the defensive end which was underrated, only Hakeem & David Robinson were able to guard both the perimeter & the paint well which was innovated at the time. But overall Kareem just has a better resume & was better winning by winning in the 80s which is considered the toughest era in the NBA wit the competition & Hakeem two chips came at a time where MJ was retired & MJ came at the end of the 95 season where he only played the remaining 17 games which was the 65 game mark of the 82 game 1995 season. Sorry for making the comments so long
I've been with you in the past on Hakeem. Loved his game, and skill set. Particularly since he picked up the game later than most NBA players. As I've gotten older I really have come to appreciate what Kareem accomplished. He is the only 6 time MVP in league history. Leading scorer as well. He played a very cerebral game. In spite of all the points, he was a team player, who would find the open man when doubled. These days my vote goes to Kareem as best center, and possibly player in NBA history.
This Video makes it sound like Hakeem was a better rebounder than Kareem but that's BS. Kareem averaged over 10 RB every season through age of 33. Dream averaged over 10 RB every season until he was 33 as well! Kareem's averaged over 16 RB 4 seasons. Hakeem's best season he averaged 14.0 RB. Finally for career average Kareem averaged more RB than Hakeem.
My brother you had to be there at one of the games. Kareem in his day was one of the greats in the game, also he lead the show time Lakers to several Championships during the 80s..
The only proof we have of Hakeem standing a chance against elite big men is the fact that he was the best big man in the best era for big men. But you're entitled to your opinion.
What speaks for hakeem is: -probably the most skilled center -won his 1st chip without an all star and hof player 😱 -he played in the greatest center era and beat everybody: kareem, shaq, robbinson, ewing,
@Johnny Ringo otis thorpe was once all star and not in the championship year but still, kareem always needed a great pg (oscar and magic). in his prime (70s), he even missed the playoffs. hakeem had the best footwork and the best post moves. better defender. im pretty sure that hakeem was the most skillful center. i would say the 80 until mid 90 were the best centers with hakeem, kareem, moses, ewing, shaq, robinson
All the way back to college, when he was dominated by Ewing, Olajuwon was always looked at as a guy who came up short in big games and couldn't win the big until 93/94. He is credited as being the only Superstar to win a title without another superstar. While that is true, he was also playing against a team with 1 superstar in NY. That 95 finals was ALL Houston role players. Period. Shaq and Penny played great. Hakeem and Drexler played great. The role players were the difference. He was not in the same league as Kareem, on any level. Stop it.
You can't penalize Kareem for playing on better teams, and you can't measure head to head again as there was an age difference...and just listening, there are too many ties and if's here...that shows that you are stretching to lean toward Hakeem...Here are the all time best NBA Centers...check any ranking anywhere... Kareem Wilt-Russell Hakeem-Shaq Almost every single ranking...Find one where Hakeem is ranked ahead of Kareem...if you find one, there are 15-20 more that show Kareem ahead of him...Make of that what you will...
I know not everybody will agree. But Hakeem was a different animal, with a offense/defense Skillset which was one of a kind. He is my no.1 :-)
Mr. David. You are a gentleman and a scholar. You make some great points my friend Hakeem was a machine
Oh centers I think olajuwon was the best. Then Kareem. I saw Hakkem in the 90s play. He was good.
If Jordan didn’t retire it would of been interesting to see Hakeem vs. Jordan.
That's your opinion mate. It doesn't matter what others say. Dennis Rodman is also the best power forward for me. I know Charles Barkley is better in terms of performance. In addition, there were such beasts as Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin McHale etc, but for me the Worm is the best
Dream shake all day over sky hook !
Imagine being drafted ahead of MJ and no one ever say that it was a bad pick. That's how good Olajuwon is.
@Johnny Ringo Kareem ranks 3rd with Hakeem in first place.
Truth
I thought u were talking about Sam Bowie
@@cliffbooth1029 He was picked before Jordan but the rest does not apply.
Can people stop saying this already? It's true but God damn this is in every comment about olajuwon, it's getting repetitive and annoying
Add the fact that Dream was playing in the golden age of centers and beat them all. Kareem was smooth and destroyed you with finesse. Dream killed with mind numbing combinations and tenacity with unmatched footwork.
Technically speaking both of them were on par as far as fundamentals go. Yes Kareem was set of skills was more finesse as evidenced by his shot, while the dream had a bit more physicality to his game but both of them are on par if we take them at their peak. In their youth by the footage I've seen from Kareem he was more explosive than Hakeem.
1970-80s HOF centers Kareem played against: Wilt, Dave Cowens, Bob McAdoo, Bob Lanier, Artis Gilmore, Parish, Ewing, Bill Walton, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, Willis Reed, Nate Thurmond (and I'm probably missing a couple)
Bro I bet you cant even hoop.. shut up
Kareem was winning rings while dream was in the league
Kareem was winning rings while dream was in the league
Hakeem was a beast at the post, but the skyhook of Kareem was legendary
Hakeem is one of the only players that could have been drafted #1 ahead of Michael Jordan and No one ever did or ever will question that pick. That really says it all: Drafted ahead of the GOAT and the Rockets may well go back in time and do the same thing with full Hindsight.
@Vain Freeland bruh what 😂😂😂
@Vain Freeland Never go full potato
@Vain Freeland WTF is 2nd round?
It certainly was ! And I'm 100% against putting players down just to hype your favorite. For me, the only "knock" - if you can even call it that - is that Kareem played in (arguably) a relatively weak era in terms of other centers. That isn't to say he isn't easily a top 10 player of all time (and all top 20 or even top 30 all time are absolutely *legends* of the game of basketball) ! I actually have both Hakeem and Kareem in my top 5 !
No wonder Jordan spoke so highly of him, Dream was just incredible
He said if Hakeem was his teammate he would have never lost.
If Jordan wouldn’t have existed Hakeem would have won more championships and be in the discussion for the GOAT
and vice versa
@@juanio7036 Don't tell such nonsense. Jordan was asked what his top 5 are. And he answered himself, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Hakeem . so with this Crew he would never lose. He didn't just say that about Hakeem, he said that about all of his top five. about his own best team ever.
@@Mister__Jey im pretty sure jordan did say that, but it was in reference to 2v2
Dude, Kareem had 10 seasons where he averaged 25+ points to Olajuwon's 4...and was still unstoppable when he was 137 years old!!!
@Vain Freeland LOL
@@awwwnawwbruh kareem was 137 years old ?! 🤣🤣🤣
That’s consistency, Hakeem and Kareem compared in they’re prime’s, Hakeem would make him look like Robin Lopez🤣
KAT has better career ppg stat than Nikola Jokic, few points makes him a better player or something?
Kareem also played on stacked teams the majority of his career
Give Moses Malone his flowers he was Hakeem Teacher of the game he had no skills prior to meeting Moses!
Olajuwon didn't even learn basketball until age 16
@@keeptahoeblue7496 Did you not watch the video??? Dominique Wilkins stated he had no skills prior to going to Houston, Who was in Houston at the time of his development??? "Moses Malone"!
@@lamar1990lg I actually watched his career kid, the only thing Moses taught him was how to be physical in the paint! His footwork and eye hand coordination was already there
@@keeptahoeblue7496 Moses Malone fit all of that criteria, he mentored Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon also credits Malone for his game. “I would never have accomplished what I did if I did not play against Moses at Fonde,” Olajuwon
This is out of Hakeem mouth now case closed!
@@lamar1990lg Olajuwon didn't say he had no skills before learning groom Moses kid, that's just the way you understood what he was saying! And Barkley was a freaking monster on offense and defense before he ever played with Moses. Why are you trying to make up a story in your head?
You forgot to mention that Hakeem was top 10 in steals when he retired.
@Johnny Ringo And you are missing the point. Name another great center that was known for steals. Second, Hakeem is all time leader in 'recorded' blocked shots. Whether or not kareem has more blocks; we'll never know because not all of his blocks were recorded. So how am I supposed to realize what you just said?
@Johnny Ringo You're still missing the point. It's about steals. Everything about them is comparable, except steals. Do you understand? No center in the history of the NBA compares to Hakeem in steals. That's what makes him unique. That's what makes him the greatest center ever. And I hope I don't have to keep repeating myself that it's steals and not any other stat. You are responding to the wrong comment.
@Johnny Ringo First of all, best center in the NB fvckin A. No college.
Second, kareem played more seasons than hakeem. So you should've listed the per game stats.
Third, I didn't say hakeem was better in all stat categories, I said their stats were comparable.
Fourth, in all of kareem's chips, he had all.star help. kareem was in a better position to achieve more than hakeem because he had help. And weak championships my ass, hakeem carried his teams on his own against better competition. Kareem played against electricians and plumbers who played ball in their spare time.
Now let's talk about steals... Wait, we can't. There is no comparison. Centers aren't even supposed to do that.
@Johnny Ringo Kareem actually played more game during the block shot era than Hakeem and still had over 600 less than Hakeem.
And Kareem is #3 all time in rebounding...
Kareem won the title 3 years in a row in high school (in NYC), 3 years in a row in college, and 6 NBA championships on 2 different teams. He also holds the ALL-TIME NBA scoring record. You can easily make a case that he is the greatest of all-time. Hakeem had 2-3 amazing years early in his career and 2 of the greatest years ever when Jordan dipped out and he won his 2 titles. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is head and shoulders above the Dream. Stop the disrespect. They are not even close.
I agree also Kareem won 6 NBA championship and won finals MVP at age 36 avag 26pts 11reb 2blk vs Boston who's was a stack team in 85
Kareem is not "head and shoulders" over Hakeem. But he was overall better than Olajuwon.
I think the top 2 Centers ever
@@FuShengAlex If you said Kareem was the greatest PLAYER of all-time you wouldn't be wrong. No ones says that about the Dream. Hakeem was nowhere near Wilt or Russell in terms of accomplishments. You can talk about his two-way skills, but honestly, Shaq has a better resume. So does Duncan. I'd put him around #6 or maybe #7 behind Moses Malone.
@@jonathanwiggins5366 first off I don't think any one player is GOAT.
Hakeem was a better playoff performer than Wilt and better all around than Russell so he definitely has a argument against both of them.
Olajuwon already won a Finals MVP vs Shaq so he has no reason to feel any less than him.
@@FuShengAlex I respect not singling any one player out as the GOAT, but I do think a resume speaks volumes. Granted it's a team game and there is a lot of luck involved, but the men I put ahead of him have ridiculously impressive career achievements.
As for Russell specifically, I do not think you can honestly say that Hakeem was "better all around." Russell wasn't a prolific scorer, but that was because he didn't have to be given the depth of Boston's scoring talent. He was a better rebounder and passer than Hakeem though, and as good as Hakeem was on the defensive end Russell is known as the greatest defensive big man of all-time. He is literally the standard.
You say Wilt was worse in the playoffs (there was a production drop off in areas like scoring to be sure), but he still put up better numbers than Hakeem in rebounds (25 per!) and assists. And yes he was 2-4 in the Finals, but he won just as many rings as Hakeem 2-1. That means that Wilt also made it to the Finals more often than the Dream-- a la Lebron. Does that make him better or worse?
Just think what The Dream couldve accomplished if he played with The Big O or Magic Johnson.
You mean imagine what they could've accomplished if they played with Hakeem... The dream has 2 lol
Think of a team up of Jordan and Hakeem.
Or even James Worthy
💯💯💯💯💯
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 Dream and MJ run off chips like the Celtics of the 60’s
8:15 - when Olajuwon came in as a rookie at 21-22 , kareem was 37. Imagine that , that he had a hard time guarding him.
KAREEM WON.
THE 1985. FINALS. MVP AGAINST THE. CELTICS . YOU. CAN'T. HAVE. BOTH. WAYS. WHEN. KAREEM. PLAYS. GOOD. HE. IS. GOOD. OR. GREAT . BUT. WHEN. HE. DOESN'T PLAY. GOOD. OR. GREAT. AND. GETS. OUT. PLAYED. HE'S. OLD . HAKEEM. IN. THE. 1986. PLAYOFFS. THE. ROCKETS. VS. LAKERS. HAKEEM. OUTPLAYED. KAREEM . ALSO , MOSES. MALONE. IN. THE. 1981. WCFS. WHEN. HE. WAS. WITH THE. ROCKETS , HE. OUT. PLAYED. KAREEM . ALSO , WHEN. MOSES. MALONE. WAS. WITH. THE. SIXERS. HE. OUT. PLAYED. KAREEM. AGAIN . OH , KAREEM. WAS. OLDER . BUT , HE. WAS. STILL. GOOD .>🎤
@@GABEMOORE533 1970 and 1971 Kareem led the NBA in scoring. Kareem's best years was the 10 years of the 1970's. Kareem was hanging around in the 1980's with Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy and Norm Nixon helping him stay relevant by the Lakers being in the NBA Finals.
@@GABEMOORE533 why would you type like that?
@@stanleyball2615 You are crazy. When you have all those players around you you don't have to score 30 points a game.
@@beaujac311 Kareem by 1982 couldn't if he wanted to average 30 points a game. All NBA players scoring averages drop after 10 or more years in the NBA. Whether they are on a team loaded with talent or not. Do you even watch basketball? Or do you make bad arguments like this all the time?
Another reason Hakeem wins defense is because he’s the only big top 10 in steals all time….
Hakeem is the second best player I've ever seen after Jordan. He was the complete player on both ends. He was the best big man of the best era for big men. And he won a title with literally no other stars on the team. Then did it again a season later with a post-prime Drexler. Those two championships are the most impressive achievements of any Top 10, Top 20 player in history.
2 3 peats for MJ? 5 titles vs Dr. J and Bird for Magic and Kareem? Bird's 84 victory over Magic and Kareem? Isiah Thomas vs LA, BOS and Chicago in 88-90? Shaq and Kobe's 3 peat? Dirk's 2011? Hakeem's 94 & 95 huh? No. 1? Okay 👍.
Talent wise, I would agree. If there was a draft, I would take Kareem. He wasn't as quick and didn't have the footwork, but he was 7'3 and had a 9 foot wingspan and was very athletic. Hakeem was 6'11 with a 7'6 wingspan.
I agree I believe Hakeem and Jordan are the two greatest players ever
I've always felt that Hakeem was better than Jabber, respectfully. It's nice seeing someone that agrees.
Same here
Same here
Olajuwon won titles just because Jordan was retired. I don't give Olajuwon any respect. My top 3 centers are Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'neal.
They were in different conferences there big guy. Never played finals against one another.
@@Los_Chanchulleros dream smoked shaq in the finals...shaq got his rings when there was no comp at the position...
I don't watch the NBA anymore and I miss those days of basketball.
AMEN
@Richard Charles To be fair guys didn't want to get posterized in the 80s or 90s either. But I agree with the overall sentiment here.
What a strong loyal fan 😂
@@imanolvides3185 sometimes you got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them. Game has changed and not for the better.
In my opinion Hakeem is simply the best, in terms of technical fundamentals, moves simply unmatched.
The fact that an Old Kareem could keep up and put up number (27 ppg 6 reb) against Hakeem shows Hakeem isn't not better.
When Hakeem came in the league in 1985, Kareem was 37/38 years old...Imagine if Kareem was still in his 20's
Just about to say that Hakeem old was garbage, while Kareem was still cooking at 40.
And Kareem was 1985 finals MVP at 38!
True that
@Vain Freeland Avg 17.5 pts at age 40, Hakeem at age 39 7.1 pts. Also Hakeem played on super teams at the end of his career. Barkley, Drexler, Pippen. Kareem was carrying the Bucks and Lakers in the early years. Kareem was the #1 scoring option for the Lakers from 1975 - 1986.
@@descepticon9213 I agree with you too.
Jabbar never proved anything in NBA . He is wagon of superteam from day 1.
Last time I check Oscar Robertson was MVP and best guard in 60's era also HOF and 50 GOAT member. Nobody in 1994 Rockets are even all star caliber. Also pathological lie that Jordan was out of NBA, well Shaq beat Jordan as you said above , then Olajuwon swept Shaq 4-0. You can say also that Only reason why Jordan saw 2nd round is Pippen and Bird retirement cause Larry humiliated Jordan every playoff Jordan never saw 1 game vs Larry Bird.
I’ve said for years that Hakeem was the greatest center I’ve ever seen.
I'm older and I've seen Hakeem and Jabbar play but the most dominant big I've ever seen was Wilt Chamberlain, the Big Dipper. Why? Wilt is the greatest rebounder of all-time, the greatest shot blocker, dominated the 60s in the paint on offense and defense, and is the most athletic player ever to play in the NBA with his speed, jumping ability, and strength. When he played against Jabbar he was playing on one good knee but still blocked the sky hook multiple times and outplayed Kareem in the playoffs to lead the Lakers to the chip. Hakeem was more mobile than Wilt and could guard the perimeter better than Wilt, but Wilt was also very mobile in the first half of his career. As far as low block scoring goes, nobody could stop him when he wanted to score and Wilt had great footwork to go along with his fadeaway, sweeping hook, finger roll, powerful dunks over anybody (Russell, Thurmond, Bellamy, Beaty, Jabbar, Lanier, etc...) as well as a number of other moves around the basket. Earlier in his career, Wilt also had a potent mid range game he could go too. No player in NBA history has averaged 30 ppg and 20 rpg except Wilt. Wilt averaged 30 and 20 for his CAREER,
End of Story.... THANK YOU!!!
@@averyce2 The young fellas just don't know!
@Richard Charles If it was the deciding game of their playoff series in '72, Kareem made Wilt really mad by sucker punching Happy Hairston out of bounds and under the bucket. Wilt was livid! An unspoken rule back in the day was to never make Wilt angry because if that happened, he would probably take over and that's exactly what happened to Kareem and Wilt's Lakers defeated Kareem's Bucks in the 4th quarter. Even on one bad knee an older Wilt could take over the game against a young Kareem in his prime. After Wilt retired, he rehabbed his knee back to 100% playing beach volleyball in the deep sand and would dominate other pros in the summer like Magic, Worthy, Bernard King, Byron Scott, etc... Wilt was in his 40s.
@@jingqi9106 oh puhleeze. Hairston undercut Kareem on that play and could've caused him a serious injury. If anything Kareem was the one who had more reason to be livid.
Kareem and Hakeem were superior playoff performers to your hero Wilt so no I don't think so about him being the greatest C ever.....Jing.
@@FuShengAlex That's a bunch of crap, I saw that game. As far as who is the greatest playoff player ever, Wilt holds more records than Sony and set them mainly playing on bad teams relatively speaking. Please smh
If olajuwon had Magic Johnson then he would have like 6 nba final titles!
The old man averaged 27 ppg in the playoffs against the up and comer. The younger Kareem would have made him look bad.
BIG FACTS bro💯
agreed
@Vain Freeland You do know Kareem held Wilt to zero points in one game and stats wise (Points/Rebs) Kareem beat Wilt head to head...
look it up ....basketballreference.com
I disagree. Hakeem in his prime was quite a bit better than the young Hakeem who met Jabbar in the playoffs.
@@TheRazorfraser Milwaukee Kareem would eat regardless.
I'll always go with Hakeem. He was the smartest defensive big of all-time, had an unprecedented offensive skillset, played with lesser talent and elevated them and dominated the golden era of NBA centers. Team success is the most important thing at the end of the day, but individual matchups and the outcome of those are a big measuring stick for how good a player was/is at his position.
Very intelligent and incredibly strong mentally. You couldn’t “shake” him. He’s the Dream
russell best defensive center ever by a mile. See what russell did to a PRIME wilt in playoffs,,,,,,, year after year. Oh; and those pesky titles and all time BEST playoff rebounder *EVER*
Hakeem's highlights and awards:
2× NBA champion (1994, 1995)
2× NBA Finals MVP (1994, 1995)
NBA Most Valuable Player (1994)
12× NBA All-Star (1985-1990, 1992-1997)
6× All-NBA First Team (1987-1989, 1993, 1994, 1997)
3× All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996)
3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999)
2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993, 1994)
5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994)
4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996, 1997)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985)
2× NBA rebounding leader (1989, 1990)
3× NBA blocks leader (1990, 1991, 1993)
No. 34 retired by Houston Rockets
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
Consensus first-team All-American (1984)
NCAA rebounding leader (1984)
SWC Player of the Year (1984)
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1983)
If Hakeem were on teams with the quality of the Showtime Lakers, this would not be an argument. It would be Dream hands down.
lets make dream being 34/35/36/37/38/39/40 age with those subsequent teams,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and have those lakers face against a 23/24/25/26./27/.28/ Kareem on houston ands see who dominated
Mount Rushmore of NBA Centers: Wilt for most dominant, Kareem for most accomplished, Shaq for most powerful, and Hakeem for most skilled.
@Johnny Ringo Kareem and Wilt come first. Then it's actually a crapshoot between Russell, Shaq, Hakeem, and Moses. Duncan is considered by most sources as a power forward.
I 100% agree with Hakeem being better than Kareem. Kareem played in the 70’s in Milwaukee, where he won most of his MVPs & scored most of his points. The 70’s was the worst decade of basketball & would’ve been the easiest for one of the all-time greats to succeed in. It was after Wilt & Russell were in their primes & before Magic & Larry came into the league. When ppl think 70’s NBA they think major cocaine problems & bad basketball.
When people think of 1970s NBA, they show how much they actually know about the history of the game.
The 1970s is the bridge that connects all eras of the league.
The merger was supposed to take place in 1970 NOT 1976; which would have eliminated countless players drafted by the NBA teams from ever having a chance to jump ship. Dr. J would have been Kareem’s teammate in 1972 coming off his 1st championship.
Mikan would have pushed earlier for a 3PT line to be introduced.
I can list off plenty of changes the ABA would have had influenced in the new NBA game.
We fail to realize that Kareem was older than. Go by his early years when he played again superstars in the late 60s and 70s. The man average 25 points a game for a long time.
You mean when he got eliminated by a Celtics team who's tallest player was 6'9 Dave Cowens lol
Bro he played with Oscar Robinson and Magic Johnson what are we talking about
@@keeptahoeblue7496 Kareem did everything humanly possible to beat Boston in 74.
He averaged 32/12 on 52% fg in the Finals. Saved them in game 6 with the skyhook winner.
@@FuShengAlex what would have Olajuwon done to a team with Dave Cowens being the tallest player on the roster?! In your opinion how would Olajuwon have done against that level of competition with those teammates?
@@keeptahoeblue7496 about the same as Kareem. Again....Kareem played as good as anyone could've individually played in the 74 Finals. Oscar Robertson was too tired and at the end of his career Lucious Allen hadn't gotten injured and missed the Finals they'd have easily won that series.
Kareem went from 27ppg in the regular season to 32ppg in the Finals. You want to see your best player deliver on the biggest stage and Kareem did. 5 out 7 games he had over 30 points.
I don't think any Center in NBA history could've done "more" individually than Kareem in that series
Dream is the most COMPLETE Center in NBA history. Period! I'm a Lakers fan, but I love the game 1st. No doubt about the most unstoppable shot in history, or the stats Kareem put up, but Dream had SG skill & SF athleticism at Center. That's unmatched.
On skill level he was the best center of all time
Wilt
@@jonathanwiggins5366 🤣 Overrated 🗑
WILT +1
@@jonathanwiggins5366 overrated. No
How can anyone who never saw him play say he's "overrated?" Dude averaged 50 and 26 one year. When did you ever hear of MJ or Hakeem putting up 100 points in a game? He led the league in assists another year, he could run the court better than any big, and was probably stronger than Shaq. He could've played a smarter team game, but in terms of all-around talent, you're not going to find anyone better.
Hakeem should always be mentioned as one of the top three centers ever to play. Jabbar never loss games from high school, college, and pros. His resume alone gives him the nod over Hakeem. But again, Hakeem deserves his props as one the greatest all-time centers. Wilt would be the third center over Shaq. Give Wilt a Kobe and see what would've happened...even in different eras.
Wilt had Jerry West playing better than Kobe ever did in any nba Finals....and they still lost
Ηakeem was more creative and far better defender than KAJ.
I agree with 100%, Hakeem is the best big man to ever play the game, he can actual play in any era of baskeball.
No Wilt then Russell then maybe Hakeem
@ Wilt I dismiss because of the level of competition and he really did not have a skill, not his fault the era he was born in, and Hakeem use to murder Kareem I know Kareem was a older but not even close.
I’m from Houston thx for showing love to the Dream he needs to be more respected. Can you do more videos on old school Rockets?
I wouldn't mind him mentioning about the Clutch City Rockets. I felt alot of love when he mentioned the 90s Lakers for me personally.
Agreed! I'd love to see more Hakeem-era Rockets videos!
You forgot all time NBA block leader. The closest to him is over 800 blocks behind.The only center in 10th place in all time steals.
Kareem did have the most unstoppable weapon in NBA history (the skyhook) while it might have been boring to watch nobody was better at it
Extraordinary player with an amazing skill set and footwork, Hakeem was amazing. And that’s not taking away nothing from KAJ.
No player has ever averaged at least 30 points and 20 rebounds a game for a season, except Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt averaged 30 and over 20 for his CAREER. No who's the GOAT center? Wilt did not do this against plumbers and firemen, he was getting these numbers against Hall of Fame centers like Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy, etc...
bro the hypocrisy is so real kareem has more rings than hawkeem but says hakeems rings are more valuable cause he was on weaker teams and kareem only won those rings cause he played wit top tier teamates but refuses to say the same lebron and mj if lebron had mjs teamates for his whole career bron would prolly be sitting on 8 championships but we don’t do that for bron and mj argument so how u go do it for this one kareem>hakeem
If Hakeem played with Magic 80s Lakers he could of had 5 or 6 also
There's a lot of recency bias going on here. Kareem was a transcendent player at every level he ever played at. In college, they outlawed the dunk because he was so dominant. In his late 30's and early 40's he was still unstoppable. I love Dream, but you can argue Kareem is the goat.
He was obviously very good approaching 40 but he wasn't unstoppable any more and certainly not the best any more
@@jasonturner6459 compare their prime years and this whole thing is laughable.
Kareem more dominant than Hakeem,check his basketball credentials
Love the channel but I’m gonna have to disagree on this one. Both are top5 GOAT centers, of course, but Kareem has to be the #1 (and also - in terms of career - Jabbar is top3 all-time overall). I’d give defense to Olajuwon but that’s about it probably… while it has to be said that Kareem would’ve most likely received a DPOY if the award was given out before 1983 (some people don’t even know how great of a defensive player he was, in his prime). At their best, both were great athletes but Kareem was taller (which is important, especially for a center); both were great rebounders; Kareem was probably the better passer; in terms of scoring, both were terrific at it obviously, but I’d give the edge to Kareem… Hakeem had a more diverse skill-set and could even work more out on the perimeter but Jabbar was also a beast at using counters or even fadeaways out of the post (don’t think otherwise), and he could also hit some jumpers close to the paint and whatnot (it’s also a wash between both in terms of FT shooting)… yet, Kareem has the most effective offensive weapon in basketball history (and could do it with both hands, with plenty of range), which also made him more efficient. Both of them were extremely clutch, too. And then when you look at overall careers, longevity, accolades, and so on… Kareem definitely has him beat also. KAJ dominated in high-school, in college, and then played until he was 41 in the NBA. Kareem in his late 30’s(!) was still giving hell to a YOUNG Hakeem (alongside Ralph Sampson), that has to be said. Then you look at Kareem from 1970 to 1981… that’s TWELVE prime seasons in which he averaged like 28/14/4/1/3 on 56% FG and 72% FT; racking up 6 MVP’s, couple of scoring titles, playing DPOY-level defense, won a title and FMVP, and wrecked shop in the Playoffs even with horrible teams (go look at what he did in 1977, probably his peak). The man still won FMVP at 38 years old! Averaging 25.7/9.0/5.2/1.0/1.5 on 60.4%/76.9% over the course of six games, against Robert Parish and Kevin McHale!
Houston should have drafted Dominique Wilkins to play with Hakeem. They would have gotten at least 5 championships.
Hakeem underrated and disrespected too much
what are you talking about? the dude still makes money from teaching players the fundamentals(everybody who is somebody has been taught by him)... he is in every discussion about the best tall guy ever, he is the undisputed best post player ever(no matter what shaq wants to believe) and he is considered one of the top 10 players of all time... disrespected and underrated are not words that describe how people view him... the only bad thing people ever say about him, is that in order for him to win a championship jordan had to play baseball, which is a fact of life...
Hakeem is a center where if you took all of the strengths from all the other HOF centers you’d basically have Hakeem. It’s hard to find any flaws in his game.
Whoa, hold up. Let's look at this...
8:49 Kareem was 37 at that time, and I'm going to go ahead and assume that Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon shared time on Kareem, while Olajuwon spent a lot of time being guarded by Worthy.
Hakeem was guarded by Mr. zero-time all-star Kurt Rambis and occasionally Maurice Lucas. He did come over to help Sampson take on Kareem on defense
37 years old and still ballin. If some centers today averaged those 37yo Kareem numbers, they’d be an All Star
Anyone who thinks Hakeem is better than kareem needs to rethink their knowledge of basketball. As great as Hakeem is, he ain't no kareem. Thats just blasphemous
Wilt and Hakeem, for me, are the two greatest big man.
Imma definitely take Kareem over Hakeem and maybe bill Russell over wilt
At their peaks I would agree Wilt and Hakeem, but career value it is Kareem.
@@eternalboss1046 peak kareem was arguably better than both
Put Kareem in that 94-95 Rockets team. He won’t do anything with it. Put Olajuwon in with Magic and Showtime Lakers, they would have 7+ championships.
That’s how you know the difference. And you know Kareem cannot move like Olajuwon. And he always had an excellent guard (Magic, Oscar) to set him up.
During ‘71, Kareem won his 1st championship against the worst team to reach the Finals, Bullets 42-40, and when half the great players were in the ABA. And Kareem won rest of his championships with Showtime Lakers. Kareem had it relatively easy, compared to other centers.
Pretty much all of this is cap. You didn't seem to know much about Kareem at least up to 3 years ago. Maybe you have learned more about him since..
The whole Era was stacked, Hakeem had to go up against much tougher competition IMO. He was phenomenal.
I find it really funny how so many fans seem to think more than one good player existed in only one decade.
@Richard Charles wilt played against nobodies lmao best competition he had was bill russel🤣
@@frostdagger2199
Wilt played through the 1970s and constantly played HOF centers.
Yall are talking out of school. You should see the battles he had against Jabbar.
Avg 27 when the league was avg -90 pts per game is morenimpressive than avg 35 when the league was avg 110 per game
This is crazy. Kareem dominated on every level. Name one other player that has done this.
agreed,,,,,,,,, no basketball player ever dominated at all 3 levels the way kareem did; not even russell
Kareem slapped Olajuwon as an old man. At the same age, Hakeem was slightly better than the waterboy. Olajuwon is close to, if not in, the top 10. Kareem has a legitimate claim to the GOAT title.
Your correct but that Olajawon fans ignore or dismiss this fact is amusing. Abdul-Jabbar dropped 50 on Wilt and 46 on Olajawon 16 years apart.
Don’t do drugs kids
@@kylemartin305 The truth can be painful sis.
As a huge Hakeem fan this is really tough for me. If I'm honest, I would give Kareem a slight edge, only for his longevity, more awards, and that sky hook. Kareem was still going decently at age 40, while Hakeem was terrible by age 36, 37. A one on one matchup of the prime forms of both these guys would be very.....interesting.
The one thing I really like better about Hakeem is he always played with sense of urgency, while Kareem was in a perpetual state of pacing himself. I feel like if a crucial block had to be made (like against John Starks at the buzzer to win game 7 of the NBA finals) Hakeem would go after it with every fiber of his being, where as Kareem would be like nah.
Kareem is better I mean he did average a double double at age 37 considero he was up against Larry bird
In a 1v1 Hakeem would rim run the hell out of Kareem's weak slow ass. I'd he could do that to Shaq and ROBINSON don't even put Kareem in the same sentence
@@rangerheir5821 man, Kareem and Hakeem actually faced each other a lot.
Hakeem was a sophomore when he OWNED Kareem in the 1986 WCF.
Both were not int their PRIMES but still, Hakeem owned Kareem
@@dylanlanzuela7305 check your facts. Kareem dropped 46pts in Akeem's face in 1986. A month later he reigned 43 pts on Olajawon. Thats why Olajawon wasn't guarding Kareem in the 86 playoffs. Jabbar made him move to forward. Sampson played center.
I heard some commentators on FS1 saying, they think the center with the most dominate 5 year span in the NBA was, 1. Shaq. 2. Wilt. 3. Hakeem. 4. Russell. 5. Kareem. But they all went on to say over a career, that Kareem is the overall greatest center the game has ever seen. They said there have been centers more dominate over shorter periods of time. Of the 5 commentators, 3 of them said that if they were going to start a team with all the players who have ever played in the NBA, they would first pick Kareem. And two of the commentators said Jordan would be their first pick. To me there was nothing sexy about Kareem effectiveness. A sky hook. Kind of boring. Especially if you compare his play to Hakeem or Jordan. I can go along with the commentators. There have been more dominate centers over shorter periods of time. But over a career, I'd take Kareem over any one.
Kareem's career highlights and awards:
6× NBA champion (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
2× NBA Finals MVP (1971, 1985)
6× NBA Most Valuable Player (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980)
19× NBA All-Star (1970-1977, 1979-1989)
10× All-NBA First Team (1971-1974, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1986)
5× All-NBA Second Team (1970, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985)
5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1974, 1975, 1979-1981)
6× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1970, 1971, 1976-1978, 1984)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1970)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1970)
2× NBA scoring champion (1971, 1972)
NBA rebounding champion (1976)
4× NBA blocks leader (1975, 1976, 1979, 1980)
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
No. 33 retired by Milwaukee Bucks
No. 33 retired by Los Angeles Lakers
3× NCAA champion (1967-1969)
3× NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1967-1969)
3× National college player of the year (1967-1969)
3× Consensus first-team All-American (1967-1969)
No. 33 retired by UCLA Bruins
2× Mr. Basketball USA (1964, 1965)
3× First-team Parade All-American (1963-1965)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (2016)
I'll give Kareem the slight edge, but it's a team sport. Kareem played with Magic and Worthy in the 80's. He also had Oscar Robertson with Milwaukee in the 70's. What if Hakeem played with Magic and Worthy? I'm sure they would have still win all those titles. Hakeem's Rockets teammates sucked after Ralph Sampson got hurt and traded. The late 80's was Joe Barry Carroll, Lewis Lloyd, Mitch Wiggins, Sleepy Floyd, Buck Johnson, etc. They all disappeared after they were cut or traded by Houston. It was Hakeet and a bunch of donuts for most of his prime years and that wore him down trying to do everything
Kareem had the edge with the NBA MVP's, but he didn't have a GOATs like Jordan, Magic, and Bird around at the same time scooping up all the awards.
Hey man, thank you for this content! I’m only 21 so my historical perspective on basketball is limited. I’ve been doing a deep dive on some of the best players in history and your channel really helps to put things into perspective.
Hakeem was definitely my favorite big to watch. So I completely agree with this video. His footwork was crazy
No center was better than wilt
@@abrahamsmith9344 You have a point there. Perhaps he was the best, but he only faced 5 other teams back then. I'm not gonna say he is or he isn't, but your argument for him being the best center is strong. I'm not gonna say Bill Russell dominated him either. Bill Russell had overall better teammates around him. However, there is also a case for Bill Russell being the best center ever too. But I am talking about just pure skill set. I think in my humble opinion that Hakeem the Dream had way too many moves to go to. Better off the dribble than all these guys I've mentioned. And most certainly better than any center playing today.
@@abrahamsmith9344 uhhh yes some where. Debatable
My vote goes to DR34M...
I agree Hakeem is the greatest center of all time
I got two reason why Hakeem is the best center of all time to me:
#1 That DREAM SHAKE (Hakeem is more skilled)
#2 One if not the best defender ever!
Hakeem imo is the best center of all time.. he was so skilled theres a reason why Jordan feared him and shaq knew what time it was with him but Kareem was a complete player as well.. at the end pick your poison they are both phenomenal players and I miss basketball in the 80s n 90s
Facts, nobody wanted to see prime Hakeem he had the most complete game I've seen in a big.
You my friend are crazy... Kareem in his prime ate all the centers... Sky hook was and still is unstoppable....He won 4 championships in HS.. 3 in College 6 in NBA... Really... Smh
Lol except Thurmond, Dave Cowens, Moses Malone and Olajuwon lol
@Secret Wars - Michael Jordan vids channel kareem is still overall better...
this is OBVIOUSLY made by someone who is not aware of Kareem's BEST years which was in Milwaukee. No PLAYER in history is/was/will be better than THAT Kareem. Actually watch some footage and listen to some interviews from other players from back in those years. If all you remember about Kareem is a "skyhook" then more research needs to be done on him. That guy was the greatest COLLEGE player and PRO player that ever lived when all things are considered.
I always thought Hakeem was better, but even though it’s still an opinion. People get so crazy about this stuff, like really they’re only playing basketball it’s not like they’re curing cancer
I do have Hakeem over Kareem as well
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hakeem and a hall of fame pass first point guard would’ve been scary someone like Stockton or Magic
Hakeem is my second favorite player
Whos ur 1st?
@@imanolvides3185 Jordan
Prime Hakeem is definitely the best center ever no one could do what he could do athletically or shoot like he could I think the debate should be is Hakeem the greatest player ever? No joke! he did retire in the top 5 of all most every category at the time of retirement watch the games he played against Jordan and the Bulls
No question, he had the best 2 or 3 year stretch of any center (short of Wilt) ever but to me, it's a no-brainer. Young Kareem (rookie-80) was way more dominant offensively and he dominated for a longer period as not only the clear cut best center in the league, but easily the best player of the 70s. Hakeem in 93-95 was on some weird level of play that has never been matched but overall, in my opinion, it's still easily Kareem. If we look at their later years, Kareem was more effective the last few years than Hakeem. When you look at ages 37, 38 and 39, Kareem was still up and over 20 ppg while Hakeem was more like 10 ppg. Kareem would have similar block totals if the first few years of his career had kept that statistic. Did Hakeem have better post moves? Sure, but taht doesn't mean he was overall better to me.
Some weird level of play “that has never been matched”?!?!?!?
That would be a Wilt sir… with his mind-numbing video game stats throughout much of his career.
I'm from Houston and was a big Rockets fan during the Hakeem era, but I would pick Kareem if there was a draft. He was very athletic for his size and had a 9 foot wingspan. He's just was too dominant.
Kareem was actually an 8 time blocks champion. They did not keep stats on blocks until his 5th season. He is the real all time shot blocker.
Kareem had greater teammates but he also played better opponents.
Sampson and Olajuwon were together against Kareem in 1986.
Both are excellent passers but I think Kareem is slightly better.
1970s Kareem was as good as ANYONE ever.
1970-80s HOF centers Kareem played against: Wilt, Dave Cowens, Bob McAdoo, Bob Lanier, Artis Gilmore, Parish, Ewing, Bill Walton, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, Willis Reed, Nate Thurmond (and I'm probably missing a couple);
90s HOF Centers Hakeem played against: Ewing, Robinson, Shaq... and there's a pretty steep dropoff to Alonzo Mourning and Mutombo and 90s Parish.
Jabbar won Finals MVP 14 years apart, 1971 & 1985. BTM is smoking Houston crack.
Both are NBA legends, no doubt about it but ...
In his first 17 seasons in the NBA (out of 21) Kareem never averaged under 20 PPG and his career average for FG% is .559 with 15 season with +.550 and career average FT% as .721
while Hakeem did it in 13 seasons (4 less) never winning the scoring champion in the process and his career average FG% .512 and with no any +.540 season and career average FT% .712
Hakeem rebounds career average is 11.1 and led the league twice in rebounding and has 12 seasons with +10 RPG while Kareem career average more a bit with 11.2 with the same seasons 12 but Hakeem NEVER had +16 BPG as Kareem did 4 time (3 of them in a row)
Hakeem career average for blocks 3.1 and led the league twice with 9 times +3 BPG while had 7 of those but he could had more if the NBA counted the blocks in his first 4 seasons (NBA wasn't counting blocks until 1973)
Hakeem never had a season with 4 APG with career average 2.5 while Kareem career average 3.6 with 9 seasons with +4 APG (some of them +5)
Kareem is superior almost in every category when compared to Hakeem and he also has the long jeopardy and 6 MVPS and 6 RINGS and let's not to forget the ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER OF THE NBA !!
I'm old enough to remember the name change when a younger Kareem would insist on "Abdul-Jabber, you wouldn't call the Van Arsdale brothers just Arsdale"
Kareem was a better scorer, a better rebounder, had a higher fg% and a better passer based on his stats (keep in mine that he played until his mid 40s, if he retired at 35 his averages would have been insane). When Kareem was younger he was a good defender as well, although I give Hakeem the edge on that, but he was not better than Kareem. Kareem has a good argument as the GOAT. This guy was effective until his early 40s and had the most indefensible shot of all time.
No. Kareem was clearly the better player and had the better career. Winner at all levels.
Kareem had Magic, who did Hakeem have? If you're doing a career comparison, you'll also be comparing the rosters they're in. Now go remember the Lakers rosters and look at the '94 Rockets roster and marvel at how Hakeem made that team the champion.
@@nba2kclassicmatchups906 Kareem didn’t have Magic in high school, college and the first half of his career. Kareem remained valuable to the team in all his years, Hakeem was consistent from beginning to end.
Tbh, I agree. Everyone has Kareem ahead for his accolades and championships, but without Magic, Kareem had 1 title, and that was with Oscar Robertson. Kareem got to the Lakers 3 years before Magic and did nothing.
Magic gets there and boom. Championship. Imagine how many rings Dream would have if he spent his career with Oscar and Magic lol.
Did nothing other than win 2 MVPs. It's a team game. Douchebag.
Kareem Is The Greatest Basketball Player Ever. And on Every Level of Basketball. Hs. College & PROS
I got mj and lebron over kareem, personally. But kareem my #3 all time
We don't agree with you at all, Olajuwon is an amazing player no doubt, but he is a student at the Legend Abdul-Jabbar School
Cmon man dream was incredible he was unguardable but Kareem was great at 40
@Vain Freeland wtf are u talking about?
The dream had to invent the dream shake because he was smaller and the talent back then was getting more fundamental. The dream was a more all around post. The dream is the 🐐
That's kinda low comparing Kareem in his last year's to a young Hakeem, and he still scored 27. If I had to pick to start a franchises it's Karewm all day. He is super smart, durable , and give you 20 years, was virtually unstoppable.
hakeem was basically a baby in nba years so neither was their prime still kareem had the experience and wisdom hakeem didnt have at that point kareem should have had a edge . it just shows that no center could guard hakeem already was ahead of the curve
@@ryanr20091 Hakeem picked up Basketball at 15yr, so he had only been playing what 4 to 5 years seriously? Kareem had what, 30 years Basketball experience, both wonderful for different reasons, probably a close match up at that point in time.
In my opinion, Kareem Abdul Jabbar is overrated because he only won 1 championship in his own era, which was the 70s. Hakeem Olajuwon was able to win back-to-back titles without another Top 100 player in the best era for big men. Kareem needed two Top 3 point guards ever to win titles: Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.
I gotta go with Kareem on this but Hakeem was special.
Facts
hakeem was great in his peak, he had many good shooting teammates to compliment his scoring ability down low(horry, kenny, cassell, Tracy, Mario, Vernon, Drexler). Kareem is arguably the goat, not just his offense/defense impact, but his ability to make his teammate better. Kareem's a winner from high school to end of his nba career. I think Kareem gives more attention to defense without the ball better than hakeem, he would compliment superstar players better. Kareem was a better passer in his prime. Edge I give to kareem. My starting 5 in their prime: curry, jordan, kawhi, bird, kareem(maybe victor in the future)
only one man who block the most of Kareem's Skyhook, ONLY WILT!
Olajuwon blocked it at least once
@@keeptahoeblue7496 On 39-plus year old Kareem.
@@tunanorth and Thurmond did it to prime Kareem so it's obvious Olajuwon would've destroyed prime Kareem easier
Wrong.
Ralph Sampson and even Manute Bol blocked it. Dream did too.....although not guarding Kareem which makes it slightly less impressive
I understand the concept of this video but it’s mostly click bait because this is a blasphemy! If you want to talk about the variety of shots taken of course Hakeem! But Kareem is actually the greatest player, Especially if you go by Hall of Fame standards he was the greatest high school player of all time, the greatest college player of all time, three player of the year awards and his NBA championship and stats! But I still like the way you do your videos and it gives people a chance to have these conversations
It's not blasphemy when Hakeem faced superior competition at his position and dominated them where as Kareem didn't. Also Kareem didn't have the impact Hakeem had on defense, and he played with far more help than Hakeem. Hakeem played with the least amount of star power than any player in any Top 10 All-Time list.
Hakeem was a great player but so was Kareem and wilt and Bill Russell and Moses Malone...people kill me with these who was better commentaries...they were both great at what they did -end of story!!! Who someone thinks was better and the greatest is a matter of opinion!!!! Prime Jabbar and Wilt would have mopped the floor with a lot of these modern nba players....they were all great so stop with these bs who was better vids....the record book always shuts all of these bs vids forthwith....
Hey....we just chillin...watchin a video.
@Vain Freeland he won in 94 alone? The most he scored in the series was 32, so his teammates were doing their job scoring. But let's pretend that he did it by himself
@Vain Freeland who cares? How many rings did he end up with? How many trophies and championships does he have compared to Kareem. L
All of this Jabbar played with super teams nonsense tells me that most people are emotionally lead sheeple that know nothing about the NBA record book and not one scintilla of real analytics before arriving at reasonable conclusions.. other than Bill Russel and Wilt the most dominant center in nba history is Jabbar ...period!!! It does not matter who he played with...the man won 6 NBA championships ...one ring he won with Milwaukee when Milwaukee was nearly an expansion team in the 70’s and anyone who saw Jabbar in his prone knows he would have embarrassed these modern guys including Hakeem ...when Hakeem came in the NBA jabbar was nearing 40 and yet was averaging 25+ ppg against every center in the NBA at the time including Hakeem, furthermore, an aging Robert Parrish gave Hakeem and Ralph Sampson the business in the 86 NBA finals (Sampson is a HOF) ...enough said!!!!
@Vain Freeland didn't he win one with the bucks on his first or second year and had the best record of that season?
Kareem Abdul won on Every Level of Basketball 🏀🏀🏀🏀 Dream is a HOF and Damn Good Basketball Player! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ BOTH WINNERS 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Hakeem had the most diverse scoring as a big, only flaw in his skillset was that he didn’t really have a left hand. My only thing with Hakeem is that Hakeem only won 2 rings & you can argue those 2 rings were flawed cause he won those rings when MJ retired. Kareem has 6 rings & resume wise Kareem is better
Jordan was back in '95. His team lost to Orlando in the playoffs. The Rockets went on to sweep Orlando in the finals that year
@@dbfalk86 I understand all that. Hakeem is in that weird category of very skilled player but lacks the resume or was never in that convo of best player due to his era & had a very short window of being the best player. Hakeem is in that category like Kyrie, Hakeem is much better than Kyrie but like someone like Kyrie he’s the most skilled PG but he has PGs like Curry, Dame, CP3 & even Westbrook(even with how polarizing Westbrook is) over him & he gets overshadowed despite the skill.
Hakeem was overshadowed by great centers like Moses Malone, Kareem & Shaq. You can say Hakeem outplayed Patrick Ewing in the Finals & David Robinson in the playoffs in their prime I’ll give you that. Many say Hakeem outplayed Shaq & that’s true to a degree but Orlando Shaq wasn’t Shaq at the peak of his powers. Orlando Shaq was much skinnier & 285 pounds, Lakers Shaq was much bigger & beefier being 330-350 pounds, by the time Hakeem faced that Lakers Shaq Hakeem was old & washed up.
@@dbfalk86 Hakeem had early success in the 80s with Ralph Sampson going to the Finals losing to the Bird Celtics but Sampson got injured & retired early & the Rockets were a middling mediocre team. To be fair Kareem had a period in the 70s after he won his 1971 chip & his Bucks & Lakers squad were a middling mediocre team & had some worst years than Hakeem cause Kareem actually missed the playoffs two times in his prime & won 1 of those MVPs when his team missed the playoffs & won 4 MVPs with his team being pretty much mediocre in the 70s. Hakeem never did what Kareem did like missing the playoffs in his prime. Kareem’s 4 of the 6 MVPs he won in the 70s were inflated due to a weak 70s era when the NBA was on tape delay.
@@dbfalk86 Not only Magic saved the NBA but Magic saved Kareem’s legacy coming their being the leader of the team & Kareem taking a stepback to let Magic shine. Even though Magic was the #1 guy on the Lakers, Magic wasn’t really a scorer like that & was more of a passer that put prolific assists #s & Kareem was still the main scorer so it appeared to be that Kareem was still that guy even though Kareem was taking a backseat to Magic.
To go off topic that’s why I got Kobe over Kareem who has a better case for that GOAT convo even more which is a hot take thing to say but Kobe was able to prove he can win without Shaq by winning 2 consecutive chips with Gasol who’s much less talented than Shaq. Magic didn’t win a chip but he went to the Finals with Vlade Divac who’s not close to Kareem’s legacy. Kareem’s legacy gets elevated by getting saved by Magic. Hakeem didn’t have that luxury & by the time he had his superteam with Clyde & Barkley & then Pippen & Barkley Hakeem was too old & his other superstars were old too.
@@dbfalk86 Most of these rankings of who’s better comes down to circumstances & Kareem had better circumstances by playing in a weak 70s era where he collected inflated MVPs with no opposition at sight & was saved by Magic. You can say in a vaccum Hakeem was better with his skill level & his versatility especially on the defensive end which was underrated, only Hakeem & David Robinson were able to guard both the perimeter & the paint well which was innovated at the time.
But overall Kareem just has a better resume & was better winning by winning in the 80s which is considered the toughest era in the NBA wit the competition & Hakeem two chips came at a time where MJ was retired & MJ came at the end of the 95 season where he only played the remaining 17 games which was the 65 game mark of the 82 game 1995 season. Sorry for making the comments so long
I've been with you in the past on Hakeem.
Loved his game, and skill set. Particularly
since he picked up the game later than most
NBA players. As I've gotten older I really have
come to appreciate what Kareem accomplished.
He is the only 6 time MVP in league history. Leading
scorer as well. He played a very cerebral game. In
spite of all the points, he was a team player, who
would find the open man when doubled. These days
my vote goes to Kareem as best center, and possibly
player in NBA history.
Wow this is gonna be something right here.
This Video makes it sound like Hakeem was a better rebounder than Kareem but that's BS. Kareem averaged over 10 RB every season through age of 33. Dream averaged over 10 RB every season until he was 33 as well! Kareem's averaged over 16 RB 4 seasons. Hakeem's best season he averaged 14.0 RB. Finally for career average Kareem averaged more RB than Hakeem.
This is a silly silly video title. Kareem has the greatest CAREER ever.
@Johnny Ringo exactly..no one, not even Jordan comes close to Caps career from high school to the pro's.
@Aaron9 clearly you don't know basketball at all. Google Kareem!!!
This isn’t about who had a better career. This is about who was the better player. Career is just one category.
@@KWCline91 And DUH Kareem was a better player! Which ties into careers and accolades.
My brother you had to be there at one of the games. Kareem in his day was one of the greats in the game, also he lead the show time Lakers to several Championships during the 80s..
I love Hakeem but he wouldn't stand a chance against the Milwaukee Bucks Kareem
The only proof we have of Hakeem standing a chance against elite big men is the fact that he was the best big man in the best era for big men. But you're entitled to your opinion.
I think 60 s was the golden era of big men Bill Russell wilt chamberlain Wes unseld Nate Thurmond Walt Bellamy Jerry Lucas Kareem Abdul Jabbar
What speaks for hakeem is:
-probably the most skilled center
-won his 1st chip without an all star and hof player 😱
-he played in the greatest center era and beat everybody: kareem, shaq, robbinson, ewing,
@Johnny Ringo otis thorpe was once all star and not in the championship year but still, kareem always needed a great pg (oscar and magic). in his prime (70s), he even missed the playoffs.
hakeem had the best footwork and the best post moves. better defender. im pretty sure that hakeem was the most skillful center.
i would say the 80 until mid 90 were the best centers with hakeem, kareem, moses, ewing, shaq, robinson
Great players, but I still would take Wilt over both.
I love them both. I would take either one. Two of the greatest ever.
Hakeem is my favorite big ever. I just love his moves.
I love Hakeem but man stop this nonsense Kareem >Hakeem all day
@Aaron9 Kareem 🐐
All the way back to college, when he was dominated by Ewing, Olajuwon was always looked at as a guy who came up short in big games and couldn't win the big until 93/94. He is credited as being the only Superstar to win a title without another superstar. While that is true, he was also playing against a team with 1 superstar in NY. That 95 finals was ALL Houston role players. Period. Shaq and Penny played great. Hakeem and Drexler played great. The role players were the difference.
He was not in the same league as Kareem, on any level. Stop it.
You don’t know what the fk you’re talking about…without Magic the Lakers were 💩 and would’ve continued to be just that without Magic
You can't penalize Kareem for playing on better teams, and you can't measure head to head again as there was an age difference...and just listening, there are too many ties and if's here...that shows that you are stretching to lean toward Hakeem...Here are the all time best NBA Centers...check any ranking anywhere...
Kareem
Wilt-Russell
Hakeem-Shaq
Almost every single ranking...Find one where Hakeem is ranked ahead of Kareem...if you find one, there are 15-20 more that show Kareem ahead of him...Make of that what you will...
The longevity of Kareem makes him better imo