I watched him in the playoffs as a kid and 10 block games were a thing for him. He was one assist short of a quadruple double against the Clippers in one game. I've only seen Hakeem and Andrew bynum get 10 block triple doubles in a playoff game. The announcers of that Clippers game said that Olajuwon had notched a quadruple double in his career before that game. To this day I've never seen anyone put up a quad double. Hakeem was just insane.
Greatest post repertoire ever, one of the greatest defenders ever with the footwork to guard the perimeter, 70% free throw shooter, great mid range game he could hit falling backwards, and could pass out of double teams at an elite level. He was so stupidly well rounded it’s hard not to be impressed by him. But if all those accolades aren’t impressive enough: the guy literally dropped 40 points during Ramadan where he was fasting with no food or water until after sundown. The Dream was not human.
@@clawxxchris He wasn't elite passing, but he's one of only 4 players who made a quadruple double in March 1990 vs Milwaukee (18pts, 16reb, 11blk, 10ast) and in the same month, the same year, he was close to do another one vs Don Nelson' Warriors (29pts, 18reb, 11blk, 9ast)
Glad he brought up the fact that Hakeem was really 6"10 which made his shot blocking and making during the era of Ewing, Robinson, and Shaq even more amazing.
Plenty note that Ewing wasn’t 7’0” either, more 6’10” - Which partly explains that while he was great he wasn’t on the level of Olajuwon, Robinson or O’Neal.
@Xalpha23 And flattop, if you're referring to Ewing? Olajuwon would need his wife's high heels to get to 7'0. Dream was scratching 6'10 barefoot, like 6'10 3/4 w/ shoes on.
So glad that the initial portion of this video highlighted Dream’s defensive prowess. *In basketball, you are on defense ~50% of the time yet most folks fail to factor this in [defensive ability] when evaluating all-time greats* *Jordan and Olajuwon are the only players in NBA history* that were both the - Best Defensive Player in the League - Best Offensive Player in the League At the same time….. *That’s like an NFL player being:* -Lawrence Taylor on defense & Bo Jackson on offense Or -Deion Sanders on defense & Jerry Rice on offense
@Chairs Yeah. His defense was unreal on so many levels. No big (at least that I've seen) played defense like him. And the little guys defense didn't impact the opposition the way his did. He was like whirling Dervish, Human Tornado all over the court.
I think Hakeem is a great example on how understanding other sports can help you understand your own sport better. He played softball, volleyball and football growing up. Softball helped him track the ball better. Volleyball helped him time his jumps better. Football helped him develop the greatest footwork in the league. Like the great Uncle Iroh said in Avatar: The Last Airbender: "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations, will help you become whole".
I watched Hakeem on the Rockets from 86 until he left. One of his weaknesses before the championship years was foul trouble, and that was frequently the result of challenging plays he shouldn’t have challenged. Instead of seeing someone unwilling to go for the ball as frequently because of fatigue or age, I saw maturity and someone making good decisions about when to challenge. Outside of his amazing physical talent, Hakeem was dedicated to becoming a better player every day he stepped on the court. The mature play we saw in the mvp years was him elevating his mental game. Rudy T deserves some credit for that aspect of his game.
Same here. I was astonished at some of the clips shown on both ends. I had to rewind after the Giannis-esque dribble drive crossover into a finish from the top because it was so smooth I forget what I was watching.
For real It’s the basketball appreciation I’ve been looking for in taking about their skill and proving it by skill man People sleep on the players this guy has made videos on
‘93 Olajuwon over 94 total games: 26 PPG on 52% FG, 80% FT 13.5 RPG, 4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 4.5 BPG Especially when considering this season featured prime versions of Ewing, Daugherty, Robinson, Mutombo, Oakley, Kemp, Barkley, Malone, and Rodman, as well as young monsters like Shaq, Mourning and Johnson, these are ridiculous numbers for any era.
Yeah, and his offense was nothing compared to his defense. This video vastly low-balls Olajuwon for some reason, on the basis of some hypothetical limitation he would have playing alongside another superstar. Since when is that the test of greatness? Dream's peak was all-time top 5, no question about it.
@@SapphicTwist Yes. Something that is completely hypothetical is not an argument at all. Plus, alongside Clyde Drexler, he avg: 33 PPG, 53%, 10 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.2 SPG and 2.8 BPG in 22 playoff games against prime versions of Malone, Barkley, Robinson, Rodman, and Shaq for FMVP.
@@SapphicTwist Hakeem Olajuwon had the greatest peak of any basketball player ever. This is easily verifiable, not just looking at his competition and the era he played in, but the fact that he is still the only lone all star to ever win a championship without another all star team mate. He certainly should have won MVP in 93 and he was the best basketball player in the world from 93-96.
This is a masterclass in many things, but in particular in what your kids should be doing if they decide to play basketball (or any sport of that matter). Have fun, play different sports, enjoy your childhood before you get narrowly focused on one thing. It might give you some unintentional perks down the road. Also, if that man learned to read cuts a little better my goodness.
Stuff like vision and elite passing instincts are usually innate. You can't really learn to become an elite passer or to have that sort of vision. It's like someone learning to become an elite shooter like Steph. You can improve, but to get to elite level, you have to be gifted. Just like Hakeem was such a gifted post scorer, so much balance, coordination, agility, creativity and touch.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 I think part of it came from playing with hot garbage for about 7 years during his prime. LBJ may have carried some bad teams, but they were bad teams built around him that at least complemented his game. Hakeem's teams were just bad, which is astounding when you consider the Rockets had an all-timer on an undervalued contract, and was single-handedly too good to tank for lottery picks no matter how bad his teams were. He may not have been much of a passing threat, but that's because he was probably better off jacking up a fadeaway into a triple team anyways for half of his prime. If he had better coaching and teammates for his prime, God forbid a perimeter costar, we'd probably see a different Hakeem. Even though he wanted to stay in Houston, if Portland won that coin flip (or the Rockets made that fabled Ralph Sampson trade), most all-time lists would look pretty damn different, and Jordan wouldn't be Jordan.
Hakeem has a 13-10 winning Record against over MJ. *Shawn Kemp has a 30-20 winning Record over Hakeem Olajuwon.* In the Playoffs: MJ is a monster. For example: In 1989, the Chicago Bulls lost all regular season games to the Cavs ( 0:5 ). *1989 ECFR: Bulls vs Cavs ( 3:2 ).*
@@allanhouston6759 I think it's funny how when Jordan finally has a team that he won't get swept with, now it's all him! But Olajuwon being the solo all star for the majority of his career means he's a failure! Typical Jordan fanboy double standards. And no, Shawn Kemp wasn't by himself he had Payton, Shrempf and Ricky Pierce coming off the bench. Olajuwon had guards like Purvis Short, Sleepy Floyd, and Maxwell on his team and he still whooped on Jordan and Pippen and Grant routinely. But if you wanna be a dumb broad, I'm fine with that, let's talk about Jordan being guarded by little Craig Ehlo and role player Gerald Wilkins. So you have excuses for Jordan being 1-9 in the playoffs while Olajuwon had already made the Finals, but what's your excuse for Jordan being 5-1 for 3 straight seasons against Olajuwon with his 3 peat Bulls?!
@@allanhouston6759 you wanna talk about a 13-10 record but you try your best to ignore the 11-5 record Olajuwon had on Jordan for 9 seasons before Jordan picked up Rodman just to be a contender again. Olajuwon beat Jordan more times in 9 seasons than Jordan beat Olajuwon in 15 seasons... even after Olajuwon's surgeries Lmao without Rodman, Jordan would've never made it back to the Finals, but you wanna give him all of Pippen and Rodman's credit cuz you're a delusional fanboy.
@@mandodelossantos2 *1996 WCSF: Sonics vs Rockets ( 4:0 ).* Game 1, *Hakeem Olajuwon=6-Points, on 33%.* The Rockets won the title just a year ago. If Hakeem Olajuwon is so good, why did he play like a scrub ? ?
“I don’t even know how I can say it with a straight face, but most of the time, I thought I played him pretty well.” -Robinson after getting torched by Hakeem
As mentioned in Ben's David Robinson video, Hakeem was just the ideal matchup against him. D Rob wasn't great with his lateral movement and had a habit at biting at early jump fakes despite his VERY quick ability to get off the ground. It so happens Hakeem could move like a 2 guard on a triple threat spot from 20 feet out and had the footwork and counters to easily make jumpy guys react. Hakeem had similar qualities to Jordan where he was the star killer. There were top 10 players and Hakeem had the ability to keep up and counter those players on the court.
Ewing was shut down by Hakeem's defense more than his offense, and it took Starks ascending to the stratosphere to carry his God awful 38% TS on high volume. The fact that they took it to 7 with Hakeem playing like he was and destroying Ewing defensively is a testament to how hot he was, until game 7.
@@teofemo7000 umm no he didn't. Are you forgetting the Knick had a Frontline full of enforcers to have Pat back? Did you notice David Robinson getting ANY help from Rodman? You're probably a New Yorker that's salty Pat career didn't end up better than Robinson's
For me, Hakeem’s greatest achievement is when you include his name in the GOAT center conversation, almost nobody would me mad at you, and that’s the sign of his greatness.
Absolutely yes, or when you say that he was the most complete center ever, or two-way. He was the greatest two-way (even over Wilt!) center ever I would say.
@@dusk6159 Agreed. His game transcends eras. If you took Shaq or Patrick Ewing for example, and put them in today’s game, they would be targeted on switches like Gobert in the playoffs. Hakeem wouldn’t have that problem, since he has the lateral quickness to keep up with most guards.
If even Shaq says you were better than him, that's when you know you've earned a special kind of respect. Because Shaq never says that even when it's true.
Hakeem"s couple of good seasons don"t do him better than Shaq or Kareem. Hakeem Olajuwon 8 times lost in the first round and missed the Playoffs in his Prime.
@@TyroneNBAFan especially kobe. If I was a coach, I would rage at the shot selection of kobe. But he made them consistently. Probably the greatest difficult shot maker of all time.
Hakeem has always been my favorite center all time. Never saw him play, but based on what I know about him, the skills he put on display were unlike anything seen in his era. What today's bigs are supposed to be, he was the original template. Many say that the Bulls would've went 8-0 in the Finals had Jordan not retired, but Hakeem would've had something to say in '94.
The most underrated player in history. He’s without a doubt the greatest center imo. Nobody comes close imo. His post play was like art. His defense was brutal and dominate. Just an amazing player .
i genuinely have a hard time believing that players like hakeem, embiid, nash, duncan and all those players who started late, really did start that late. Because most of them are unbelievably skilled. I just don't believe it
We consider them skilled in large part because of their footwork. You know what is really, really good for training light, precise footwork? Soccer. All of the above grew up playing soccer, some very well (Nash). This is also true for the Gasols, Kobe, Chad Ochocinco from football, and many other athletes renowned for their incredible footwork. This is also part why foreign players tend to be more smooth with their footwork.
It's a combination of talent, skill, and a more generalized athletic background. It's like video games, some people play for years extremely regularly, and are 'average' or 'above average' rank. Others start off at the same place, and then a year later they're at 'pro' rank. I can guarantee you, and they'll say it from themselves, they SUCKED compared to their peers when they started playing, despite their physical advantages. Hakeem couldn't even dunk when his first coach asked him to! It wasn't that he wasn't tall enough or couldn't jump, it's just that the motion would have been so awkward and unfamiliar for him that he couldn't do it, like he has to focus on jumping, holding the ball, then focus on something he's never done before. It's like this for every beginner at anything, shit that seems impossible and awkward at first eventually becomes natural with enough practice. Best example I can think of is Mark Eaton, who didn't start when he was 15 or 16, but 20! Then he spent his first two years playing JC ball under probably mediocre coaching where he didn't have to try, he just had like a foot size advantage over his matchup, then, at 22, he went to UCLA, and got a rude wake up call, he was useless. There's a big difference between 22 and 15/16, he was never going to learn NBA big man skills at that age, and he didn't have the speed, agility, and talent to compensate anyways. Wilt saved his career by telling him this and to focus on defense, where he could be a star killing defender and rim protector just by being a semi-aware 7'4" giant that was built like a husky football player. Oh, and part of it is just statistics. Doesn't apply to Nash, but there's just the chance of being 7 feet or taller is 0.000038%. When you consider some of these people are going to be from places that don't play basketball AT ALL, or will have giantsism that prevents them from playing sports at all, and half of them will be too old to be 'NBA age', this effectively limits the number of NBA eligible centers, based on height and age, to 1000, FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD! For big men trying to make it to the NBA, they have better odds of making it than the average public high school boy trying to make varsity. Compare that to the millions of 6 footers competing for point guard spots, and you get the picture, so if you're an athletic and strong 7 footer with long wingspan, you're not only pretty much guaranteed to make it to the NBA, you're guaranteed to be GREAT. Even bad 7 footers can make a career in China or Europe playing professionally, just because they are so rare.
@@nathanieldurfee5419 Well, Duncan didn't play soccer growing up, he was a swimmer. A very talented one too. Swimming involves a lot of coordination and syncing of your body to pull off specific movements to drive yourself forward in the water. That probably helped him a lot with just body coordination and fluidity with movement.
It's probably because they started that late that they became so good at it. They brought in habits and skills from other sports and employed them on the basketball court; everything is pretty much textbook, but when you say, bring in a swimmer's stroke into a defensive stance, you don't really know how to properly counter it because you're used to the go-to moves that have already been done.
There were years during the early 90s where I thought he was the best player in the game, but he didn't have the team around him. Hakeem is top 5 all time.
Totally agreed...every group of guy friends have played the "draft game"...hakeem is ALWAYS my #1 pick...to me pound for pound HD was the best most talented player I've ever seen play
@Jus The Irony Is: By the end of his 2nd season, he was considered the 2nd best player in the NBA . So, that shows us how good he was for so long, despite his teams problems (which folks from a far, would try to hold against him).
IDK about that , I think you are forgetting about Kareem , I know most people just think of his sky hook but if you compare both there stats , Kareem had about the same amount of blocks and level of defense but with a trade off of foot work vrs. that sky hook that was almost a cheat code. Kareem also played at an elite level longer. The there is also Wilt who no one really got to see play so it's hard to say with him. Overall Hakeem in an all time starting 5 is not a bad pick but there are a few others I would take over him at a PF/C position.
@@tonysobon4669 yep, Kareem had the greater overall career and there’s certainly an argument, a strong one, for him being the better offensive player. Opponents Feared Kareem on offense. The only thing I can throw against his superior offensive stats is the eyeball test. Hakeem just looked more skilled, quicker, seemed more clutch. Opponents feared Hakeem on both offense and defense. Defensively, Hakeem has the better stats (blocks, steals, and rebounds per possession) over his career. And the eyeball test: he was much more disruptive. Opponents feared Hakeem’s defense over his career much more than they did Kareem’s. I know that Cap’s early career, especially with the Bucks was incredible statistically. And those clips of him taking on an old Wilt are great. But he got to play with sooo many greater players than the Dream did. And often Kareem was not the best player on his team. Dream was the best player on every Houston squad he played on.
@@seanrc8642 Kareem played legit defense for most of his career , also to say he wasn't even the best player on his team is not really care since your talking about Magic and that was towards the end of Kareem's career and again Kareen played more productive years. Also back to the defense thing , It's hard to say one was better then the other because Hakeem was not as tall and relied on his footwork more so in a way it made his defense look better. With Kareem he was so tall and lengthy he just looked less skillful on defense but his production on defense was as good and because he played almost a decade before it's a bit harder to find highlights but his stats do not lie. I love Hakeem , I watched this video because I do but it just bothers me how much Kareem gets snubbed when it comes top these kind of topics , Hakeem does also but To me Kareem was the better overall player. prosomal awards but I do factor in MJ era where MJ won so many personal awards for a player to win any during the time he played there is a very good chance they would of had more in a different time.
I was lucky enough to watch the man play live many times in the Summit. Film doesn't do him justice in regard to how quick he was... It was mind blowing... He seemed to be too big to move that fast.
The spin on Ewing was in a very close hotly contested pivotal Game 3 battle in a 1-1 series tie, to regain home court advantage. The shake on Robinson came amidst a much needed series victory too, but he was already dominating The Admiral really badly in that game. I watched both moves live, and they're both phenomenal in their own way, but I agree that you've got to give the one on Ewing the edge, because it just came at a more crucial juncture of a big game in a late series, where it was a back-&-forth warfare, and buckets were hard to come by.
@@arsonhakobyan Yeah. The Knicks dragged the game down with their super physical DEFENSE. So, for Hakeem to average what he did (27 pts, etc.) under those conditions in the finals, magnifies his accomplishments even more! Note: Edit, defense; I had written "Offense" originally.
Quick shout to Horry and Bullard who weaponized that 4 out alignment with 3pt range at the PF. And I guess we're not considering '95 Clyde a star teammate for this convo, but I thought they worked well together. Hakeem's kickouts allowed Clyde to catch and shoot better than he had in POR, and Dream could clear out of the paint to let Clyde post sometimes because as a C he had range on his jumper. Clyde's drives drew defenders from the rim, and Hakeem took advantage on the glass for put backs. It's not a Stockton/Malone level synergy, but it worked well.
That short 3pt line helped Clyde, he was already shooting better from 3 before he came to Houston. He did have some good synergy with Hakeem though, he was washed up, but still had enough gas in the tank to attack the rim and the Rockets were adept at getting him good possessions.
In my opinion GOAT center All time great post-moves, defense, athletiscism and overall scoring, good court vision by a center. He came on top on every match up against the top center in his time and able to win 2 championship in the 90s to add up to lots of individual accolades
Honestly, if he had a consistent 2nd best player, he would have definitely won at least 3 rings. Top 5 Defender and most skilled Center along with being the one man Shaq and Jordan claimed they feared.
If you're talking about peaks, no one has ever or will ever have as dominant a season as Hakeem that first championship season. MVP, DPoY, Finals MVP, and carries the team to the championship literally by himself.
Wilt Chamberlain was quite possibly the greatest athlete who has ever played in the NBA. It’s a shame he was a selfish egomaniac who was more concerned with padding his stats and sleeping with a lot of women than he was with winning basketball games.
@@hkgcgsdhjgd Wilt was the greatest athlete to ever play. "Chamberlain holds 72 NBA records, 68 by himself." He's the only Center to lead the league in assists. Also, he had a field goal % of 72.7 in his last season. I could go on and on about other players saying he moved them around like they were nothing, and because of his incredible strength he couldn't utilize it at all times or he would have severely harmed many other players. Michael Jordan never would even be close to Wilt if he played when Wilt did. He wouldn't be "allowed" to dunk over players like Wilt, because if he did then he would have been flattened the next time he tried it. Jordan may be the best player of all time, but the most dominant player in any sport was Wilt. As Wilt said to Jordan, "how many rule changes have they made that favor you?" Virtually all the rule changes when Wilt played were changed to make it more difficult for him. Take care!
@@michaelulbricht9438 Thanks so much for giving Wilt the proper respect he deserves! It seems that in these days, there are those who don't have the insight to see what a phenom he was and how he changed the game beyond measure...again, thanks!!!
@@michaelulbricht9438 Love That "His quickness, energy, and relentless pursuit was truly remarkable!" So true. So, many don't eve realize the type of engine/furnace/energizer bunny/human tornado he was on the court.
Genuinely, my favourite player of all time. I wish I was alive to watch him play. He just looks so insanely fluid as both a player and athlete. I have no doubt this dude would be deadly in the NBA today. Especially since I am confident he could develop a 3 point shot in the modern era. In my opinion, no centre other than maybe early 70s Kareem was better at their peak.
I absolutely love this series. The production quality, detailed metrics, and holistic analysis is truely a weekly pleasure. Have you ever explained how you create these stastical visualizations? I'm interested in the graphic representation of data and I would love to see how you go about making all of this work. Thanks for the awesome videos!
@@BTcycle No. The moves by the center forwards are different from those of the full backs which are different from those of the outside left or outside right. As I am writing this, I am thinking of the moves by specific different players and positions. Regarding Nigerian soccer players, the moves by Usiyen were completely different from those of Captain Chukwu or those of Fabian Duru or those of goalkeepers - Okalla and Ogedengbe. Moreover, goalkeepers are a lot more static.
Best defender of all time. He is #1 all time in blocks and #9 all time in steals . I believe he is the only non-guard in the top 10 in steals. you can be certain that his presence improved the team defense dramatically.
Crazy stat 86-94 playoff games 35% of games he had 5 blocks or more In 93 & 94 playoffs he had at least 5 blocks in half the games... He has Jordan crazy esque levels of performance in big games. Consistently too. He even blocked Starks in Game 6 94 NBA Finals and saved his 94 ring with the shot block. He and Jordan would have been a perfect and ideal matchup in 1994.
I loved The Dream, but watching this makes you appreciate how special Jokic is on offense even more. However at his peak Hakeem was the best center of all time.
You could play both Dream and Jokic, with Jokic as your high-post ball distributor, Dream working the baseline, MJ, Curry and Leonard running off-ball...
10:05 That's a good point that his low-percentage, high-difficulty shots would work against both bad and great defenses. "Inelastic scoring" is a great term.
@@back2back379 - Wilt Chamberlain Archive - this video shows fade-away, a lot of two foot jumps, but the one legged is in there still - obviously no where near as pretty or exaggerated as Dirks but Wilt likely would have been called for fouls if he raised his leg or kicked out like Dirk did, just like he would have had he played bully ball like Shaq. th-cam.com/video/8O9MgNfcGJA/w-d-xo.html
@@sambeaumont395 I didn't see any one-legged ones in there like Hakeem or Dirk, certainly not shot in a way where you could legitimately say that's where they got it from. Yes, Wilt likely would have been called for fouls if he raised his leg like that, which furthers the point that he was not doing it. Hakeem on the other hand, is noticeably raising his front leg on the one-legged fadeaway, so it's very clear that his one-legged fadeaway is a legitimate pre-cursor to Dirk's. Wilt had a nice regular fadeaway of course, but there's just a completely different balance and awkwardness when you shoot it one-legged the way Dirk and Hakeem did. Anyway, thanks for the link, although I've seen it before.
Had his flaws but that intensity he brought every night, agility and wizard footwork with fakes and Spinning moves, made him the most exciting centre to watch all time. Top 10
When it comes to peaks playoff runs Hakeems beating all the dominant Centers of his era in playoff series the way he did may be the most noteworthy playoff run of all time
Saying it’s unclear how well Hakeem could play with another star on the Court while using footage that has Clyde Drexler(whom he won a title with btw) and or Scottie Pippen on the court is wild to me lol. I also don’t like the assumption that Hakeem would have to take the back seat or lesser role because another star would added when short of Michael Jordan it would’ve been impossible to find a player in that Era that would’ve been good enough to warrant Hakeem taking a lesser role it would’ve been the Star coming to play with Hakeem that would have to adjust their game to fit with Hakeem’s Style of play.
I agree, his versatility and skills would’ve made it so he could fit with anyone IMO. The only counter with the Clyde and Pippen example though is that none of them were quite in their primes, and then again neither was Hakeem.
I think the point plays out in the tail of Hakeem's career. I think it is fair to argue that Drexler and Pippen both played secondary roles to Hakeem as the primary. Later Hakeem did not have more success when they added Barklee and then Pippen. I think in-elastic is a fair descriptor. His strengths are extreme and I agree it is fairly ludicrous to think about a player of his era joining that team and taking the primary role. However that is kind of the point. Contrast that with a player like Larry Bird. While certainly a star and a primary option, he also was able to amplify other stars with his passing and shooting. Or Lebron. Think about how his playstyle has adapted from his early days in Cleveland to his days in Miami to his championship last year in LA. Lebron is very elastic in his ability to bring in other stars (D-Wade or AD) and amplify their ceiling. Overall I don't think it is a powerful knock against Hakeem. He was an incredible player and very worthy of being in this list. But he was not perfect in all areas of which a GOAT can be great.
@@KleyDeJong drecktet and Clyde? You mean pippen and Clyde and you’re right but let’s just imagine hakeem playing in the triangle offense and for a coach who really teaches the system I think his passing would have gotten better or at least looked better just because from a post up there would be off ball screens and he can get more easy passes for someone flashing to the free throw line for a jumper plus his normal kickouts and then he’d put more focus on finding cutter maybe
I think Larry Bird exist in that Steph Curry type of space of being a non-ball dominate star player which is insanely impossible to find or replicate so using them as a standard of what a star should be is a fallacy that would using the anomaly to pigeon hole a standard which is ridiculous. The reality is the overwhelming majority of star players are going to ball dominate players whether it’s a ball dominating scorer like Jordan Kobe Harden or a ball dominating facilitator like Magic Nash Bron. So expecting your star player to be infinitely elastic and malleable as to fit the needs of any type of player that may be brought into the organization is ridiculous the secondary star should be the one adjusting. Like Dwayne Wade learning to be the best Off Ball cutter in history to fit in with LeBron rarely do you ever have the one to fit like dropping KD onto GSW or Kawhi in Toronto.
I still think Ewing got the sweetest turnaround jumper for a big. I love a lot of the guys that played this era.. Greatest basketball ever. Back when it was East vs West for the Allstars.
This is so well done! Hakeem is the best center I've ever seen. No one else is close. Watching since 1985, so obviously missed peak Kareem and few other guys before him who obviously are in the conversation for best ever.
Do not forget that Hakeem played against MJ and he also trained Lebron on how to improve his footwork. He saw both of them up close and he also said and I quote: "It is not a fair comparison. MJ is a far superior player than Lebron". This came from Hakeem people. One of the most humble guys the league has ever seen and who never displayed any ego in his basketball career. He always spoke from his heart and without any biased towards MJ or Lebron like a lot of fanatics do these days.
I get your point but you show a bias for Jordan and LeBron by even bringing them up here. Let Hakeem have his video without the daily casual fan and media head obsessions with Jordan vs LeBron.
@@eternalboss1046 I'm not an MJ or Lebron fan, so I'm not biased towards any of them. I was actually highlighting Hakeem's unique perspective in that discussion since he's been one of the few to see them up close. I always respect what Hakeem says because of his culture and how humble he is and I found it interesting that he would make a comment like that. I don't have any favorite players. I just enjoy the sport. If anyone disagrees with Hakeem, its they have the right to, but no one else has been in Hakeem's position to make a comment like that.
Totally agree with you nhoj nhoj. Hakeem was in a unique position to be able to make a comment like that and what he said was always on point. I hate the GOAT debates but I respect what Hakeem said. He wasn't one of these fanatics, he just spoke based on what he saw up close without any biased.
Yup, Hakeem played a lot of different sports and he knew how difficult it was to play basketball in his era when Jordan dominated. He tried teaching Lebron to improve his footwork down on the post, but for whatever reason, Lebron never really developed that part of his game. Maybe that's why Hakeem made that comment. His footwork down on the post was unmatched and few had the discipline to learn it. Kobe was also trained by Hakeem but he put hours of work into applying what Hakeem taught him and it showed.
I really appreciate the analysis of what made Olajuwon’s play unique and where the roots for that play originate. It is common to emphasize his footwork (thanks, Moses) when talking about his skillset. But obviously the footwork is only the foundation of the greatness, which is what he did with his arms and hands. I see now how all the swats and rejections were influenced by skills from other sports. Many of the things that make Olajuwon great are related to what makes him different than the other great centers. He didn’t do what they do better than they did. He did things in ways that were unique and largely unmatched before or since. His size was one difference, not bigger or taller than his opponents. But he was quick, fast, and really powerful. Which is perfect for a style influenced by these other sports, which rely on agility and dexterity, and not much on muscling people around in the paint.
@Mike Martin Great Post. Yes. Dream was way more innovative than many realize, give him credit for. Here's some of the things he emphasized/Popularized/Introduced into the NBA: 1) Olajuwon's Step/Fall Back Jumper (that people think Dirk did first) 2) His Dream Shake, obviously 3) Hakeem's Baseline, Turn around [Fadeaway] Jumper, including behind the backboard 4) How he jabbed at defenses to confuse post players; slow down rebounders, and to guard, steal the ball from guards out top. He flashed; smothered, and jabbed at everyone individually, as well as playing the passing lanes. What Center was doing that, with maybe the exception of Bill Russell? I'm sure they're other things I forgot. LOL
There is precedence at the center position for great players at 6'10" or close to it. In the 60s there was the great Bill Russell at 6'9 3/4" tall barefoot, very close to 6'10" and close to 6'11" with shoes on like all players were measured from '73 on. Bill Russell won 11 chips and is one of the greatest defenders and shot blockers ever. Willis Reed was 6'10" barefoot, won 2 chips, was an MVP, a Finals MVP, and was great on both sides of the ball. Don't forget 6'10" Moses Malone who was a dominant player on both sides of the ball in the '70s and '80s and was an MVP, a 13 time all-star, and an NBA champion. So it's easy to see how Moses could be great at 6'10".
He was pretty raw in the beginning, especially his handle; what isn't said enough about him is how hard he worked to improve. His name deserves its place among the greats, for sure.
I mostly agree, but watching this video, I think we come away with more complaints about Hakeem's game than we did in the 1990s, when he totally dominated the era. Even though the video makes a good attempt, you really can't emphasize enough Olajuwon's defensive greatness, there just aren't sufficient metrics available. And this weird focus on his selfishness and presumed inability to play with other stars is really wrong-headed. Stats do not exist in a vacuum, they occur in a very specific context, and Olajuwon's offensive approach was dictated by the fact that he was surrounded by sub-par teammates. So we're going to take his "selfishness" as a vice, instead of his "aggressiveness" as a virtue? Makes no sense to me.
Really great analysis and great series! Big congrats! Hakeem was a two-way monster. I just don't completely agree when you say he might not fit well with other elite player in the offense. I actually believe Hakeem would have won a couple more championships with more support. We have to take into consideration that he played as the lone superstar since Sampson started to have injuries and left the Rockets, which was very early in his carrer, which led Hakeem to spend most of his development and peek years as the main defensive and offensive force of his team. That shaped the way he developed. He would have developed differently if he had another superstar around him, to an even more complete player, I believe. Even if he got another superstar during his prime (and during the prime of the other superstar - not what he got with Barkley or Drexler) he would be able to adjust after some time.
I was a great fan of Hakeem's and Houston' in those years, and need to thank you for your comment. Olajuwon would have loved to have an all-star team-mate, not one close to his career's end like what he got with Drexler and Barkley,
I'm really loving how your blending a bit more comedy/memes in, not too much but just a tiny bit of light relief really serves the videos well imo. Keep going dude your content is fire the subs will come.
Hakeem is one of my all time favourite players. loved this video. also its great how you point out their flaws, even though that is uncomfortable for fans to see and usually videos don't talk about them or overly attack them. great series!
Excellent work, excellent video. The fact that Hakeem gets less help than other superstars and has to play with mediocre rosters during his prime years makes him underrated. If somebody like the players next to Shaq/Kareem were with Hakeem, now Hakeem would be the subject of goat discussion with M. Jordan.
@@dutchmilk Yes, you cannot enter the nba as a mediocre player, but after entering the nba, you can look mediocre next to other players. What is there to not understand? There was not a single all-star player beside Hakeem in the '94 championship. Nowadays, in some teams, you can find more than one superstar players.
I've been watching ball since 1971, and Olajuwon is the best player I've ever seen. His incredible rim protection defense in a post-dominant era alone would have made him an All-Star. His unstoppable offense alone would have made him an All-Star. He. Was. Better. Than. Jordan. There, I've said it. Let the hating begin.
*Hakeem Olajuwon lost in the first Round to team whose best player was Dale Ellis.* 1996 WCSF: Sonic vs Rockets ( 4:0 ). Game 1: *Hakeem Olajuwon=6-Points, on 33%.* better than MJ ? ? what a joke.
I remember that Starks' shot and thinking he rushed it. In hindsight, he was open against anyone except Hakeem. Insane body control. Also look at that dunk on Pippen. Who else can make that block? Maybe Robinson could reach that high, but he didn't have the quickness to get to his spot against someone like Scottie.
"They didn't run as many pick and rolls in the 90's as they do today" Then proceed to show the most PnR spamming duo in the history of basketball, lol.
I was surprised by the statement myself, but hey I'll give him the benefit of a doubt. I know that dude watches game film like I watch youtube videos everyday so ..eh.
@@jonwhispers Nah, he was right, Utah was the exception, now most top teams want a PnR threat and that's pretty much all most teams want out of their centers on offense.
@@localneo-graphic4647 Exactly. In those days when someone mentions PnR the first team to come to mind is the Utah Jazz because of the Stockton-Malone duo that has been eating with that for decades in order to get to the playoffs. There weren't many other teams then running PnR at that frequency on offense.
I love this series the analysis is spot on. I wanna see a separate series. Players like Carmelo Anthony, Paul pierce, Jerry west, Kevin Durant. Also a good potential series
All of this is after the merger so jerry west is out of the way. Paul pierce won't be in this series since moses malone, ewing and Dr j aren't included
Insane, i don't even know what to say... Imagine the amount of hours and research dedicated to create this (thank you). Hakeen shows about the interdisciplinarity of things, how everything shares some connections and you can use the skills developed in one art to achieve breakthrough in another. It's really inspiring.
I love how this series breaks everything down in a true basketball way. Most channels just show stats and averages to judge a player. SERIOUSLY KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK!!!
I’d be interested in what other players you examined when it comes to the graph at 11:52 about scoring efficiency against better defenses. Because there look to be something like 20 dots there but only 15 or so players in this series. And on backpicks you looked at 50 players iirc. And who scored in higher volume against tougher defenses?
felt like i was watching someone play handball with all those one handed passes - one of my teammates also played it before basketball and has a pretty similar style. loved the breakdown
Most of Hakeem's prime was wasted because the Rockets were incompetent. Poor coaching, plus some bad luck with Sampson getting injured and never being the same, some of the other guards on his team in the 80s suspended and even forced out of the league because of their drug habits. If Hakeem had the luck to be drafted in the situations of Magic, Bird or getting someone like a Pippen, Horace Grant in their prime to play with, he would have been top 3 all-time without debate. He also never played with any really good playmaking PG in his career. One that would get him easy buckets, he had to work so hard in the half-court for everything. He wasn't a mammoth like Shaq or 7'2 like Kareem. He was really just 6'10 and 250, that is the size of a lot of power-forwards. Yet the man was anchoring defenses as one of the most dominant centers ever!
@@Somm_RJ Hakeem played with Ralph Sampson. A guy who was a 20 and 10 all star caliber PF/C. The original twin towers. Even when Hakeem was still raw in his second year in the league, he lead his team to the finals after beating the showtime Lakers. They lost to the 67 win Celtics in 6. The 1986 Celtics are considered one of the best teams ever. Hakeem could def play along a high usage player. If Hakeem played alongside Clyde Drexler in his prime, he'd have won a lot more championships.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 I understand, Hakeem was my favorite player growing up. I made a reply based on your original comment. Let me answer it clearly. No, he would not be able to take Bird's or Magic's team because he is not a playmaker. If he went to the Bad Boy Pistons, probably yes. He won't need to playmake but the team would still be nicely built around him. Drexler was in his last legs when he teamed up with Hakeem. I could not see it working out if the they had prime Drexler. When Drexler came around, it was good on paper but not really. The team was built around Hakeem, they won the 1st championship without Drexler. They don't need Drexler, what they need are good role players, not a 2nd star or 3rd star. In fact, they regressed in their 2nd chanpionship, when Drexler was around.
Awesome videos as usual. Always been a big fan of Hakeem and never realized part of his limitations on offense due to his passing skills. He is such a force offensively in the post it was hard to imagine how he could improve, but you highlighted that well. Also just so nasty on defense. Both sides of the ball were dominated by him.
He was a limited passer/playmaker like Kawhi. His mentality on offense was to score as quick as possible with all those crafty moves. I think this is where starting to play basketball as late as he did hurt him a bit. But he was still very good at passing out of the post, especially by 1993.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 Yeah that's a good point. I read his book and he mentions that he really started to trust his teammates around that time and in return it brought the Rockets great success
@@TheBucksftw Remember, he made the finals his 2nd year when Ralph was still good, with no legit point guard. He lost to an All Time Great team in the finals, after beating an All Time Great team in the Western Conference semi-finals. He should have won early with Sampson, who he did pass to a lot. So, there's no question he couldn't win with another great, especially after he did it with Clyde in 95. SMH
Once Hakeem started dishing the ball back out, he became unstoppable. When HOU got guys that started knocking down 3's, they were almost unbeatable. He was the ONLY true star on those HOU teams of the 90's. He is an even better human being than a basketball player
@Sbrecat That went hand in hand, with Houston getting good coaching/change of philosophy (, and building good shooters around Dream) with the arrival of Rudy T.
What he didn't mention is that every year Hakeem had a different move and was the only center with at least 3 shots in his repertoire that was unstoppable you could not block him he just had to miss Olajuwon was unbelievable and unbeatable. If Houston would have got him some talent after he went in his second year to the finals against Boston then he would have had way more championships a lot of people don't bring up that fact.
Grew up in Houston and was 12 when they beat the Knicks in '94 so got to watch him in his prime. Obviously a little biased, but he's hands down the best center in league history to me. He played in the Golden Era of big men, had to go through ALL OF THEM over their two year title run and DOMINATED all of them. He also retired top 10 in *FIVE MAJOR STATISTICAL CATEGORIES* while no one else has done more than 2. He's also the only player in NBA history to win a championship without another current All-Star or future HOF'er on the team. He also did this without much of a left hand, which is fucking insane. Dude was an absolute one man wrecking crew.
How the fuck do you have 5+ blocks in HALF your playoff games across any significant stretch of time?? Goated.
Did I mishear or wasn’t it 35%
I watched him in the playoffs as a kid and 10 block games were a thing for him. He was one assist short of a quadruple double against the Clippers in one game. I've only seen Hakeem and Andrew bynum get 10 block triple doubles in a playoff game. The announcers of that Clippers game said that Olajuwon had notched a quadruple double in his career before that game. To this day I've never seen anyone put up a quad double. Hakeem was just insane.
@@doxazo5512 "in the last two years it was 50%"
@@Davivd2 Olajuwon has gotten 2 quadruple doubles, and he got them both in the same month.
I think Timmy D did it
Greatest post repertoire ever, one of the greatest defenders ever with the footwork to guard the perimeter, 70% free throw shooter, great mid range game he could hit falling backwards, and could pass out of double teams at an elite level.
He was so stupidly well rounded it’s hard not to be impressed by him. But if all those accolades aren’t impressive enough: the guy literally dropped 40 points during Ramadan where he was fasting with no food or water until after sundown. The Dream was not human.
I mean did you watch the video he wasnt elite passing out of double teams lmao
@@clawxxchris He wasn't elite passing, but he's one of only 4 players who made a quadruple double in March 1990 vs Milwaukee (18pts, 16reb, 11blk, 10ast) and in the same month, the same year, he was close to do another one vs Don Nelson' Warriors (29pts, 18reb, 11blk, 9ast)
@@clawxxchris what?!? He used to pass out of spin moves and was splitting double teams since the 86' Finals
@@loulou7194 he recorded 376 blocks and 174 steals that season too
@@mandodelossantos2 He peaked as pretty good at it, but he wasn't elite.
when you're chosen ahead of MJ and nobody considers it a bad pick.
Probably one of the best compliments you can give an NBA player 😂
I see no cap here. All facts.
You talking about Sam Bowie?😂
This sums it all.
If they have to redo it with the knowledge they have now, I'm not sure they change their pick, as great as Michael is
The ONLY Player to ever MVP, FINALS MVP and DPOY in the same year ('94). What a beast, severly underrated when it comes to GOAT talk.
Giannis in 2021 now
@@user-yu7kl3zc6c nope won the finals the year after mvp & dpoy
Michael Jordan
@@user-yu7kl3zc6c not in the same year
@@innosantomj 88 won everything except the chip champion
Hakeem: my personal pick for favorite/GOAT center.
Hell yeah hell yeah you know what’s up
Same
I think Kareem,Russell and Wilt are slightly better but I can definitely see it, since he’s more skilled than either of them
It's got to be kareem
@@brosidenbro638 Agree Kareem and Wilt are slightly better but Olajuwon has clearly always been at least the 3rd best.
Glad he brought up the fact that Hakeem was really 6"10 which made his shot blocking and making during the era of Ewing, Robinson, and Shaq even more amazing.
Plenty note that Ewing wasn’t 7’0” either, more 6’10” - Which partly explains that while he was great he wasn’t on the level of Olajuwon, Robinson or O’Neal.
@Xalpha23 And flattop, if you're referring to Ewing? Olajuwon would need his wife's high heels to get to 7'0. Dream was scratching 6'10 barefoot, like 6'10 3/4 w/ shoes on.
Dream have crazy wingspan.
@@glovs4188 I just looked it up and God damn I did not expect that
Dream more 6'11
So glad that the initial portion of this video highlighted Dream’s defensive prowess.
*In basketball, you are on defense ~50% of the time yet most folks fail to factor this in [defensive ability] when evaluating all-time greats*
*Jordan and Olajuwon are the only players in NBA history* that were both the
- Best Defensive Player in the League
- Best Offensive Player in the League
At the same time…..
*That’s like an NFL player being:*
-Lawrence Taylor on defense & Bo Jackson on offense
Or
-Deion Sanders on defense & Jerry Rice on offense
Nice analogy and Great examples.
Handball, Volleyball, Soccer and Basketball created one of the greatest athletes of all time. A true sportsman, that's for sure.
@Chairs
Yeah. His defense was unreal on so many levels. No big (at least that I've seen) played defense like him. And the little guys defense didn't impact the opposition the way his did. He was like whirling Dervish, Human Tornado all over the court.
I think Hakeem is a great example on how understanding other sports can help you understand your own sport better. He played softball, volleyball and football growing up. Softball helped him track the ball better. Volleyball helped him time his jumps better. Football helped him develop the greatest footwork in the league. Like the great Uncle Iroh said in Avatar: The Last Airbender: "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations, will help you become whole".
Same goes with my current favorite player jokic. Water polo is why he's such a great passer 😂
Handball not softball
I watched Hakeem on the Rockets from 86 until he left. One of his weaknesses before the championship years was foul trouble, and that was frequently the result of challenging plays he shouldn’t have challenged. Instead of seeing someone unwilling to go for the ball as frequently because of fatigue or age, I saw maturity and someone making good decisions about when to challenge.
Outside of his amazing physical talent, Hakeem was dedicated to becoming a better player every day he stepped on the court. The mature play we saw in the mvp years was him elevating his mental game. Rudy T deserves some credit for that aspect of his game.
The first 5 mins of the video is Hakeem blocking Sean Elliot 😂
LOL YEA
Lmao
Hakeem is Sean Elliot's father😭😭
and then at around the second half of the video is Hakeem making David Robinson dance
dude i loved that spurs team growing up 😭
I've said "oh my god" more times to Hakeem highlights than probably anyone else. He was so good at making the difficult look childishly easy.
He’s embarrassed and made more nba players look silly then anyone else on both ends of the floor that’s for sure
His highlights give me goosebumps every time.
Same here. I was astonished at some of the clips shown on both ends. I had to rewind after the Giannis-esque dribble drive crossover into a finish from the top because it was so smooth I forget what I was watching.
Dark horse highlight reel for me.....manu...
S**t had me speechless.
Thinking that he's 7 feet makes it even more amazing.
Idk how these videos not blowing up?????? These are the greatest videos on all of TH-cam!
For real
It’s the basketball appreciation I’ve been looking for in taking about their skill and proving it by skill man
People sleep on the players this guy has made videos on
@@SuperMisteryMan01 ye
it'll probably show up randomly on recommended videos for random people in a few months. TH-cam algorithm can be weird.
@@back2back379 I hope so, he deserves it
@The Ultimate It would take over 2 hours of content to deep dive into Russell and Chamberlain. I'd rather have 20 minute videos on separate profiles.
‘93 Olajuwon over 94 total games:
26 PPG on 52% FG, 80% FT
13.5 RPG, 4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 4.5 BPG
Especially when considering this season featured prime versions of Ewing, Daugherty, Robinson, Mutombo, Oakley, Kemp, Barkley, Malone, and Rodman, as well as young monsters like Shaq, Mourning and Johnson, these are ridiculous numbers for any era.
@Margarine
Yeah. He should have won the MVP in 93. That was a crazy year.
Yeah, and his offense was nothing compared to his defense. This video vastly low-balls Olajuwon for some reason, on the basis of some hypothetical limitation he would have playing alongside another superstar. Since when is that the test of greatness? Dream's peak was all-time top 5, no question about it.
@@SapphicTwist Yes. Something that is completely hypothetical is not an argument at all. Plus, alongside Clyde Drexler, he avg: 33 PPG, 53%, 10 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.2 SPG and 2.8 BPG in 22 playoff games against prime versions of Malone, Barkley, Robinson, Rodman, and Shaq for FMVP.
@@SapphicTwist Hakeem Olajuwon had the greatest peak of any basketball player ever. This is easily verifiable, not just looking at his competition and the era he played in, but the fact that he is still the only lone all star to ever win a championship without another all star team mate. He certainly should have won MVP in 93 and he was the best basketball player in the world from 93-96.
Jordan
This is a masterclass in many things, but in particular in what your kids should be doing if they decide to play basketball (or any sport of that matter). Have fun, play different sports, enjoy your childhood before you get narrowly focused on one thing. It might give you some unintentional perks down the road. Also, if that man learned to read cuts a little better my goodness.
Stuff like vision and elite passing instincts are usually innate. You can't really learn to become an elite passer or to have that sort of vision. It's like someone learning to become an elite shooter like Steph. You can improve, but to get to elite level, you have to be gifted. Just like Hakeem was such a gifted post scorer, so much balance, coordination, agility, creativity and touch.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 I think he means how hakeem played volleyball, handball soccer etc before basketball and some skills naturally translated.
@@dasupremegentlelad4321 Precisely.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 I think part of it came from playing with hot garbage for about 7 years during his prime. LBJ may have carried some bad teams, but they were bad teams built around him that at least complemented his game. Hakeem's teams were just bad, which is astounding when you consider the Rockets had an all-timer on an undervalued contract, and was single-handedly too good to tank for lottery picks no matter how bad his teams were.
He may not have been much of a passing threat, but that's because he was probably better off jacking up a fadeaway into a triple team anyways for half of his prime. If he had better coaching and teammates for his prime, God forbid a perimeter costar, we'd probably see a different Hakeem. Even though he wanted to stay in Houston, if Portland won that coin flip (or the Rockets made that fabled Ralph Sampson trade), most all-time lists would look pretty damn different, and Jordan wouldn't be Jordan.
And Olajuwon is the only player to have a winning record on Jordan in the 90's
Hakeem has a 13-10 winning Record against over MJ.
*Shawn Kemp has a 30-20 winning Record over Hakeem Olajuwon.*
In the Playoffs: MJ is a monster.
For example: In 1989, the Chicago Bulls lost all regular season games to the Cavs ( 0:5 ).
*1989 ECFR: Bulls vs Cavs ( 3:2 ).*
@@allanhouston6759 I think it's funny how when Jordan finally has a team that he won't get swept with, now it's all him! But Olajuwon being the solo all star for the majority of his career means he's a failure! Typical Jordan fanboy double standards. And no, Shawn Kemp wasn't by himself he had Payton, Shrempf and Ricky Pierce coming off the bench. Olajuwon had guards like Purvis Short, Sleepy Floyd, and Maxwell on his team and he still whooped on Jordan and Pippen and Grant routinely. But if you wanna be a dumb broad, I'm fine with that, let's talk about Jordan being guarded by little Craig Ehlo and role player Gerald Wilkins. So you have excuses for Jordan being 1-9 in the playoffs while Olajuwon had already made the Finals, but what's your excuse for Jordan being 5-1 for 3 straight seasons against Olajuwon with his 3 peat Bulls?!
@@allanhouston6759 you wanna talk about a 13-10 record but you try your best to ignore the 11-5 record Olajuwon had on Jordan for 9 seasons before Jordan picked up Rodman just to be a contender again. Olajuwon beat Jordan more times in 9 seasons than Jordan beat Olajuwon in 15 seasons... even after Olajuwon's surgeries Lmao without Rodman, Jordan would've never made it back to the Finals, but you wanna give him all of Pippen and Rodman's credit cuz you're a delusional fanboy.
@@mandodelossantos2
*Hakeem teammates: Clyde Drexler, Ralph Sampson, Charles Barkley, Scotte Pippen.*
@@mandodelossantos2
*1996 WCSF: Sonics vs Rockets ( 4:0 ).*
Game 1,
*Hakeem Olajuwon=6-Points, on 33%.*
The Rockets won the title just a year ago.
If Hakeem Olajuwon is so good, why did he play like a scrub ? ?
Crazy part is David and Pat was playing good defense Hakeem was just on another planet
“I don’t even know how I can say it with a straight face, but most of the time, I thought I played him pretty well.”
-Robinson after getting torched by Hakeem
As mentioned in Ben's David Robinson video, Hakeem was just the ideal matchup against him. D Rob wasn't great with his lateral movement and had a habit at biting at early jump fakes despite his VERY quick ability to get off the ground. It so happens Hakeem could move like a 2 guard on a triple threat spot from 20 feet out and had the footwork and counters to easily make jumpy guys react. Hakeem had similar qualities to Jordan where he was the star killer. There were top 10 players and Hakeem had the ability to keep up and counter those players on the court.
Ewing was shut down by Hakeem's defense more than his offense, and it took Starks ascending to the stratosphere to carry his God awful 38% TS on high volume. The fact that they took it to 7 with Hakeem playing like he was and destroying Ewing defensively is a testament to how hot he was, until game 7.
Ewing played good defense as well. Much better than Robinson. He wasn't soft.
@@teofemo7000 umm no he didn't. Are you forgetting the Knick had a Frontline full of enforcers to have Pat back? Did you notice David Robinson getting ANY help from Rodman? You're probably a New Yorker that's salty Pat career didn't end up better than Robinson's
For me, Hakeem’s greatest achievement is when you include his name in the GOAT center conversation, almost nobody would me mad at you, and that’s the sign of his greatness.
Absolutely yes, or when you say that he was the most complete center ever, or two-way.
He was the greatest two-way (even over Wilt!) center ever I would say.
@@dusk6159 Agreed. His game transcends eras. If you took Shaq or Patrick Ewing for example, and put them in today’s game, they would be targeted on switches like Gobert in the playoffs. Hakeem wouldn’t have that problem, since he has the lateral quickness to keep up with most guards.
If even Shaq says you were better than him, that's when you know you've earned a special kind of respect. Because Shaq never says that even when it's true.
Hakeem"s couple of good seasons don"t do him better than Shaq or Kareem.
Hakeem Olajuwon 8 times lost in the first round and missed the Playoffs in his Prime.
@@allanhouston6759 true but did Hakeem had the same supporting than them in his prime ?
If you just make incredible shots all the time as it turns out they dont get any harder vs elite defense.
I think this is something Jordan and Kobe practiced also.
This didn't really work for older MJ or Kobe throughout his career.
@@TyroneNBAFan especially kobe. If I was a coach, I would rage at the shot selection of kobe. But he made them consistently. Probably the greatest difficult shot maker of all time.
@@lik7953 kind of like what Zach Lavine does, except Lavine doesn’t make nearly as many
@@TyroneNBAFan Older MJ had an incredible percentage on his fadeaway shots.
Lmao
I remember those back to back championships here in Houston, it was epic. Hakeem Olajuwon will forever be the best to ever play the five position.
Hakeem has always been my favorite center all time. Never saw him play, but based on what I know about him, the skills he put on display were unlike anything seen in his era. What today's bigs are supposed to be, he was the original template. Many say that the Bulls would've went 8-0 in the Finals had Jordan not retired, but Hakeem would've had something to say in '94.
The most underrated player in history. He’s without a doubt the greatest center imo. Nobody comes close imo. His post play was like art. His defense was brutal and dominate. Just an amazing player .
Hakeem is underappreciated today. He was completely amazing on both ends of the floor
i genuinely have a hard time believing that players like hakeem, embiid, nash, duncan and all those players who started late, really did start that late. Because most of them are unbelievably skilled. I just don't believe it
We consider them skilled in large part because of their footwork. You know what is really, really good for training light, precise footwork? Soccer. All of the above grew up playing soccer, some very well (Nash).
This is also true for the Gasols, Kobe, Chad Ochocinco from football, and many other athletes renowned for their incredible footwork. This is also part why foreign players tend to be more smooth with their footwork.
It's a combination of talent, skill, and a more generalized athletic background. It's like video games, some people play for years extremely regularly, and are 'average' or 'above average' rank. Others start off at the same place, and then a year later they're at 'pro' rank.
I can guarantee you, and they'll say it from themselves, they SUCKED compared to their peers when they started playing, despite their physical advantages. Hakeem couldn't even dunk when his first coach asked him to! It wasn't that he wasn't tall enough or couldn't jump, it's just that the motion would have been so awkward and unfamiliar for him that he couldn't do it, like he has to focus on jumping, holding the ball, then focus on something he's never done before. It's like this for every beginner at anything, shit that seems impossible and awkward at first eventually becomes natural with enough practice.
Best example I can think of is Mark Eaton, who didn't start when he was 15 or 16, but 20! Then he spent his first two years playing JC ball under probably mediocre coaching where he didn't have to try, he just had like a foot size advantage over his matchup, then, at 22, he went to UCLA, and got a rude wake up call, he was useless. There's a big difference between 22 and 15/16, he was never going to learn NBA big man skills at that age, and he didn't have the speed, agility, and talent to compensate anyways. Wilt saved his career by telling him this and to focus on defense, where he could be a star killing defender and rim protector just by being a semi-aware 7'4" giant that was built like a husky football player.
Oh, and part of it is just statistics. Doesn't apply to Nash, but there's just the chance of being 7 feet or taller is 0.000038%. When you consider some of these people are going to be from places that don't play basketball AT ALL, or will have giantsism that prevents them from playing sports at all, and half of them will be too old to be 'NBA age', this effectively limits the number of NBA eligible centers, based on height and age, to 1000, FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD! For big men trying to make it to the NBA, they have better odds of making it than the average public high school boy trying to make varsity. Compare that to the millions of 6 footers competing for point guard spots, and you get the picture, so if you're an athletic and strong 7 footer with long wingspan, you're not only pretty much guaranteed to make it to the NBA, you're guaranteed to be GREAT. Even bad 7 footers can make a career in China or Europe playing professionally, just because they are so rare.
That's what happen when you play football. The footwork man!
@@nathanieldurfee5419 Well, Duncan didn't play soccer growing up, he was a swimmer. A very talented one too. Swimming involves a lot of coordination and syncing of your body to pull off specific movements to drive yourself forward in the water. That probably helped him a lot with just body coordination and fluidity with movement.
It's probably because they started that late that they became so good at it. They brought in habits and skills from other sports and employed them on the basketball court; everything is pretty much textbook, but when you say, bring in a swimmer's stroke into a defensive stance, you don't really know how to properly counter it because you're used to the go-to moves that have already been done.
This is becoming an absolutely legendary and seminal series involved with any sport.
Nowhere else but here can you find an NBA player-Oliver Kahn comparison
My heart was fulfilled with pure joy 😍
A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one
As a fan of both sports (grew up watching football, fell in love with basketball only a few years ago), that comparison was like music to my ears.
I think I missed it, where did he make the comparison?
Loved it.
That NFL Films narrator impersonation has already cemented this video as TB's greatest achievement.
It almost sounds like Will Ferrell's Harry Caray.
It’s up there with his Madvilliany reference in a past vid rip DOOM
The Dream was the best 2 way and best offensive center ever. He was truly special on both ends of the court
There were years during the early 90s where I thought he was the best player in the game, but he didn't have the team around him. Hakeem is top 5 all time.
What is your Top 5 All-Time list? I have Hakeem number 4.
Totally agreed...every group of guy friends have played the "draft game"...hakeem is ALWAYS my #1 pick...to me pound for pound HD was the best most talented player I've ever seen play
@@koolkai4299 I have MJ, lebron, Kareem in that order. But after that I have Hakeem, Kobe, bird, Kobe, Tim Duncan and wilt chamberlain
@@paulh3261 Sorry for the late reply lol. I have 1. MJ 2. Kobe. 3. Lebron. 4. Hakeem 5. Kareem
@Jus
The Irony Is: By the end of his 2nd season, he was considered the 2nd best player in the NBA . So, that shows us how good he was for so long, despite his teams problems (which folks from a far, would try to hold against him).
Arguably the greatest 2-way player ever. He’s in my all-time starting 5.
When picking you starting 5 is it the 5 best or 5 best to make a team? Who are they?
IDK about that , I think you are forgetting about Kareem , I know most people just think of his sky hook but if you compare both there stats , Kareem had about the same amount of blocks and level of defense but with a trade off of foot work vrs. that sky hook that was almost a cheat code. Kareem also played at an elite level longer. The there is also Wilt who no one really got to see play so it's hard to say with him. Overall Hakeem in an all time starting 5 is not a bad pick but there are a few others I would take over him at a PF/C position.
Good point. Best two-way players I can think of are MJ, Wilt and Hakeem. Giannis may get there some day …
@@tonysobon4669 yep, Kareem had the greater overall career and there’s certainly an argument, a strong one, for him being the better offensive player. Opponents Feared Kareem on offense. The only thing I can throw against his superior offensive stats is the eyeball test. Hakeem just looked more skilled, quicker, seemed more clutch. Opponents feared Hakeem on both offense and defense. Defensively, Hakeem has the better stats (blocks, steals, and rebounds per possession) over his career. And the eyeball test: he was much more disruptive. Opponents feared Hakeem’s defense over his career much more than they did Kareem’s. I know that Cap’s early career, especially with the Bucks was incredible statistically. And those clips of him taking on an old Wilt are great. But he got to play with sooo many greater players than the Dream did. And often Kareem was not the best player on his team. Dream was the best player on every Houston squad he played on.
@@seanrc8642 Kareem played legit defense for most of his career , also to say he wasn't even the best player on his team is not really care since your talking about Magic and that was towards the end of Kareem's career and again Kareen played more productive years. Also back to the defense thing , It's hard to say one was better then the other because Hakeem was not as tall and relied on his footwork more so in a way it made his defense look better. With Kareem he was so tall and lengthy he just looked less skillful on defense but his production on defense was as good and because he played almost a decade before it's a bit harder to find highlights but his stats do not lie.
I love Hakeem , I watched this video because I do but it just bothers me how much Kareem gets snubbed when it comes top these kind of topics , Hakeem does also but To me Kareem was the better overall player.
prosomal awards but I do factor in MJ era where MJ won so many personal awards for a player to win any during the time he played there is a very good chance they would of had more in a different time.
I was lucky enough to watch the man play live many times in the Summit.
Film doesn't do him justice in regard to how quick he was...
It was mind blowing...
He seemed to be too big to move that fast.
This series is amazing
It's probably the GOAT NBA series.
This and "Attention To Detail" from "By Any Means Basketball" are the best on TH-cam.
OMG that spin move on Ewing! IMO better than the Dream Shake on Robinson.
One of the nastiest moves ever for sure.
The spin on Ewing was in a very close hotly contested pivotal Game 3 battle in a 1-1 series tie, to regain home court advantage. The shake on Robinson came amidst a much needed series victory too, but he was already dominating The Admiral really badly in that game. I watched both moves live, and they're both phenomenal in their own way, but I agree that you've got to give the one on Ewing the edge, because it just came at a more crucial juncture of a big game in a late series, where it was a back-&-forth warfare, and buckets were hard to come by.
@@arsonhakobyan
Yeah. The Knicks dragged the game down with their super physical DEFENSE. So, for Hakeem to average what he did (27 pts, etc.) under those conditions in the finals, magnifies his accomplishments even more!
Note: Edit, defense; I had written "Offense" originally.
Watching the 'Dream Shake' made me fall in love with basketball...
Quick shout to Horry and Bullard who weaponized that 4 out alignment with 3pt range at the PF. And I guess we're not considering '95 Clyde a star teammate for this convo, but I thought they worked well together. Hakeem's kickouts allowed Clyde to catch and shoot better than he had in POR, and Dream could clear out of the paint to let Clyde post sometimes because as a C he had range on his jumper. Clyde's drives drew defenders from the rim, and Hakeem took advantage on the glass for put backs. It's not a Stockton/Malone level synergy, but it worked well.
That short 3pt line helped Clyde, he was already shooting better from 3 before he came to Houston. He did have some good synergy with Hakeem though, he was washed up, but still had enough gas in the tank to attack the rim and the Rockets were adept at getting him good possessions.
In my opinion GOAT center
All time great post-moves, defense, athletiscism and overall scoring, good court vision by a center. He came on top on every match up against the top center in his time and able to win 2 championship in the 90s to add up to lots of individual accolades
plus a jumpshot
@@kizvy and high free throw % which for a center is valuable.
@@dexterjankaren yeah, it was 72 or 71 percent right?
decent for a center
Honestly, if he had a consistent 2nd best player, he would have definitely won at least 3 rings. Top 5 Defender and most skilled Center along with being the one man Shaq and Jordan claimed they feared.
@@9ra307 top 5 defender??? I think the nba hasn’t seen a better defender than Olajuwon ever
If you're talking about peaks, no one has ever or will ever have as dominant a season as Hakeem that first championship season. MVP, DPoY, Finals MVP, and carries the team to the championship literally by himself.
This HAKEEM was a Nightmare at the Rim...and I have NEVER seen a human his size with guard like FOOTWORK.....INCREDIBLE
This is so well made. I work in this industry and I am gobsmacked by how professionally this has been constructed. Take a bow mate, you deserve it.
Other than Wilt, Hakeem could well be the most athletic center of all time. His quickness, energy, and relentless pursuit was truly remarkable!
Wilt Chamberlain was quite possibly the greatest athlete who has ever played in the NBA. It’s a shame he was a selfish egomaniac who was more concerned with padding his stats and sleeping with a lot of women than he was with winning basketball games.
@@hkgcgsdhjgd Wilt was the greatest athlete to ever play. "Chamberlain holds 72 NBA records, 68 by himself." He's the only Center to lead the league in assists. Also, he had a field goal % of 72.7 in his last season. I could go on and on about other players saying he moved them around like they were nothing, and because of his incredible strength he couldn't utilize it at all times or he would have severely harmed many other players. Michael Jordan never would even be close to Wilt if he played when Wilt did. He wouldn't be "allowed" to dunk over players like Wilt, because if he did then he would have been flattened the next time he tried it. Jordan may be the best player of all time, but the most dominant player in any sport was Wilt. As Wilt said to Jordan, "how many rule changes have they made that favor you?" Virtually all the rule changes when Wilt played were changed to make it more difficult for him. Take care!
@@michaelulbricht9438 Thanks so much for giving Wilt the proper respect he deserves! It seems that in these days, there are those who don't have the insight to see what a phenom he was and how he changed the game beyond measure...again, thanks!!!
@@michaelulbricht9438
Love That
"His quickness, energy, and relentless pursuit was truly remarkable!"
So true. So, many don't eve realize the type of engine/furnace/energizer bunny/human tornado he was on the court.
His horizontal movement, balance and timing is just unreal, goat level really 🤯🤯🤯
Genuinely, my favourite player of all time. I wish I was alive to watch him play. He just looks so insanely fluid as both a player and athlete. I have no doubt this dude would be deadly in the NBA today. Especially since I am confident he could develop a 3 point shot in the modern era. In my opinion, no centre other than maybe early 70s Kareem was better at their peak.
I'm sure there were more candidates, but Hakeem also had great footwork under the Rim, probably developed from playing Soccer as a goalie in Nigeria.
Good content! The way how Hakeem Olajuwon dominated both sides of the floor with that height is remarkable.
I absolutely love this series. The production quality, detailed metrics, and holistic analysis is truely a weekly pleasure. Have you ever explained how you create these stastical visualizations? I'm interested in the graphic representation of data and I would love to see how you go about making all of this work.
Thanks for the awesome videos!
Lots of info on his website backpicks.com. You have to pay for most of it though.
Hakeem was using soccer moves on the basketball court. Incredible talent from a big man.
Hakeem was a goalkeeper hence could not have had "soccer" moves.
@@naturalblockade3412 You would still need soccer moves to play goalie.
@@BTcycle No. The moves by the center forwards are different from those of the full backs which are different from those of the outside left or outside right. As I am writing this, I am thinking of the moves by specific different players and positions. Regarding Nigerian soccer players, the moves by Usiyen were completely different from those of Captain Chukwu or those of Fabian Duru or those of goalkeepers - Okalla and Ogedengbe. Moreover, goalkeepers are a lot more static.
Prob the best touch around the rim I've ever seen. Just the way he flicks the wrist on that hook, incredible
Best defender of all time. He is #1 all time in blocks and #9 all time in steals .
I believe he is the only non-guard in the top 10 in steals.
you can be certain that his presence improved the team defense dramatically.
Crazy stat
86-94 playoff games
35% of games he had 5 blocks or more
In 93 & 94 playoffs he had at least 5 blocks in half the games...
He has Jordan crazy esque levels of performance in big games. Consistently too. He even blocked Starks in Game 6 94 NBA Finals and saved his 94 ring with the shot block.
He and Jordan would have been a perfect and ideal matchup in 1994.
I loved The Dream, but watching this makes you appreciate how special Jokic is on offense even more. However at his peak Hakeem was the best center of all time.
Oh man just shut up. Why you talking about Jokic under a video about The Dream. Meatrider.
You could play both Dream and Jokic, with Jokic as your high-post ball distributor, Dream working the baseline, MJ, Curry and Leonard running off-ball...
The one I’ve been waiting for
Yessir
We’ve all been waiting for it!
Same
Sameee
Facts! Hakeem is legendary
10:05 That's a good point that his low-percentage, high-difficulty shots would work against both bad and great defenses. "Inelastic scoring" is a great term.
10:14 That one-legged fadeaway, long before Dirk.
young dirk probably used to study that same clip
And Wilt did it way before then.
@@sambeaumont395 oh really? One-legged? Can you link me footage or quotes from reliable sources?
@@back2back379 - Wilt Chamberlain Archive - this video shows fade-away, a lot of two foot jumps, but the one legged is in there still - obviously no where near as pretty or exaggerated as Dirks but Wilt likely would have been called for fouls if he raised his leg or kicked out like Dirk did, just like he would have had he played bully ball like Shaq.
th-cam.com/video/8O9MgNfcGJA/w-d-xo.html
@@sambeaumont395 I didn't see any one-legged ones in there like Hakeem or Dirk, certainly not shot in a way where you could legitimately say that's where they got it from. Yes, Wilt likely would have been called for fouls if he raised his leg like that, which furthers the point that he was not doing it. Hakeem on the other hand, is noticeably raising his front leg on the one-legged fadeaway, so it's very clear that his one-legged fadeaway is a legitimate pre-cursor to Dirk's.
Wilt had a nice regular fadeaway of course, but there's just a completely different balance and awkwardness when you shoot it one-legged the way Dirk and Hakeem did. Anyway, thanks for the link, although I've seen it before.
This is the best TH-cam series of all time. Thank you so much for the fantastic work.
Had his flaws but that intensity he brought every night, agility and wizard footwork with fakes and Spinning moves, made him the most exciting centre to watch all time. Top 10
When it comes to peaks playoff runs Hakeems beating all the dominant Centers of his era in playoff series the way he did may be the most noteworthy playoff run of all time
There’s a statistic out there that ranks the difficulty of all championship runs since 1984 and the ‘95 rockets are firmly placed at number 1.
And even without that that run and ring would be insane, and on the level of carries of Lebron and Tim Duncan, especially without Glide.
Shaq is way better than Hakeem
@@NothingElseMattersJM even Shaq disagrees with that.
@@NothingElseMattersJM at beating creampuffs
Saying it’s unclear how well Hakeem could play with another star on the Court while using footage that has Clyde Drexler(whom he won a title with btw) and or Scottie Pippen on the court is wild to me lol. I also don’t like the assumption that Hakeem would have to take the back seat or lesser role because another star would added when short of Michael Jordan it would’ve been impossible to find a player in that Era that would’ve been good enough to warrant Hakeem taking a lesser role it would’ve been the Star coming to play with Hakeem that would have to adjust their game to fit with Hakeem’s Style of play.
I agree, his versatility and skills would’ve made it so he could fit with anyone IMO. The only counter with the Clyde and Pippen example though is that none of them were quite in their primes, and then again neither was Hakeem.
I think the point plays out in the tail of Hakeem's career. I think it is fair to argue that Drexler and Pippen both played secondary roles to Hakeem as the primary. Later Hakeem did not have more success when they added Barklee and then Pippen. I think in-elastic is a fair descriptor.
His strengths are extreme and I agree it is fairly ludicrous to think about a player of his era joining that team and taking the primary role. However that is kind of the point. Contrast that with a player like Larry Bird. While certainly a star and a primary option, he also was able to amplify other stars with his passing and shooting. Or Lebron. Think about how his playstyle has adapted from his early days in Cleveland to his days in Miami to his championship last year in LA. Lebron is very elastic in his ability to bring in other stars (D-Wade or AD) and amplify their ceiling.
Overall I don't think it is a powerful knock against Hakeem. He was an incredible player and very worthy of being in this list. But he was not perfect in all areas of which a GOAT can be great.
@@KleyDeJong drecktet and Clyde? You mean pippen and Clyde and you’re right but let’s just imagine hakeem playing in the triangle offense and for a coach who really teaches the system I think his passing would have gotten better or at least looked better just because from a post up there would be off ball screens and he can get more easy passes for someone flashing to the free throw line for a jumper plus his normal kickouts and then he’d put more focus on finding cutter maybe
I think Larry Bird exist in that Steph Curry type of space of being a non-ball dominate star player which is insanely impossible to find or replicate so using them as a standard of what a star should be is a fallacy that would using the anomaly to pigeon hole a standard which is ridiculous. The reality is the overwhelming majority of star players are going to ball dominate players whether it’s a ball dominating scorer like Jordan Kobe Harden or a ball dominating facilitator like Magic Nash Bron. So expecting your star player to be infinitely elastic and malleable as to fit the needs of any type of player that may be brought into the organization is ridiculous the secondary star should be the one adjusting. Like Dwayne Wade learning to be the best Off Ball cutter in history to fit in with LeBron rarely do you ever have the one to fit like dropping KD onto GSW or Kawhi in Toronto.
@@keithjunior6130 you’re completely right on bird
I still think Ewing got the sweetest turnaround jumper for a big. I love a lot of the guys that played this era.. Greatest basketball ever. Back when it was East vs West for the Allstars.
Awesome video...insightful analysis ...the Dream is my favorite all time player.. MJ has said Hakeem is one of his favorites as well
This is so well done! Hakeem is the best center I've ever seen. No one else is close. Watching since 1985, so obviously missed peak Kareem and few other guys before him who obviously are in the conversation for best ever.
Haven't even watched it yet, and I already liked
Do not forget that Hakeem played against MJ and he also trained Lebron on how to improve his footwork. He saw both of them up close and he also said and I quote: "It is not a fair comparison. MJ is a far superior player than Lebron". This came from Hakeem people. One of the most humble guys the league has ever seen and who never displayed any ego in his basketball career. He always spoke from his heart and without any biased towards MJ or Lebron like a lot of fanatics do these days.
I get your point but you show a bias for Jordan and LeBron by even bringing them up here. Let Hakeem have his video without the daily casual fan and media head obsessions with Jordan vs LeBron.
@@eternalboss1046 I'm not an MJ or Lebron fan, so I'm not biased towards any of them. I was actually highlighting Hakeem's unique perspective in that discussion since he's been one of the few to see them up close. I always respect what Hakeem says because of his culture and how humble he is and I found it interesting that he would make a comment like that. I don't have any favorite players. I just enjoy the sport. If anyone disagrees with Hakeem, its they have the right to, but no one else has been in Hakeem's position to make a comment like that.
Totally agree with you nhoj nhoj. Hakeem was in a unique position to be able to make a comment like that and what he said was always on point. I hate the GOAT debates but I respect what Hakeem said. He wasn't one of these fanatics, he just spoke based on what he saw up close without any biased.
@@nhojnhoj6485 Fair enough
Yup, Hakeem played a lot of different sports and he knew how difficult it was to play basketball in his era when Jordan dominated. He tried teaching Lebron to improve his footwork down on the post, but for whatever reason, Lebron never really developed that part of his game. Maybe that's why Hakeem made that comment. His footwork down on the post was unmatched and few had the discipline to learn it. Kobe was also trained by Hakeem but he put hours of work into applying what Hakeem taught him and it showed.
I really appreciate the analysis of what made Olajuwon’s play unique and where the roots for that play originate. It is common to emphasize his footwork (thanks, Moses) when talking about his skillset. But obviously the footwork is only the foundation of the greatness, which is what he did with his arms and hands. I see now how all the swats and rejections were influenced by skills from other sports.
Many of the things that make Olajuwon great are related to what makes him different than the other great centers. He didn’t do what they do better than they did. He did things in ways that were unique and largely unmatched before or since. His size was one difference, not bigger or taller than his opponents. But he was quick, fast, and really powerful. Which is perfect for a style influenced by these other sports, which rely on agility and dexterity, and not much on muscling people around in the paint.
@Mike Martin
Great Post. Yes. Dream was way more innovative than many realize, give him credit for.
Here's some of the things he emphasized/Popularized/Introduced into the NBA:
1) Olajuwon's Step/Fall Back Jumper (that people think Dirk did first)
2) His Dream Shake, obviously
3) Hakeem's Baseline, Turn around [Fadeaway] Jumper, including behind the backboard
4) How he jabbed at defenses to confuse post players; slow down rebounders, and to guard, steal the ball from guards out top. He flashed; smothered, and jabbed at everyone individually, as well as playing the passing lanes. What Center was doing that, with maybe the exception of Bill Russell?
I'm sure they're other things I forgot. LOL
There is precedence at the center position for great players at 6'10" or close to it. In the 60s there was the great Bill Russell at 6'9 3/4" tall barefoot, very close to 6'10" and close to 6'11" with shoes on like all players were measured from '73 on. Bill Russell won 11 chips and is one of the greatest defenders and shot blockers ever. Willis Reed was 6'10" barefoot, won 2 chips, was an MVP, a Finals MVP, and was great on both sides of the ball. Don't forget 6'10" Moses Malone who was a dominant player on both sides of the ball in the '70s and '80s and was an MVP, a 13 time all-star, and an NBA champion. So it's easy to see how Moses could be great at 6'10".
He was pretty raw in the beginning, especially his handle; what isn't said enough about him is how hard he worked to improve. His name deserves its place among the greats, for sure.
Great video. Very even keeled and objective. Highlights Olajuwan’s greatness and some of his weaknesses with metrics and proper analysis. Spot on.
I mostly agree, but watching this video, I think we come away with more complaints about Hakeem's game than we did in the 1990s, when he totally dominated the era. Even though the video makes a good attempt, you really can't emphasize enough Olajuwon's defensive greatness, there just aren't sufficient metrics available. And this weird focus on his selfishness and presumed inability to play with other stars is really wrong-headed. Stats do not exist in a vacuum, they occur in a very specific context, and Olajuwon's offensive approach was dictated by the fact that he was surrounded by sub-par teammates. So we're going to take his "selfishness" as a vice, instead of his "aggressiveness" as a virtue? Makes no sense to me.
Really great analysis and great series! Big congrats! Hakeem was a two-way monster. I just don't completely agree when you say he might not fit well with other elite player in the offense. I actually believe Hakeem would have won a couple more championships with more support. We have to take into consideration that he played as the lone superstar since Sampson started to have injuries and left the Rockets, which was very early in his carrer, which led Hakeem to spend most of his development and peek years as the main defensive and offensive force of his team. That shaped the way he developed. He would have developed differently if he had another superstar around him, to an even more complete player, I believe. Even if he got another superstar during his prime (and during the prime of the other superstar - not what he got with Barkley or Drexler) he would be able to adjust after some time.
I was a great fan of Hakeem's and Houston' in those years, and need to thank you for your comment.
Olajuwon would have loved to have an all-star team-mate, not one close to his career's end like what he got with Drexler and Barkley,
This proves that Hakeem and the 1994 and 1995 Rockets would thrive in today's nba with that type of spacing
I'm really loving how your blending a bit more comedy/memes in, not too much but just a tiny bit of light relief really serves the videos well imo. Keep going dude your content is fire the subs will come.
Hakeem is one of my all time favourite players. loved this video.
also its great how you point out their flaws, even though that is uncomfortable for fans to see and usually videos don't talk about them or overly attack them.
great series!
Also, the clip from Coming to America made me laugh out loud
He’s arguably the best player ever
Excellent work, excellent video. The fact that Hakeem gets less help than other superstars and has to play with mediocre rosters during his prime years makes him underrated. If somebody like the players next to Shaq/Kareem were with Hakeem, now Hakeem would be the subject of goat discussion with M. Jordan.
You do not get into the nba as a mediocre player. -_-
@@dutchmilk Yes, you cannot enter the nba as a mediocre player, but after entering the nba, you can look mediocre next to other players. What is there to not understand?
There was not a single all-star player beside Hakeem in the '94 championship. Nowadays, in some teams, you can find more than one superstar players.
@@dutchmilk mediocre players relative to the NBA, obvious said players are still great in comparison to regular people.
I've been watching ball since 1971, and Olajuwon is the best player I've ever seen. His incredible rim protection defense in a post-dominant era alone would have made him an All-Star. His unstoppable offense alone would have made him an All-Star.
He. Was. Better. Than. Jordan. There, I've said it. Let the hating begin.
Wasn't better than jordan, even before the rings no one had hakeem above jordan.
*Hakeem Olajuwon lost in the first Round to team whose best player was Dale Ellis.*
1996 WCSF: Sonic vs Rockets ( 4:0 ).
Game 1:
*Hakeem Olajuwon=6-Points, on 33%.*
better than MJ ? ? what a joke.
@@allanhouston6759 where do you rank hakeem all-time?
@@blo2706 Top 10.
@@allanhouston6759 you think he has an argument for top 5?
Best Basketball analytics I have ever encountered. Bravo! Although I think u over criticized Hakeem's passing a bit.
I remember that Starks' shot and thinking he rushed it. In hindsight, he was open against anyone except Hakeem. Insane body control. Also look at that dunk on Pippen. Who else can make that block? Maybe Robinson could reach that high, but he didn't have the quickness to get to his spot against someone like Scottie.
"They didn't run as many pick and rolls in the 90's as they do today"
Then proceed to show the most PnR spamming duo in the history of basketball, lol.
lol ikr
I was surprised by the statement myself, but hey I'll give him the benefit of a doubt. I know that dude watches game film like I watch youtube videos everyday so ..eh.
@@jonwhispers Nah, he was right, Utah was the exception, now most top teams want a PnR threat and that's pretty much all most teams want out of their centers on offense.
@@localneo-graphic4647 Exactly. In those days when someone mentions PnR the first team to come to mind is the Utah Jazz because of the Stockton-Malone duo that has been eating with that for decades in order to get to the playoffs. There weren't many other teams then running PnR at that frequency on offense.
LeBron ad
Thank you for this Ben, made my day. Hakeem is my favourite player ever!
I love this series the analysis is spot on. I wanna see a separate series. Players like Carmelo Anthony, Paul pierce, Jerry west, Kevin Durant. Also a good potential series
All of this is after the merger so jerry west is out of the way. Paul pierce won't be in this series since moses malone, ewing and Dr j aren't included
Kevin Durant will be included I think. It'd be weird otherwise
There's not much to say about Carmelo, he's a good Isolation 1 on 1 volume scorer with mediocre efficiency, that's about it.
Insane, i don't even know what to say... Imagine the amount of hours and research dedicated to create this (thank you). Hakeen shows about the interdisciplinarity of things, how everything shares some connections and you can use the skills developed in one art to achieve breakthrough in another.
It's really inspiring.
I love how this series breaks everything down in a true basketball way. Most channels just show stats and averages to judge a player. SERIOUSLY KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK!!!
The athleticism on that jump is legendary.
Hakeem was genuinely ridiculous. I think he is way higher in the GOAT conversation than we realise
The most graceful big of all time. I love watching Olajuwon highlights.
I’d be interested in what other players you examined when it comes to the graph at 11:52 about scoring efficiency against better defenses. Because there look to be something like 20 dots there but only 15 or so players in this series. And on backpicks you looked at 50 players iirc.
And who scored in higher volume against tougher defenses?
felt like i was watching someone play handball with all those one handed passes - one of my teammates also played it before basketball and has a pretty similar style. loved the breakdown
Hakeem was ridiculously good. Those mid-90s teams are when they finally surrounded him with talent. However, if Sampson stayed healthy... Man.
9:55 Ewing was stuck in concrete. Most beautiful spin move ever.
How does somebody have the best post moves of all time and the best defense in the three point era. That play must be top 3 all time
I got him #1 but mixtape videos has him #3 behind Kareem and Jordan
Most of Hakeem's prime was wasted because the Rockets were incompetent. Poor coaching, plus some bad luck with Sampson getting injured and never being the same, some of the other guards on his team in the 80s suspended and even forced out of the league because of their drug habits.
If Hakeem had the luck to be drafted in the situations of Magic, Bird or getting someone like a Pippen, Horace Grant in their prime to play with, he would have been top 3 all-time without debate.
He also never played with any really good playmaking PG in his career. One that would get him easy buckets, he had to work so hard in the half-court for everything. He wasn't a mammoth like Shaq or 7'2 like Kareem.
He was really just 6'10 and 250, that is the size of a lot of power-forwards. Yet the man was anchoring defenses as one of the most dominant centers ever!
@@nostalgicbliss5547 did you watch the video? It's pretty hard for Hakeem to plag with another high usage player. The team must be built around him.
@@Somm_RJ Hakeem played with Ralph Sampson. A guy who was a 20 and 10 all star caliber PF/C. The original twin towers. Even when Hakeem was still raw in his second year in the league, he lead his team to the finals after beating the showtime Lakers. They lost to the 67 win Celtics in 6. The 1986 Celtics are considered one of the best teams ever. Hakeem could def play along a high usage player. If Hakeem played alongside Clyde Drexler in his prime, he'd have won a lot more championships.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 I understand, Hakeem was my favorite player growing up.
I made a reply based on your original comment. Let me answer it clearly. No, he would not be able to take Bird's or Magic's team because he is not a playmaker. If he went to the Bad Boy Pistons, probably yes. He won't need to playmake but the team would still be nicely built around him.
Drexler was in his last legs when he teamed up with Hakeem. I could not see it working out if the they had prime Drexler. When Drexler came around, it was good on paper but not really. The team was built around Hakeem, they won the 1st championship without Drexler. They don't need Drexler, what they need are good role players, not a 2nd star or 3rd star. In fact, they regressed in their 2nd chanpionship, when Drexler was around.
Thank you for the video! Olajuwon is one of my fav players of all-time!
Awesome videos as usual. Always been a big fan of Hakeem and never realized part of his limitations on offense due to his passing skills. He is such a force offensively in the post it was hard to imagine how he could improve, but you highlighted that well. Also just so nasty on defense. Both sides of the ball were dominated by him.
He was a limited passer/playmaker like Kawhi. His mentality on offense was to score as quick as possible with all those crafty moves. I think this is where starting to play basketball as late as he did hurt him a bit. But he was still very good at passing out of the post, especially by 1993.
@@nostalgicbliss5547 Yeah that's a good point. I read his book and he mentions that he really started to trust his teammates around that time and in return it brought the Rockets great success
@@TheBucksftw
Remember, he made the finals his 2nd year when Ralph was still good, with no legit point guard. He lost to an All Time Great team in the finals, after beating an All Time Great team in the Western Conference semi-finals. He should have won early with Sampson, who he did pass to a lot. So, there's no question he couldn't win with another great, especially after he did it with Clyde in 95. SMH
These videos feel like 5 minutes long to me they are so enjoyable great work!!!!
All time favourite player. Already know its gonna be an insanely good video
11:20 "Akeem's shots were already difficult in the first place. He just... made a bunch of them" lmaoo
Handball, Volleyball, and Soccer really helped Hakeem’s Basketball game. He was the best low post player I ever seen play.
Jesus Christ this man was so so good and I love his playstyle all those pump fakes spin moves And those fade-away
First of all, awesome video. Love the approach. Question: at 20:46 are you docking him because he won only absent another superstar?
Once Hakeem started dishing the ball back out, he became unstoppable. When HOU got guys that started knocking down 3's, they were almost unbeatable. He was the ONLY true star on those HOU teams of the 90's.
He is an even better human being than a basketball player
Clyde?
@Sbrecat
That went hand in hand, with Houston getting good coaching/change of philosophy (, and building good shooters around Dream) with the arrival of Rudy T.
What he didn't mention is that every year Hakeem had a different move and was the only center with at least 3 shots in his repertoire that was unstoppable you could not block him he just had to miss Olajuwon was unbelievable and unbeatable. If Houston would have got him some talent after he went in his second year to the finals against Boston then he would have had way more championships a lot of people don't bring up that fact.
Hakeem was Kobe Bryant in Centers body
@Allen Lott
Bingo (on everything), especially on your last line about what happened after his 2nd season!!!!
Finally people are saying this. Hakeem should be on the GOAT conversation. The league just didn't choose to promote him for some reason.
Because he was Muslim and an International player. Look at Giannis they disrespect him in current day media.
Grew up in Houston and was 12 when they beat the Knicks in '94 so got to watch him in his prime. Obviously a little biased, but he's hands down the best center in league history to me. He played in the Golden Era of big men, had to go through ALL OF THEM over their two year title run and DOMINATED all of them. He also retired top 10 in *FIVE MAJOR STATISTICAL CATEGORIES* while no one else has done more than 2. He's also the only player in NBA history to win a championship without another current All-Star or future HOF'er on the team. He also did this without much of a left hand, which is fucking insane. Dude was an absolute one man wrecking crew.