It’s crazy to think that not many NBA fans talk about Hakeem Olajuwon nowadays.
He had one of the greatest seasons in NBA history, even becoming the only player in NBA history to win the MVP, the Championship, the Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season.
However, despite his notorious talents, there was a brief time when Sam Cassell wasn’t that impressed by him.
Talking to Draymond Green for his podcast, he admitted that he was unfazed by Hakeem when he was first drafted by the Houston Rockets, as he was out of shape during training camp.
The Rockets failed to win a single game in the preseason, and when Cassell asked Olajuwon about that, he was unbothered.
Then, all of a sudden, he flipped the switch during opening night, going from a 0-8 preseason to a 21-0 start to the regular season (via The Volume).
“This the baddest dude in the game of basketball”
—Sam Cassell tells @Money23green what it was like to play with Hakeem Olajuwon pic.twitter.com/Aev6GPe2IN
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 17, 2024
There, Cassell knew he was playing with the baddest dude in the league.
Olajuwon made the most of Michael Jordan’s brief hiatus, dominating the NBA to win a couple of championships.
He was as dominant as a shot-blocker and a rebounder as he was smooth as a scorer.
His footwork is still the blueprint not only for big men but also for players as a whole, and not many players have been as dominant in the post as he was.
Hopefully, one day he’ll get the recognition he so clearly deserves, as he has a case for being one of the three best big men this game has ever seen, maybe even the second-best behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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