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Houston Rockets: 25 Best Players To Play For The Rockets

By Phil Watson

Apr 21, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; General view inside Toyota Center before game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; General view inside Toyota Center before game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES: Houston Rockets player Hakeem Olajuwon (C) is tied up by Utah Jazz players Antione Carr (L) and Shandon Anderson 27 May during game five of the NBA Western Conference championship at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. The Jazz defeated the Rockets 96-91 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. (HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES: Houston Rockets player Hakeem Olajuwon (C) is tied up by Utah Jazz players Antione Carr (L) and Shandon Anderson 27 May during game five of the NBA Western Conference championship at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT. The Jazz defeated the Rockets 96-91 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. (HECTOR MATA/AFP/Getty Images) /

1984-2001. Hakeem Olajuwon. 1. player. 169. <strong>How acquired:</strong> 1st overall pick from Houston, 1984 NBA Draft.. C

For a guy who got picked ahead of Michael Jordan, things didn’t turn out badly at all for Hakeem Olajuwon.

Taken with the first overall pick out of Houston in the 1984 NBA Draft after being named an All-American as a junior and Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four as a sophomore—despite his team losing in the title game, Olajuwon became the franchise for the Houston Rockets.

HOU_01_OLAJUWON
HOU_01_OLAJUWON /

He was the NBA MVP in 1993-94, won two Finals MVP awards, was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1992-93 and 1993-94, an 11-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA selection and a nine-time All-Defensive pick.

Olajuwon was second in the MVP voting in 1992-93, fourth in 1985-86 and 1995-96 and fifth in 1988-89.

He was the NBA rebounding leader in 1988-89 and 1989-90 while also leading the league in blocks three times, as well, and put up a whopping 27 top-10 finishes in various major categories.

While leading the Rockets to the championship in 1994, Olajuwon averaged 26.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 43.1 minutes per game, shooting .500/1-for-1/.860 in a seven-game victory over the New York Knicks.

He averaged 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in 44.8 minutes per game, shooting .483/1-for-1/.692 in a four-game sweep of the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals en route to a second straight Finals MVP award.

In August 2001, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for first- and second-round picks in 2002.

In 17 seasons in Houston, Olajuwon averaged 22.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 36.4 minutes per game, shooting .513/.205/.713.

Olajuwon retired in November 2002.

He is the NBA’s all-time leader with 3,830 blocked shots, is 31st in Association history with 1,238 games, 18th with 44,222 minutes played, 13th with 13,748 rebounds, eighth with 2,162 steals, 10th with 26,946 points, 32nd with an average of 21.8 points per game, 25th with an average of 11.1 rebounds per game, 38th with an average of 1.7 steals per game and third with an average of 3.1 blocks per game.

Next: NBA Finals History: Ranking The Last 50 Champions

Olajuwon was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

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