Houston Rockets: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

1. Hakeem Olajuwon, (C) — No. 1 pick in 1984 NBA Draft

Career stats (with the Rockets):  1,177 GP, 22.5 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 3.1 BPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 3.0 TOV, 51.2 FG%, 71.2 FT%

Known simply as “The Dream”, Hakeem Olajuwon is remembered as one of the most dominant big men in NBA history. At 7’0″ and with the speed and agility of a guard, Olajuwon was simply a beast on both ends of the floor.

A 12-time All-Star, Olajuwon was voted onto the All-NBA First Team on six occasions, and was a back-to-back winner of the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 1993 and 1994. He also won the league Most Valuable Player award in 1994, when he compiled 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Olajuwon’s crowning achievement was the Rockets capturing back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. And not surprisingly, Olajuwon captured Finals MVP in both series. Lined up against centers of the caliber of Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal, Olajuwon’s sheer dominance simply cemented his place amongst the all-time greats.

Fairly or unfairly, many have and still view Olajuwon’s title wins with a slight asterisk next to them. This is simply due to the absence (via retirement) of Michael Jordan during this period. While an argument can be made either way, it certainly does nothing to diminish the greatness Olajuwon demonstrated over his franchise-record 1,177 games.

While it may be viewed as somewhat biased, one of Olajuwon’s teammates through his title runs, Robert Horry, recently heaped enormous praise on the Nigerian native:

While “20 times better” is clearly a stretch, the point Horry is making is very strong. Having played with Tim Duncan in San Antonio for two of Duncan’s five titles, Horry saw firsthand the impact Olajuwon had on his team.

Furthermore, Horry shared the court with two other superstars while playing for the Lakers in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Labeling him the second-best player of all-time one hell of a statement.

While it’s just one man’s opinion, the fact that Horry placed Olajuwon comfortably ahead of these other legends of the game just goes to show the level at which Olajuwon performed.

Next: Boston Celtics - Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

It was to no one’s surprise that, following his playing career, Olajuwon had his No. 34 retired by the Rockets in 2002, and was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.