Toronto Raptors: 10 stars you didn’t know played for the Raptors

1. Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon is arguably the greatest player to ever suit up for the Toronto Raptors. Of course, the big man didn’t do it during the prime of his career. Instead, “The Dream” spent his final season toiling in the obscurity of Toronto after feeling disrespected by a contract offer from the Rockets.

After being acquired in the summer of 2001 for a bevy of draft picks, Olajuwon played 61 games for the Raptors during the 2001-02 season, starting in 37 of them. He averaged 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, both career lows and the only time the big man failed to average double-digit points for a season in his entire career.

That wound up being all Olajuwon could contribute to the franchise. Dealing with a back injury following the season, Olajuwon decided to call it quits before the 2002-03 campaign, ending a historic career that last almost two decades.

While his best moments didn’t come with the Raptors, Olajuwon’s stature in the game is hard to rival. Olajuwon won two titles with the Rockets, going to 12 All-Star Games and earning the league MVP award in 1994.

There’s still a distant relationship between Olajuwon and the Raptors, the bridge being the NBA Africa Game, which Olajuwon participated in 2015 and team president Masai Ujiri spearheads.