Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

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Hakeem Olajuwon, Rockets. BOB STRONG/AFP/Getty Images /

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 7 – Hakeem Olajuwon

On NBA 50 at 50 List

Career: 1984 – 2002

Achievements: Two-time champion; One-time MVP; All-NBA (12x); All-Star (12x); All-Defense (9x); Defensive Player of the Year (2x); Finals MVP; first in career blocks; 10th in career steals; 14th in career scoring; 15th in career rebounds

Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon came into the league with Michael Jordan, and his career in a sense closely follows Jordan’s. He was excellent on both ends, his team’s best offensive and defensive player at the same time. When Jordan was off the board in the middle of the 1990s, Hakeem pounced and won back-to-back titles.

Olajuwon had one of the most iconic moves in league history, his patented “Dream Shake” that left would-be defenders standing in concrete while he lofted the ball softly into the basket. His elite post-scoring allowed the Rockets to build one of the first true 4-out systems with four shooters spaced around him; Houston rode that to a pair of titles.

Defensively he covered a ton of space, swatting shots and deterring countless more. He not only is the career leader in total blocks but likewise third in blocks per game. He ranks 10th in career steals, and every player ahead of him is a perimeter player. He was a truly special defensive force, and the fact that he was also an offensive powerhouse is why he ranks seventh all-time.