Rockets 7-foot legend Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player with 5 seasons of 6-plus Blocks+Steals, the rest of the NBA has a combined TWO

Akash Murty | 26/07/2022
Rockets 7-foot legend, Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player with 5 seasons of 6-plus Blocks+Steals, the rest of the NBA has a combined TWO

Hakeem Olajuwon was one of the rarest breeds of players who in most matchups in the NBA was the best player on both – the offensive and the defensive sides of the game.

The Dream is one of the NBA’s greatest ever players of all time. Although he makes it to the top 10 of a lot of fans and experts, I would say he is still one of the most underrated players of all time.

Some would say he is not Top-5 because he underachieved with the transcendent abilities he had on both ends of the basketball court.

I would say he came into the league in the toughest era with not much support in his team for a decade and when he had a decent supporting cast he won championships.

With just one All-Star in Ralph Sampson by his side, a sophomore Olajuwon led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals averaging around 27 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3.5 blocks.

Even if you forget his juggernaut offensive presence, averaging 5.5 blocks+steals a game on the defensive side of things is just unreal dominance on the defensive side of the ball game. But that would be bread and butter for Hakeem throughout his career.

Also read: Hakeem Olajuwon cashed in $8 million off his World Trade Center property a year before 9/11 and has made at least $100 million in real estate since

 

Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player with 5 seasons of over SIX blocks+steals per game, the rest of the NBA has a combined TWO

Olajuwon might have underachieved in terms of championships but the NBA community certainly punished him by overlooking him for a lot more end-of-the-year awards.

The man who had just 5x All-Defensive First Team appearances and two Defensive Player of the Year awards had five separate seasons where he averaged a combined 6 blocked shots and steals per game or more.

INSANE! I have not seen a more dominant defensive statistics than that. A 7-footer with that kind of quickness in his footwork must have been terrifying to play against.

That must be the reason why Michael Jordan said in 1992 that “It’s a good thing these guys (Houston Rockets) somehow don’t make it out of the best.. because we’ve got no answer for that BIG MONSTER (Hakeem)”.

Also read: A former Kevin Garnett teammate turned down $21.4 million contract with Timberwolves only to bankrupt later

That man, at the very least, should be declared the GOAT defender.

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
Hakeem Olajwon Houston Rockets

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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