Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player to ever record 200+ blocks and steals in a singular season but still lost DPOY that year.
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Hakeem Olajuwon going first overall in 1984 was a no brainer at the time. After the Rockets won their coin toss for the 1st pick against the Blazers, it was set in stone that Hakeem (then Akeem) would become a Rocket given the fact that he played collegiate ball in the same city.
Regardless of who got that number 1 overall pick however, Hakeem Olajuwon was the consensus first pick of that draft despite Michael Jordan being in it. Back in ’84, passing up on a potential superstar big-man for a potential superstar guard just wasn’t the way front offices went about their way.
Of course, while Jordan panned out to be the greatest player of all time, the Rockets enjoyed quite a bit of success with their pick as well. The two years MJ was out of the league for the most part in the mid-90s, no.34 led the Rockets to two straight championships with him winning Finals MVP in both series.
Hakeem’s 1994 season with him winning MVP, DPOY, and the Finals is perhaps the greatest individual season of all time, further solidifying why he’s currently worth $300 million. While this was his first DPOY, it most certainly shouldn’t have been as he could’ve easily snagged it 5 years back.
Hakeem Olajuwon had a historic defensive season but still lost DPOY.
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are the only two non-center players in the history of the league to record 200+ steals and 100+ blocks in single season. MJ did it in ’87 and ’88 and Pippen followed it up in 1989-90.
The only other player to record such stats in a single season is Hakeem Olajuwon. Only, he didn’t just have a 200+ steals and 100+ blocks season like the two aforementioned Bulls legends. He outdid them by having the first and only 200+ block and steals season in 1988-89 (282 and 213, respectively).
Despite this display of pure defensive insanity, Hakeem lost Defensive Player of the Year honors to Utah Jazz big man, Mark Eaton. In all fairness, Eaton was a 7’4 giant who played like he was 8’4. Blocking people without jumping, swatting away multiple shot attempts in a single possession; Eaton was a terror inside (averaged 5.6 BPG in 1985).
However, with how versatile Olajuwon was with his defense; he could hold his own on the perimeter, had quick hands in passing lanes, and had an otherworldly second jump, he should’ve won that DPOY that year.
