The legends of the game of basketball often become a source of inspiration and mentorship for the active players of the sport. A similar instance took place in Texas as Houston Rockets’ iconic figure Hakeem Olajuwon shocked their star Alperen Sengun. In the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George, the international NBA player reflected on that moment publicly.
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It all took place in the training sessions of the Rockets as a quinquagenarian Hakeem guided a young Sengun. “I’ve worked with him once,” the 21-year-old revealed before expressing his desire to continue to learn from the 2x champion. “I want to work with him many more times but he’s a busy man and we had just one-time chance to work with him,” he added.
Alperen then highlighted how Olajuwon had shocked him in his rookie season with his movements and footwork during the workout session.“He’s like 59 or something, 60 something like that. It was my first year and then we worked together I was so surprised how he was moving like that still,” he mentioned. The 6’11 center also pointed out the 1994 MVP’s authority on his iconic spin move to date, stating, “That spin move he does still is faster than me”.
“We did one hour, one and half hour of practice together and then he teach me a lot like all that things,” Sengun further mentioned. Hakeem’s teachings enhanced his skillset as an NBA player as he highlighted, “I wasn’t going post up but he showed me play face to face and then do spin move”. It also enriched the arsenal of the Turkish star as he stated, “Then I started doing that spin move and hook shot”.
The legend of Hakeem Olajuwon continues to influence the game of basketball
Hakeem has been well-known in the NBA circuit for helping out a few of the biggest legends of the league. In the past, he allegedly assisted the likes of Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant with their footwork on the court. Recently, he has been spotted with the Milwaukee Bucks camp, training closely with the franchise’s talisman, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
According to several sources, 12x All-Star charges $50,000/week for his consultation and mentorship. The fee has been deemed excessive by a handful of people, with Gilbert Arenas being one of them. But, if the learnings can change the trajectory of a player’s journey, maybe it is worth the cost.
With the high potential players such as Sengun extracting life-changing lessons out of the workouts, Olajuwon’s influence as a guide is bound to spread more. The Dream had previously fulfilled the hopes of the city of Houston. Now, it could well be the time to do the same for numerous youngsters.
