Sam Cassell Was Once Surprised With Hakeem Olajuwon’s Laid-Back Attitude During Preseason Games

Entering the NBA in 1993, Sam Cassell was excited to share the court with Hakeem Olajuwon in the Houston Rockets jersey. With Olajuwon coming off the best season of his career, Cassell was expecting to witness yet another breathtaking display from ‘The Dream’. However, Cassell was shocked when he saw the big man’s laid-back attitude during the preseason.

While talking to Draymond Green, Cassell recalled his initial opinions about Olajuwon. As a rookie, Cassell was baffled to see the superstar be out of shape during the training camp. However, he soon learned that the veterans would use this period to get their bodies and minds ready for the upcoming campaign.

“The first day of training camp, he was out of shape. When preseason came, I was like ‘wow, man he ain’t that good’. You know what I’m saying? Not knowing that the veterans use training camp to get their body going, get their mind together.”

The then-24-year-old was further baffled by Olajuwon’s lack of effort during the preseason.

“So our first couple preseason games, he was terrible. He had like 5 points, 5 rebounds and I’m like ‘this team won 54 games last year, I know he ain’t this bad’. Now I understand it’s preseason basketball, but I really don’t understand it’s preseason basketball. Because in college we had exhibition games, you go hard.”

Seemingly confused, the rookie asked Olajuwon and Kenny Smith about the lackluster performance. The veterans’ replies implied that these games simply didn’t count.

“We 0-4, getting blown out by 20 points every preseason game. I was like what’s going on? He said ‘Sam, they don’t send these stat sheets to New York. And I was like ‘what are you talking about New York for?’ Not knowing the league office is in New York… So I asked Kenny Smith that… He says ‘Sam, the popcorn ain’t popping, stat sheet’s not real yet’.”

After a concerning 0-8 finish in the preseason, the Nigerian flipped the switch come regular season time. Elevating his game when it mattered the most, Hakeem would go on to stuff the stat sheet as the Rockets had a 15-0 beginning to the 1993-1994 season.

“Fast forward to opening night, now we 0-8 in preseason… I could not believe what I was witnessing. We played the Golden State Warriors. I never forget this. This man had like 38 (points), 14 rebounds, 6 blocks, 7 assists, 3 steals… He leading every category.”

Sam Cassell would go on to witness Hakeem have one of the best single-season performances in NBA history. Finishing the campaign with 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, and 1.6 steals, the 7ft star was dubbed as the MVP, the DPOY, and was also selected to the All-NBA First Team as well as the All-Defensive First Team.

Olajuwon would go on to improve his performance during the postseason, averaging 28.9 points and 4 blocks per game. His incredible outing was not only concluded with the championship and Finals MVP award but also with lofty praises from Cassell.