No. 6: Hakeem Olajuwon, C, Houston Rockets
Chief Accolades – 2x NBA Champion, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 1x NBA MVP, 12x NBA All-Star, 9x All-NBA Player, 2x DPOY, 9x All-Defense Team
Stats – 18 Seasons, 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 3.1 BPG, 108 ORTG, 98 DRTG, 162.8 Total Win Shares, 77.1 VORP
Hakeem The Dream. One of my favorite players of all-time just misses out on the Top 5 but could easily crack it. Quite frankly, Shaq and The Dream are interchangeable.
Olajuwon really revolutionized the game offensively for centers and is one of the best defenders of all-time. Unfortunately, his career is overshadowed by early playoff exits thanks to his teammates and the Utah Jazz. Nonetheless, Hakeem was still dominant. Like, Duncan, his stats aren’t as impressive as they should be because he played longer than he should of, but you have to factor that in.
The Congo countrymen was one of the original foreign superstars in the NBA and really paved the way moving forward for players from overseas. Olajuwon will always be remembered for his fantastic post moves and dominant defense.
Next: Shaq