Basketball Culture
Why the Rockets Retired Hakeem Olajuwon's Jersey #34
The Dream Shake, back-to-back titles, and the only MVP + DPOY + Finals MVP season ever. Why the Rockets retired Hakeem Olajuwon's #34 — basketball's most graceful giant.
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The Dream Shake, back-to-back titles, and the only MVP + DPOY + Finals MVP season ever. Why the Rockets retired Hakeem Olajuwon's #34 — basketball's most graceful giant.
Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
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Houston Rockets
1984-2001
Toronto Raptors
2001-2002
Featured Achievements
All-Time Blocks Leader
3,830 blocks#1 All-Time
Holds the NBA all-time record for blocked shots with 3,830.
2x NBA Champion
2 ringsWon back-to-back championships with the Rockets (1994, 1995). Named Finals MVP both years.
NBA MVP
1xWon MVP in 1993-94.
1993-94
The Dream Shake
Signature MoveHis signature post move — the Dream Shake — is considered the most skilled footwork in basketball history.
#8 All-Time Steals Leader
2,162 steals#10 All-Time Rebounds Leader
13,748 rebounds1994-95
| Season | GP | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 72 | 27.8 | 10.8 | 3.5 | 51.7% | 18.8% |
| 1993-94 | 80 | 27.3 | 11.9 | 3.6 | 52.8% | 28.6% |
| 1992-93 | 82 | 26.1 | 13 | 3.5 | 52.9% | 0.0% |
Hakeem Olajuwon holds the NBA all-time record for blocked shots with 3,830 — a number accumulated through anticipation, timing, and what opponents described as the ability to know where a ball was going before the shooter had decided. He grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, playing soccer and handball before being introduced to basketball at age 15. By age 22 he was starting for the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the 1984 draft, ahead of Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.
The Dream Shake is the most studied post sequence in basketball history: a series of pivots, pump fakes, and shoulder drops executed from the low block that left defenders guessing and, frequently, airborne before Olajuwon had committed to his direction. He developed it through 20,000 hours of individual work, treating post footwork the way musicians treat scales — as a foundation that had to be indestructible before anything on top of it mattered.
His two championships came in 1994 and 1995, both without Michael Jordan, who was retired during his first absence from the Bulls. Olajuwon won Finals MVP in each series, averaging 26.9 points and 9.1 rebounds in 1994 against the Knicks, then 32.8 points and 11.5 rebounds in 1995 against the Orlando Magic. In 1993-94, the season of his regular-season MVP, he averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.7 blocks per game — a four-category dominance that no center before or since has replicated.
He attended the University of Houston before entering the draft, earned American citizenship in 1993, and performed Hajj to Mecca in 1995. He retired in 2002 with 26,946 career points — 12th all-time — and the blocks record that still stands.
Personal Life & Family
Partner
Dalia Asafi
Children (4)
Parents & Siblings
Off the Court
Dream Foundation
Nigerian community development
Did You Know?
Didn't start playing basketball until he was 15 — his footwork was developed playing soccer in Lagos, Nigeria.
After retiring, he became the go-to post-move coach for current NBA stars — Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard all trained with him.
In 1993-94, he won MVP, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season — a feat never replicated.
His real estate portfolio in Houston is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
His "Dream Shake" post move is considered the most unstoppable offensive move in NBA history.
Career Honors
2x NBA Champion
2x Finals MVP
1x NBA MVP
2x Defensive Player of the Year
12x All-Star
All-time blocks leader
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2x Defensive Player of the Year
2xNBA 75th Anniversary Team
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