the man they called DREAM with a Dream SHAKE......PHi Slamma JAMMA....Houston COUGAR....Houston ROCKET...maybe the best PF/C in the NBA ever

From the Western part of AFRICA......and to the Streets of HOUSTON TEXAS and from the UNIVERSITY of TEXAS......came a man that revolutionized the game at Power Forward/Center.

The Accolades in describing this man are mind-bottling to say the least. A born and bred Soccer player from his city and native country of LAGOS, NIGERIA.......Hakeem OLAJUWON was destined for greatness from the onset of landing i the US.

Coming from NIGERIA with one Duffel Bag the Houston COUGARS Coaching Staff, led by the LATE GREAT Head Coach Guy LEWIS, picked HAKEEM up from Houston International. They knew they were getting a TALL Human Being but didn't know they were getting an ATHLETE with hand and eye coordination like he was 5'8"......and of course from the Soccer background.

They learned from DAY1...that Hakeem was going to be a special player on College.....but what they didn't know his relentless work ethic to overcome all adversities in his life to become one of the best if not the best Power Forwards/Center in the NBA ever.

The University of HOUSTON COUGARS jumped out from the Beginning and a a STAR was born in the College ranks. Standing at nearly 7' Feet tall and bout 250 EL BEES....give or take.....OLAJUWON dominated from just having a soccer background he was a Shot-Blocking and rebounding machine.

The COUGARS were led by local Superstar Clyde THE GLIDE DREXLER and the Michael YOUNG. They were so HIGH-FLYING they became the only Basketball Fraternity to this day called .......PHI SLAMMA JAMMA.......DREXLER, YOUNG, Ricky WINSLOW, Larry MICHEAUX, Benny ANDERS, Greg CADILLAC ANDERSON, Alvin FRANKLIN and of Course HAKEEM.

They COUGARS got all the way to the 1983 NCAA Championship where thy lost to the LATE GREAT Jim VALVANO and the NC STATE WOLFPACK on a Lorenzo CHARLES Tip-in with no time left on the CLOCK.

The next season HAKEEM and the COUGARS lose to a PATRICK EWING led HOYA PARANOIA Team and then the DREAM started....literally and figuratively speaking.

The 1984 NBA Draft was loaded up front with talents like OLAJUWON, Michael JORDAN of UNC, Sam BOWIE of UK Lexington, Charles Barkley of AUBURN, Vern FLEMING of GEORGIA Athens, and Alvin ROBERTSON of ARKANSAS Fayetteville.

OLAJUWON went #1 to no surprise an we know who went #2.......to the TRAILBLAZERS......and the rest is HISTORY. OLAJUWON had the luxury of playing in his College's Hometown and with former UVA CHARLOTTESVILLE All-American and 7'4" Center Ralph SAMPSON. Later to be called the TWIN TOWERS of ROCKET CITY.

OLAJUWON played a lot of what I call his natural Position...POWER FORWARD...and don't let anyone else tell you different. Those ROCKET Teams that challenged the SHOWTIME LAKERS and the MAGIC MAN were led by Head Coach Bill FITCH and guys like SAMPSON, OLAJUWON, Lewis LLOYD DRAKE University, Rodney McCRAY LOUISVILLE, Allan LEAVELL, OK CITY University, Robert REID St. MARY's University, and Mitchell WIGGINS Florida STATE. This team lost in the 1986 NBA Finals to the BIRD MAN and the CELTICS.

Then we Fast Forward all the way up to 1993 season and the new look ROCKETS with OLAJUWON being the FRANCHISE player and one of the best PLAYERS in the league. That roster included some familiar names like Kenny THE JET SMITH UNC, Vernon MAXWELL aka VENOM GATORS, Mario ELIE American International (Former HS teammate of Chris MULLIN in NYC), Robert HORRY ALABAMA, and Sam I AM CASSELL Florida STATE by way of San JACINTO JUCO TX and fame Baltimore DUNBAR HS in MD.

They would go onto win the 1994 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP beating AKEEM's Old nemesis Patrick EWING. I remember like yesterday.....KNICKS G John STARKS shot them right out of the CHAMPIONSHIP.

OLAJUWON was so talented by then he had earned the nickname the DREAM SHAKE because of his Footwork and moves with his back to the basket and face-up.

In 1995 DREAM and the ROCKETS had an ENCORE as they beat the upstart O MAGIC and SHAQ and PENNY. DREAM destroyed SHAQ and to this DAY I have never seen SHAQ destroyed like DREAM got him......just put him into the BLENDER the 4 GAMES he saw DIESEL.

That team came back from a 1-3 deficit that PLAYOFF run to beat the Phoenix SUNS 4-3 and DREAM destroyed the ADMIRAL David ROBINSON in the Western Finals that season.

DREAM was simply the best Pound for Pound BIG I ever saw.....and did I tell you as GOOD as DREAM was on Offense his DEFENSE was his Bread and Butter.

Look at these ACCOLADES from the man they call the DREAM SHAKE

The ONLY Player in NBA History to be NBA MVP, DEFENSIVE MVP, and FINALS MVP in the 1993-94 Season....not to be done again

2-Time All-American at University of HOUSTON
2-Time NBA Finals MVP
12 Time All Star
2 Time Defensive Player of the YEAR
6 Time All NBA 1st Team
5 time All Defensive 1st team
Member of NBA;s Top 50 of All-Time
#1 in Career BLOCKS in the NBA with 3,830

NOTE: OLAJUWON played in his 3rd Year at HOUSTON....1st year NCAA didn't clear him......2nd year a simple RED SHIRT also Hakeem changed his name to AKEEM in College due to strict MUSLIM FAITH.

I HAVE SAID THIS BEFORE.......HE ONLY PLAYER I WOULD TAKE OTHER THAN JORDAN IN THEIR PRIME.....and BOWIE went 2nd to TRAILBLAZERS and JORDAN went 3RD to the BULLS.

There will never be another JORDAN...and there will never be another DREAM SHAKE...trust me on that.

360 Degrees....when JORDAN caught his commercial flight to CHICAGO after being drafted.....he had no on waiting for him enter GOERGE KOEHLER who was waiting for someone else at O'HARE and the last one to empty the PLANE was JORDAN.......MIKE said he was going to get a TAXI and KOEHLER reportedly said $20 Bucks I will take you anywhere you need to go......MR. KOEHLER has been MIKE'S personal assistant and driver ever SINCE June 1984 - present.........talking about being in the right place at the right time.

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