[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




MARKING THE RETIREMENT OF HAKEEM OLAJUWON FROM THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL 
                              ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2002

  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the long 
career of one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the 
game, Hakeem Olajuwon. After 18 years in the National Basketball 
Association, he is scheduled to retire on November 2, 2002, before the 
game between the Toronto Raptors and the Houston Rockets.
  Though Olajuwon, known as ``The Dream,'' did not take up the sport 
until he was in his teens, he became an All-Star center and was 
recognized as one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players. With his 
athleticism, best displayed by his signature ``Dream Shake'' move near 
the basket, he helped redefine how big men played the game.
  In 1984, the Houston Rockets won a coin toss that gave them the right 
to the first pick in that draft. The year before, Houston had drafted 
the All-American center from Virginia, Ralph Sampson, and it was 
rumored that they might look for a guard, perhaps the young talent from 
North Carolina, an exciting player named Michael Jordan.
  The Rockets, though, went with the ``hometown'' talent, another 7-
footer, a charter member of the Phi Slamma Jamma fraternity at the 
University of Houston, a player then known as Akeem Olajuwon.
  Olajuwon had an immediate impact on the Houston franchise, teaming 
with Sampson to form the ``Twin Towers,'' a lineup that terrorized the 
NBA and created mismatches due to the height and agility of both big 
men. Runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting that season, Olajuwon 
helped lead Houston to their second NBA Finals in 1986, after upsetting 
the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference 
Finals. There, as in their first trip in 1981, they lost to the Boston 
Celtics.
  The road back to the NBA Finals was a long one for the Dream and the 
Rockets, but they returned in the 1993-94 season. That year, Olajuwon 
had perhaps his greatest season, and was named League MVP and NBA 
Defensive Player of the Year.
  Houston and Olajuwon showed their true mettle in that year's 
playoffs, as the Dream carried the Rockets to the NBA Finals, where 
they defeated the New York Knicks in seven games for the NBA Title. 
This victory had special meaning for Olajuwon--first, for being named 
Finals MVP, and second, for finally beating Patrick Ewing, whose 
Georgetown team had denied the University of Houston a chance at the 
NCAA title back in the early '80s.
  The next year, with a target on their backs as the defending NBA 
champs, the Rockets faltered. In an attempt to shake up the team, 
Houston traded for Olajuwon's old college teammate, Clyde ``the Glide'' 
Drexler.
  While the team struggled to a sixth-place finish in the Western 
Conference, Olajuwon led Houston on a playoff run like none ever before 
in the NBA.
  In the second round, Houston became the first team ever to rally from 
a three to one deficit, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals. 
There, in what was known as the ``Battle of Interstate 10,'' the 
Rockets eliminated NBA MVP David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs. 
Olajuwon dominated the series, scoring at will against the Spurs, and 
led Houston to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.
  There, he faced the future of the league, in a 7'3'', 320-lb. terror 
known as Shaquille O'Neal. The Rockets, though, dispatched O'Neal and 
the Orlando Magic in four games, becoming only the fourth team in NBA 
history to win back-to-back NBA titles.
  During this playoff run, Houston set new standards for excellence in 
the NBA. They won nine straight road playoff games and defeated four 
50-win teams, both first ever achievements. Further, Houston became the 
lowest seeded team ever to win the NBA title. As for Olajuwon, he 
received his second consecutive NBA Playoff MVP, and averaged 33.0 
points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.85 blocks in the playoffs.
  For his career, Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 
and 3.09 blocked shots per game. He also has a career free throw 
percentage of .712, field goal percentage of .512, and averaged 1.75 
steals and 2.5 assists per game.
  He is one of eight players to reach the 25,000 point plateau, and is 
the only player to have both 2,000 steals and 2,000 blocked shots in a 
career. He is the NBA's all time leader in blocked shots, and was named 
to the First, Second, or Third All-NBA team 11 times. Hakeem Olajuwon 
was named Defensive Player of the Year twice, was on 11 First or Second 
All-Defensive teams, was a 12-time All-Star, and recorded just the 
third quadruple-double in NBA history in 1990.
  The Dream is a shoo-in for the NBA Hall of Fame, and I am glad that I 
had the opportunity to watch him play, first for my university, and 
later, for my hometown. Welcome home, Hakeem.

                          ____________________