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Hakeem Olajuwon, a Nigerian-American whi is a Muslim by religion, is known as the NBA champion. He was recorded as the NBA All-Star twelve times. He also was the NBA MVP in 1994 and selected as All-NBA First team six times. He won NBA Defense Player twice. He is popular with the name “The Dream”.
Hakeem Olajuwon? Personal Life
The Nigerian-American Hakeem Olajuwon, was born on January 21st, 1963, in Nigeria. He was a basketball player with multiple awards and won titles. His parents are Salim and Abike Olajuwon and he has seven siblings. The family owns a cement business in Laos.
He recognizes that the discipline and the virtues of hard work he gained were from his parents. He and his sibling, according to him, were taught honesty, respect, hard work and attitude of believing to oneself. As far as his education is concerned, he has graduated from the University of Houston. Moreover, he is fluent in the following languages
During his younger year, he was a goalkeeper for soccer. He saw the basketball as a unique sport and was challenged by it. He didn’t play the sport until he reached 17. A coach in Nigeria asked him once to dunk and couldn’t dunk. He purposely migrated from Nigeria to play basketball, which he believed that it is for him. He played at the University of Houston under Guy Lewis coaching.
Hakeem Olajuwon Married life
Hakeem married Dalia Asafi in August 1996. The marriage was rearranged and was done in a traditional Muslim ceremony. He was 18 then. The couple has two daughters, Rahmah and Aisha. He also has a daughter from his previous relationship name Absiola. In his bio, he has a tower height of 7 feet and weighs 255 lbs.
Hakeem Olajuwon Career
Hakken started his career with Houston Rockets from 1984 to 2001. he teamed with Ralph Samson and they were named the Twin Tower Duo. The team ended the 1988-89 season with the record 45-37 and him as league leader of rebounds. His performance was said to be consistent. In the 1989-90 season, though they were eliminated, he made one of the most productive defenses and won the NBA rebounding crown.
Since the NBA started, he is said to be the only player who made a record of blocked shots. The skills he learned in football when he was younger helped him in doing defenses. He was able to build his reputation as a good player.
Hakeem Olajuwon Net Worth
After Rockets, he joined Toronto Raptors, refusing $13 million deal. He had a three-year contract with Raptors giving him $18 million. His career averaged 6 rebounds and 7.1 points per game in his final season with NBA. In 2002, he had a back injury. By then he decided to retire but with the title as the all-time league leader.
He was considered one of the Greatest Players in NBA’s history. In 2008, he was in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and in 2016 FIBA Hall of Fame.
Hakeen’s net worth is said to be over $100 million.
Facts and Bio
The good player earned numerous awards over the years in basketball career: NBA Champion (1994, 1995); NBA Finals MVP (1994, 1995); NBA MVP (1994); Defensive Player of Year (1993, 1994); All-NBA First Team (1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1997); All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996);
All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999);All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994); All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996, 1997); All-Star player twelve times; Olympic gold medalist (1996); included in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).
Last Modified: Mar 6, 2020
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