We often forget that Michael Jordan was not the first pick. Despite all his accomplishments, he never came first in the 1984 NBA Draft. This honor belongs to the great Hakim Olajuwon. Before Jordan left the league in the summer of 1993, the first-round pick did come after the 3rd pick.
With Jordan out, Olajuwon quickly jumped to the top of the league. The Houston Rockets won their first back-to-back championship with Olajuwon winning MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP. If Olajuwon could take a few more points every night, he would have a perfect season.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" > the 1994 NBA championship</h1>
Olajuwon led the Rockets to the Finals against the New York Knicks. You got both teams finally out of Michael Jordan's shadow, ready to win after Jordan's Bulls won championships from 1991 to 1993. The Finals are certainly an interesting game as the seven-game series takes on two of the best centers. League of Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing.
After trailing 2-1, the Knicks won two straight games to take a 3-2 lead. In Game 6, the Rockets led 86-84 in the final seconds. Knicks guard John Stax ended the game with 27 points, shooting a series three-pointer that would have won the game. As time passed, Olajuwon pulled down the clutch block. Then, in Game 7, he ended the series with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds, bringing Houston the city with its first title since the Oilers in 1961 and the NFL era.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="10" > MVP of the 1994 Finals</h1>
In the head-to-head clash with Ewing, Olajuwon had the upper hand. In every game in the series, he scored more points than Ewing. On top of that, Compared to Ewing's 18.9 points and 36.3 percent shooting percentage, Orjon averaged 26.9 points and 50 percent from the field. With his first championship ring, he also won the Grand Finals MVP.
There is no better player in this series than Olajuwon. We should also take into account that Olajuwon also beat Charles Barkley and Karl Malone and even reached the NBA Finals, and the Suns' series also played seven games.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" > 1994 MVP</h1>
The Rockets tied the Washington Capitol record set in 1948, when the team scored a 15-game winning streak at the start of the season. The Rockets started with a 22-1 record and then locked in the second seed in the West with a 58-24 record. For his efforts, he was named MVP, which made him the first foreign-born player to receive the award.
Olajuwon is third in points per game, sixth in rebounds, second in blocks and number one in the NBA with two-pointers. In an era when the center position was the essence of the crop, he was the best overall center in the game. David Robinson winning the award with an average score ahead of the league and six win contributions from Biolajuwon is a good example, but the Spurs are the No. 4 seed in the West.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="19" > Defensive Player of the Year</h1>
Patrick Ewing led the running league with a defensive victory of 8.0. Who is the second one, you ask? Hakeem Olajuwon scored 7.9. Olajuwon is second in blocking King Dicken bemutombo and behind Dennis Rodman in defensive rebounds. While the Rockets aren't the best defensive team in the league overall, they're very close thanks to their defensive first-team center in the middle.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="23" > the NBA's All-NBA First Team</h1>
Olajuwon has earned a reputation as a key player in the league this season. Based on his performances in 1993-1994, he also became one of the top centre-forwards in the history of the game. He beat centre-forwards such as Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal and Dekkenberg Mutombo. This also includes defensive experts Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="27" > scorer 3rd place – missing out on leader David Robinson by 2.5 points </h1>
Olajuwon had a successful season with a statistic of 27.3 points per game, but he missed Out on David Robinson. After all, Robinson scored 71 points in the final game of the season to win the championship. This is one of the most interesting competitions for scoring awards. Robinson averaged 29.8 points per game, Shaq was second with 29.3 points and Hakim was third with 27.3 points.
It's crazy to think that Olajuwon is a shot scorer and probably a free throw, staying away from a perfect season every night. That being said, that's easier said than done. In the end, Olajuwon was the best of the year, winning almost all the awards and his first title.