NBA Athlete Number 34 - Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem "The Dream".  The number one selection by the Rockets out of local University of Houston in the 1984 NBA draft would go on to prove his worth as that first pick.  He may, in fact, be the best shot blocker that the NBA has ever seen.

Olajuwon would begin pulling down boards and blocking shots as a pro in Houston immediately.  The three-time rookie of the month during the '84-'85 season wouldn't stop until he achieved a Hall of Fame worthy NBA career.

Hakeem would wear the number 34 for his entire career spent mostly with the Rockets (he had a brief stint in Toronto to close out his career).  He became one of the pre-eminent centers of all-time, scoring 26,946 points for his career, while pulling down 13,748 boards and blocking an astounding 3,830 shots (ranking 1st all-time).

He would lead his rockets to the NBA Championship in both 1994 and 1995 and he would be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.  

Did you know...................Olajuwon is a native of the country of Nigeria?

source:  basketball-reference.com