Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Member Hakeem "the Dream" Olajuwon used his intelligence and awesome physical skills and athletic talent to become one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA and was selected in 1996 as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. During the 1995-96 season, Hakeem became the ninth NBA player to score at least 20,000 points and register 10,000 rebounds. Hakeem was named to the all-NBA First Team six times (1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994 and 1997) and was named to the NBA all-defensive First Team five times (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994). Hakeem was named to the NBA all-rookie First Team in 1985 and was runner-up to none other than Michael Jordan in Rookie of the Year balloting in his first year in the League.

In 1993-94, Hakeem became the first player to be named NBA MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Finals MVP in the same season as the Houston Rockets claimed its first NBA Championship; and Hakeem rallied the Rockets from a sixth seed in the playoffs to their second straight NBA Championship.

Hakeem, whose last name Olajuwon translates into "always being on top", started playing basketball at the age of fifteen in his native country of Nigeria (where he had developed footwork and agility through his training as a youngster in soccer and handball).

In 1981, Hakeem enrolled at the University of Houston and, as a dominating player, led the University of Houston Cougars "Phi Slamma Jamma" team into the Final Four in each of his college basketball seasons and, in the 1983-84 season, Hakeem was a First Team All-America selection. Hakeem’s college jersey #34, along with jersey #22 of his teammate Clyde Drexler, was retired by the University of Houston on February 12, 1997. Hakeem, a 7’0″ center, was the first overall selection in the 1984 NBA draft when he was selected by the Houston Rockets, who had selected Ralph Sampson with the first selection in the previous year, and Hakeem and Ralph became the "Twin Towers" front line of the Houston Rockets.

Hakeem achieved his phenomenal success at basketball through a rigorous training program and dedication to improving his skills as a basketball player with a positive approach to the game which made Hakeem one of the greatest players ever to play the game of basketball.