Friday, November 4, 2011

Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon

"It's not up to anyone else to make me give my best"

Was talking with some of our guys yesterday before practice and the name Hakeem Olajuwon came up.  Without question he's one of the top 5 centers of all time.  Hakeem along with David Robinson were two of the first guys to have a more well rounded skill set.  They were able to step off the post and beat you off the dribble or put you on spin cycle in the post with their footwork. 

As guys have gotten bigger, faster, and stronger in the NBA, Hakeem is one guy who's game would translate and still would be effective today.  I found a couple clips of "The Dream".  One is his top ten plays and the other is him dominating David Robinson in the playoffs the year The Admiral was MVP. 

Many current players have gone for personal lessons from Hakeem.  Kobe and Dwight Howard just to name a couple.  Hakeem still looks silky smooth today and looks like he could still play.  My most favorite things about watching Hakeem Olajuwon is his balance, his use of the shot fake/ball fake, and his incredible footwork.  Players of all sizes should study his footwork and his use of fakes and add them to their game. 



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