Alright, let’s talk about this Hakeem Olajuwon fella, the basketball player. Folks say he was somethin’ special, real tall and all. They call him “Hakeem the Dream,” which sounds fancy, I guess. Never met the man myself, but I hear tell he was a big deal.
Now, they say this Hakeem, he played center. That means he was one of them big boys, always in the middle of the court, fightin’ for the ball. He was seven foot tall, they say. Seven foot! Can you imagine? Why, he’d have to duck down to get through a regular door. And heavy too, 255 pounds they say. That’s a lotta meat on them bones.
- They say he was from Nigeria. That’s way over yonder, across the big water.
- He played for the Houston Rockets. Don’t know much about them Rockets, but they must be a good team if they had Hakeem.
- Folks keep jabberin’ about some “wingspan.” Now, I ain’t never measured no wingspan on a chicken, let alone a man. But from what I gather, it means how far he could stretch them arms out. And with a fella that tall, I reckon it was a good long ways. Probably could reach across the whole kitchen table without movin’ an inch! They say it helped him block shots and grab rebounds, whatever that means. Sounded important though.
This Hakeem fella, he was good, real good. They say he was one of the best ever, the greatest big man to ever play. That’s what they say. He won all sorts of awards, MVP they call it. Most Valuable Player. Sounds like he was the cream of the crop, the best of the bunch. He even won a championship, which I reckon is a big deal in basketball. They say he did it in 1994, and he was the only player ever to win MVP and the Championship in the same year. Must’ve been somethin’ to see.
They talk about him bein’ a free agent once. That means he coulda played for any team he wanted, I guess. Like a stray dog lookin’ for a new home. But he mostly stayed with them Rockets, as far as I know. He was drafted back in 1984, they say. Been a long time ago, now. Time flies, don’t it?
I hear folks talkin’ about his “stats.” Now, I ain’t no mathematician, but from what I gather, it’s all about the points he scored, the rebounds he got, and all that other basketball stuff. They say his stats were somethin’ else, real impressive. He scored a lot, blocked a lot, and generally made a nuisance of himself to the other team.
And that nickname, “Koko One.” Sounds kinda funny, don’t it? Must be somethin’ they called him back in Nigeria. Lil’ Mo, too. Imagine callin’ a seven-foot giant “Lil’ Mo”! Folks sure have a sense of humor, I tell ya.
So, this Hakeem Olajuwon, he was a basketball player, a real good one. Tall, strong, and skilled. He won awards, championships, and the hearts of the fans, I reckon. They still talk about him today, even though he ain’t playin’ no more. That’s how you know someone was special, when folks still remember ‘em years later. He was somethin’ else, that Hakeem the Dream.
They say he played center like a dance. He moved and shimmied, making those other fellas look silly. He had this move, the “Dream Shake,” they called it. Made the other players spin around like tops. He could fake one way, go the other, and score before you even knew what happened. He was a magician on that court, they say. A seven-foot tall magician.
And tough? Don’t even get me started. They say he played hard, every game. Never gave up, never backed down. He’d fight for every rebound, every loose ball. He was a warrior out there, and that’s what made him so great. Not just tall, but tough as nails.
So, that’s the story of Hakeem Olajuwon, as best as I can tell it. A great basketball player, a legend, they say. A man who could reach the sky and dominate the court. He left his mark on the game, and that’s somethin’ to be proud of. Hakeem the Dream, they called him. And I reckon he lived up to the name.
Tags: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets, NBA, Center, MVP, Wingspan, Basketball Legend, Koko One, Lil’ Mo, 1984 NBA Draft
