Toronto Sun: The Dream is Over (Dream quotes) Friday, November 8, 2002 Dream is over Olajuwon sees retirement as 'a celebration' By Bill Harris Hakeem Olajuwon says he won't miss the spotlight. "I'm very comfortable to be ordinary," said the Raptors centre, who was in Toronto yesterday for a final examination by team doctors. The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer, who spent 17 NBA seasons with the Houston Rockets and one year with the Raptors, will confirm his intention to retire tomorrow in a halftime ceremony during the Rockets-Golden State Warriors game in Houston. The seven-foot Olajuwon said he is feeling no sadness as the next stage of his life begins. "I would like to clarify a couple of things, because sometimes people generalize and put everyone in the same camp," said Olajuwon, who prior to yesterday had not spoken on the record with anyone in the Toronto media since last season. "Everyone figures that people in the limelight love it so much, they never want to leave it. But I view this (his retirement) as a celebration." Olajuwon, who won two NBA championships with the Rockets and in 1997 was voted as one of the 50 greatest players in league history, said he does not regret joining the Raptors for a single season in which both the team and Olajuwon himself did not accomplish nearly as much as had been anticipated. Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald recently described the acquisition of Olajuwon as "a gamble and I think we lost on it." "Something I always said was that I wanted to try playing elsewhere," said Olajuwon, who still is owed $12 million US by the Raptors, although insurance will cover a good chunk of it because Olajuwon is retiring for health reasons. "For years I saw other guys getting traded or leaving as free agents and I just wanted to experience it. It was valuable to me. "I always thought I was going to play in Vancouver (for the departed Grizzlies) at the end of my career. Instead, I got to play in Toronto, which is a great city with great people. God willing, in the future it's a place I would like to continue to spend some time in. "Some might look at my time in Toronto as a failure. It's easy to make judgments. But to be a successful person, you can't be afraid to fail. I'm an explorer." Olajuwon and Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens clearly had different views on how much, and in what game circumstances, Olajuwon should have been used. Olajuwon, who battled numerous nagging injuries last season, appeared in 61 games for Toronto (including 37 starts) and averaged 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 22.6 minutes. His career averages are 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 35.7 minutes, and his 3,830 blocked shots are the most in NBA history. "From an intellectual point of view, my time in Toronto was a success for me," Olajuwon said. "Basketball-wise is a different issue. Could I have done more? Yes. Did I want to do more? Yes. But did it work out? No. "I didn't come to Toronto for it to be like it was in Houston, with me being the main player. I came to Toronto to perform a secondary role and I accepted that role. Things did not work out the way they could have, but I have no regrets." Olajuwon won't be looking for a new job any time soon. "What do I want to do next? Why do I have to do something right away?" Olajuwon said with a laugh. "Some guys worry about getting bored. I love to study and I would like to study more. "The whole point of our careers is that when you're done, you have freedom for life. Why would I want to run out and get another job immediately? "To have freedom is a great thing. It's like I've been in school for all these years and now it's graduation. Is graduation something sad? The sadness would have been had this happened early in my career." Looking back upon everything he has accomplished as a basketball player, Olajuwon said he can think of only one thing to complain about. "My only complaint," he said, "is that I can't thank God enough."
