excellent 2K Clutch!! I loved the time he did a spin move on Malone and floored him with that elbow to the face then elevated for a slam with a knee to Stockton's groin. ....well, maybe that was the only dream he didn't give me.
sazhar, You beat me to it. That was the single greatest memory of Dream that I have. I'm also thankful for Houston being one of the few if not the only cities to have a guaranteed Hall of Famer play his entire college & pro career here. The new team is going to be great someday, but after 19 years, it's going to be like your children moving out. There's going to be an empty void in this city. Thanks for the memories Dream & showing how we can all change for the better if we want to. I know you've done more than any one man should ever have to do, but could I ask you for one last favor? Would you play like the Dream of old one last time & kick the sh*t out of Shaq & the Lakers? That would be a perfect ending to an awesome career. ------------------
Man...if you're a native Houstonian, Hakeem should be your god. He and the Rockets erased a lot of sour sports memories with the championships and the clutch plays. Although his performance in the '95 playoffs is legendary, my favorite memory is his block of Stark's 3-point attempt at the end of game 6 of the '94 finals. That shot was definetely on it's way to the bottom of the basket, but he got out to the perimeter fast enough to make the play. It was the play that Barkley couldn't make against Stockton. That play exemplified all of the little things that make champions like Hakeem. I will miss him and I am thankfull that he's retiring a Rocket... ------------------
Just a different perspective... I am a 30 year old male living in Sydney, Australia. I consider myself fairly literate to the world and it's different cultures. My fiance is a Doctor in Thailand, and I have spent a lot of time there and all of South East Asia. When I think of Thailand, I think of Buddhism and the festivals. The smiles of the people... I have also been to Europe. When I think of that, I think of the scenery and the history. The integration of so many cultures in such a (relatively) small amount of space. I have never been to Houston, but it has been forever etched in my mind since I started to watch the NBA in the mid 80's. When I think of Houston...there is only two words : Hakeem Olajuwon. As an outsider, I often wonder if you realise the impact of such a figure as your sports are so global nowadays. Your city should consider itself fortunate that when people mention Houston, Hakeem is many peoples first thought... ------------------
Some of the things he said off court is what I remembered most about Hakeem...a few years ago, when asked by a reporter what he thinks of Karl Malone and the way he plays the game, he responds with a kind of a disgusted/pissed off look on his face and said..."He's evil"...with him being so nice and quiet, and to hear that from him really cracked me up... The second quote from him I remembered is that shoe commercial he did with his thick accent then...I'll never forget it when he said..."When I get on the court, there's no way out"...
I am not sure which of the playoff games it was, but I will always remember the quote R. Horry made about Dream "Making his first shot spining off the wrong foot..When I saw that I knew someone was in trouble tonight" And in fact, they were.... ------------------
The block on Rod Strickland. Just across half court, Dream made a bad pass across court that Rod Strickland picked on a dead run to the other basket. From standing still at mid-court, Dream, knowing how close the game was at the time, couldn't let his mistake cost the Rockets a victory. He caught Strickland at the basket going for the layup and swatted the ball into the bench. Imagine, a center, who was standing still when he threw the pass, ran down a guard on a dead run in half the length of the court. Amazing. He's done a lot of tremendous things, but that one just doesn't make any sense. ------------------ "There's 1,000 different things we're looking at, but there's not a lot of things there." -- Rudy T., apparently after taking a hit of acid.
i think this topic deserves it's own forum.... Dream has earned at least that much. So i'm saving my favorite Dream moment until the man gets the recognition he deserves!! ------------------
Clutch, you are so right about finding just one memory. In fact He was so good for so long that his greatness became normal. That's why it is so hard for some to watch play now. Seeing him play at the level of a slightly-better-than-average center makes you appreciate his greatness through the years. That being said, I would have to go with the San Antonio game. That was the peak, the apex. That was surreal and real all at the same time. It was a statement. It was what can be so great about basketball. We saw Hakeem put on one of the greatest one-on-one battles. We saw him show the world who was really MVP. I also have fond memories of the early years back when Akeem was a scrappy young guy who was about to start re-inventing the center position. I remember the fights. Akeem never thought twice about clocking someone upside the head. I remember the classic battles along the way. What a great career. ------------------ RocketFuel is dead!
There are just too many memories for me to put down on this BBS .... Probably the one that stand the most is the day I got to party with Akeem , this is back when a club called Avalon was still open (where city streets is presently at.. on Richmond street), it had to be one of the most fun nights I have had in my life !... As far as his play on the court goes..... I can think of all the memories previously mentioned and I like them all but one that stands in my mind is (don’t remember the team we were playing but I think it was in '94 during the regular season) the play went like this... a player decided to take it to Hakeem, they were close to the basket, Hakeem jumped and swatted the ball to another opposing player that instead of jump shooting it also made the mistake of trying to take it to Hakeem , Hakeem had just come down from the previous block when this other guy came right at him , he immediately elevated and blocked this guy too and once again the ball found its way to an opposing player, you would think this guy would not make the same mistake but as if wanting to make the highlight reel in a negative way he also went for the dunk , this time not only did Hakeem blocked it but got his own rebound from the block ! it was awesome !!! I don't think I have ever seen that kind of display shown by anyone specially a guy that size. I am going to say something that is somewhat embarrassing to admit but the day that Hakeem plays his last game probably will be the day I will loose it , am not going to be surprised if I cry ! Hakeem has been such a big part of my life, I feel that through out his growth from a young man to a MAN I have also gone through the same, from the time I was 14 to my present age of 32 , he has been there all this time, that is a big chunk of my life and to not hear his name mentioned when listening to a rockets game will be something that I have not even wanted to think about! At least I know am not alone on this, I know many of you here will probably go through the same, I know he will be missed so much by so many people, I know that some of you guys can understand where am coming from, specially if you have seen him play since his UH days. When he leaves the sport I hope he does it in a way that magnifies what Hakeem has meant for the City of Houston, the NBA and so many of us fans... ------------------ Life moves pretty fast, If you don't stop and look once in a while you might miss it!! ... Ferris Bueler
Tb_Chain; I remember he did the same block to Stockton in the regular season, Stockton stole his outside from pass on the midcourt and was on his way to a clear layup when the dream came frm all the way behind and blocked his shot. The best moment was Stockton reaction who didn't know what happened and started swinging at the air with his eyes closed out of frustration(like a true Jazz player!) But, My favorite moment was in 1995 when he tried faking David Left, then right, and after david wouldn't go for it he turned his back to the basket and banked it in WITH HIS BACK TO THE BASKET! i have never seen anyone else do it.In a game. it is in the rockets championship video. p.s. Does anyone know if they are going to put out his greatest moments video (DVD would be better) I have to add these two moments two: 1. any block on Karl Malone 2. 1996 playoofs when Shawn Kemp decided to take it to Hakeem no matter what. Poor b*stard got blocked four times in a row in one play until the sonics lost the ball. ------------------ HAKEEM... the best ever! [This message has been edited by Rocketincleveland (edited September 05, 2000).]
When The Dream took MVP David Robinson to school in the Western Conference finals. ------------------ Life is but a dream
Hakeem to me can be compared with legends of old. I mean, is it possible that this one man did all of this? The memories all seem to merge together to form a picture of the Dream. To pick a few out is almost impossible. When Hakeem recorded his quadruple double. I was dumbfounded, not that he had accomplished the feat, but the way he did it. It was just so effortless. I mean, it looked like he could of done it night in and night out. I remember watching it on TV. The announcer kept saying he just needs _____ many more blocks and he will have it. The amazing thing was is that I knew he would get that many. The guy was/is just amazing. His tip in against Orlando in Game 1 had me almost convulsing on the floor because of how surprised I was to see that the Rockets had come from the brink of defeat to win. On the will of Olajuwon. When Clyde was traded here, I remember watching the news that night. A reporter asked Hakeem if he knew about the trade that brought his long time friend back home. Hakeem just looked at the reporter with a sarcastic look upon his face. He doesn't believe the reporter. He's like, "No, no. Clyde? Coming here? No, no." It was just so funny to see the disbelief on his face. The guy was/is just amazing. One time I was at a Rockets-Nuggets game, I believe Charles was injured at the time. I was going on watching the game and all of the sudden it's the 4th quarter and Dream has like 41 points. It didn't even seem near that many. I turn to my brother and ask if he knew that Dream had 41. He couldn't believe it either. The guy was/is just amazing. Every time I see a rerun of Hakeem blocking anyone's shot it gives me chills. I have never seen anyone block a shot the way Hakeem does. Have you ever seen him? The look in his eyes? Almost like a cat waiting to prounce. You know it's coming, but there is nothing you can do to stop it. That's the way Hakeem Olajuwon has always been to me. You can't stop him, you just hope to contain him. The guy is amazing. -Turbo
One memory...one thing...The Dream Shake. ------------------ I am the founding member of the Butt-Nekkid Party! White House here we come!
The DreamShake. Everytime he used it baseline the ball went right through the backboard, I never knew how he did it and I don't think I will ever figure it out. To me it is one of the true mysteries of basketball. ------------------
My greatest memory? Well thats easy. The month before we moved away from Houston, I remember watching something people call basketball. I believe it was 1987, and baseball ruled my life at the time. But, that night, I fell in love with Dream. I don't remember the exact date. But, it was a game against the Sonics. If I am not mistaken, Dream scored like 48 pts, grabbed like 30 rebounds, blocked like 15 shots and had like 6 assists in double overtime or something like that. I don't know if the stats are right, but as I went to sleep that late night, I remember looking at my little 13 inch TV and saying "Wow, that is a hell of an athlete. I wonder who he plays for?" The next day, I saw the then "baby Sportscenter" and Tom Mees was describing this incredible display as "one for the ages". Despite the loss and despite the fact that at the time(I was 14) I never played basketball in my life, I went with my dad and bought my first pair of basketball shoes...the white and red Etonics. Since that night, Dream became my favorite basketball player. Watching him when I lived in Dominican Republic was a constant reminder of how homesick I was. When my school found out where I was from, the guys all said the same thing. "I am from Houston!" The guys: "Ahh, Akeem Olajuwon!" I just smiled and felt great pride that my hero was recognized 2000 miles away from home. I know when Dream walks off the court, basketball love in my heart will decrease by a few notches. Nothing against Francis, but I grew up with Dream. I cried tears of joy when we won in 1994. I stuffed it down all these Knickfans face when I went out on the street. No matter how many parades we get from Francis and Co., I won't be as happy as I was in 1994 and 1995. Thats because my idol won't be there anymore. Is there somekind of genetic thingy you can do that can extend Dreams career by about 20 more years? Can you please post some links? Thanks! ------------------ I Want To Thank God For Making Me A Rocketfan
Seeing the man live, Cat and MD's rookie year. My company was nice enough to buy me tickets immediately behind the Rocket's bench. I soaked it in, soaked it in some more. Dream was unstoppable. Sloan emptied his bench of big men to stop Dream from hitting (was it 27?) every shot he put up. I'm a big Charles fan. But it was that night that I (secretly) realized that the CB experiment had failed. There would have been many more Dream moments if the team was faster w/ a younger four. Charles or Dream, but Charles and Dream *sniff sniff*. ------------------
It's '89, '90, '91...one of those years. The Bulls are in town. The Rockets are up by two or three at the end of the game. The ball goes to Jordan at the end of the game. Akeem throws it back in his face. I didn't see it. I only heard about it on the radio the next morning on my way to school. I remember thinking, "wow, who is this man that dares challenge the great Jordan?" Little did I know that the better player had gotten the last laugh that night. ------------------ Sometimes I think I'd be better off dead. No, wait, not me...you.
One favorite memory? That's like eating a bowl of your favorite ice cream and trying to decide which spoonful tasted the best... there are too many on the court memories to choose from - and by choosing one I feel I would belittle other good ones. So I will just relay (and it may sound stupid, but I just can't choose one from his performance on the court) one of the most surprising memories of Hakeem off the court...it came when he was on the David Letterman show when they were playing the knicks in the finals. gifford Nielson and everyone else was trying to give Hakeem advice on how to deal with letterman...But hakeem went on and was just himself - first class...completely charmed david letterman...Such a class act off and on the court..absolutely amazing...and rare nowadays...sounds kinda stupid, I know..but I wonder if we will ever see another like him in our lifetime... ------------------
