Last Updated on May 4, 2025 by Mat Diekhake

Here’s a detailed profile of basketballer Hakeem Olajuwon:

  • Full Name: Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon
  • Nationality: Nigerian-American
  • DOB: Born January 21, 1963
  • Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
  • Height: 7 feet 0 inches (2.13 meters)
  • Weight: 255 pounds (116 kg)
  • Wingspan: 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 meters)
  • Shoe Size: Size 18 (US)
  • Number: Wore #34 throughout his NBA career
  • Position: Center / Power Forward
  • High School: Attended Muslim Teachers College (Lagos, Nigeria; did not play organized basketball until college)
  • College: University of Houston (1981–1984)
  • NBA Draft: 1984 NBA Draft, 1st overall pick by the Houston Rockets
  • Teams Played For:
    • Houston Rockets (1984–2001)
    • Toronto Raptors (2001–2002)
  • Championship Rings: 2 (1994, 1995 with the Houston Rockets)
  • Kids: Has four children: daughters Abi, Rahmah, Aisha, and Khadija
  • Siblings: Hakeem is one of eight children in his family
  • Retirement Age: Retired at age 39
  • Retirement Year: Officially retired after the 2001–2002 NBA season

Player Overview: Hakeem Olajuwon is widely known as the greatest Houston Rocket of all time. My favorite Rocket is Tracy McGrady, but as a Rockets fan, I’m well aware of the general fans’ view. They love Olajuwon for many reasons, but perhaps most of all because he brought two NBA championships to Houston in the mid-90s when Michael Jordan temporarily retired. If you started watching basketball during those years when Jordan was absent, you may have become a Rockets fan because the Rockets vs the Knicks was a huge finals series that people watched from all over the world. And if you didn’t know where New York was because you were a kid, there’s a good chance you probably hoped the Rockets won instead because, on the basketball court, they were the more aesthetic team. 2/11/2025

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