duncan228
12-03-2010, 03:43 PM
Olajuwon names his greatest NBA team of all-time (http://www.sport360.com/component/content/article/95-all-features/3828-olajwon-reveals-his-greates-nba-team-of-all-time)
Sport 360° caught up with NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, and took the opportunity to ask the great man to name his all-time NBA Dream Team.
Olajuwon, who is in the UAE capital taking part in the NBA Jamfest taking place this weekend, took some time out of his busy schedule to talk exclusively with us and reveal the names of the guys he would include in his all-time roster.
The two-time NBA champion, who remains the only man in history to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP), Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season (93-94), admitted his task was a near impossible one before offering the following selections...
For the position of Center, the 47-year-old has picked the "Godfathers", as he so eloquently puts it, in the shape of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
Hall of Fame inductee Chamberlain was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History of 1996 and holds numerous official NBA all-time records including becoming the only player in history to average more than 40 and 50 points in a season or score 100 points in a single NBA game.
He claimed two NBA titles during his career, with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967 and then five years later with the LA Lakers, as well as earning four regular-season Most Valuable Player awards, the Rookie of the Year award, one NBA Finals MVP award, and being selected to 13 All-Star Games and ten All-NBA First and Second teams.
Meanwhile, Russell is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league - winning a staggering 11 NBA titles during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics.
A five-time winner of the NBA MVP Award and a twelve-time All-Star, Russell also won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics as captain of the U.S. national basketball team and unsurprisingly was also named in the list of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Following on from those two, Olajuwon picks San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan and "The Mailman" ('cause he always delivered of course) Karl Malone for the power forward position, stating you "can't go wrong with these two".
At 7ft tall, we were never going to argue...
Duncan, 34, is still currently strutting his stuff with the Spurs having spent his entire career with the franchise - winning four NBA titles in the process - dating back to 1997.
The 6ft 11in ace has won the NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA Most Valuable Player Award twice, and has been voted into 12 NBA All-Star Games, 13 All-NBA Teams, and 13 All-Defensive Teams respectively.
Malone may never have won the NBA title during his illustrious career, but he certainly left his sizeable footprint on the game.
Nicknamed "the Mailman" for his consistency and his work in the post, Malone twice won the (NBA) Most Valuable Player award, while he is currently the second highest points scorer (36,928) in NBA history, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Next up for Olajuwon is the small forward position - with Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson earning their stripes.
Bird spent 13 years at the Boston Celtics between 1979-1992 where he picked up three NBA titles and numerous other accolades as part of the legendary triumvirate that also included center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale.
He was also named NBA MVP on three occasions and was included in 12 NBA All-Star teams.
Johnson meanwhile spent his entire career with the LA Lakers with whom he won five NBA titles after being the first pick in the 1979 draft. "Magic" won his first championship in a rookie season that also saw him pick up the NBA Finals MVP Award, and went on to become the games' all-time leader in assists per game, avergaing 11.2.
Inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2002, Johnson was named as the greatest point guard of all-time by ESPN in 2007, hence Olajuwon's decision to include him in his all-star cast, even in his less favoured position.
His next two picks will come as no suprise as "His Airness" Michael Jordan - argubaly the greatest ever - is chosen alongside LA Lakers' talisman Kobe Bryant for the shooting guard position. "Of course I have to pick these two," Olajuwon states.
And who can argue when you consider what these two men have done throughout their careers.
Jordan won six NBA championships during his career - all with the Chicago Bulls - and each time claimed the NBA Finals MVP award which is, unsurprisingly, a record. His #23 jersey became revered the world over as he played a pivotal role in the late 80s and early 90s of bringing the game global.
Having won his first "three-peat" in 1991, 1992 and 1993, Jordan decided to hang up his snickers, but a fter a brief daliance with baseball he returned arguably bigger and better to inspire the Bulls to yet another three successive titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. A phenomenon, the likes of which we may never see again.
Check out Jordan in action below during Games 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals against Utah Jazz - considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history. Fast forward to 4:17 for the shot that sent reverberations around the world!
545uzhj47zk
Bryant meanwhile, is the heir apparent to Jordan's throne having lit up the league over the past decade with his devastating array of skills. With five NBA titles under his belt with Jordan's former coach at the Bulls, the legendary Phil Jackson, Bryant has already etched his name in NBA folklore.
Named the NBA player of the 2000s, Bryant also achieved a remarkable feat in 2006 when scoring 81 points in a single game against the Toronto Raptors.
And finally, for the position of point guard Olajuwon has opted for the talents of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton and former Detriot Piston's ace Isiah Thomas.
Stockton is one of the NBA's greats who unfortunately never got their hands on an NBA title, lsoing two Finals to a Jordan-inspired Chicago Bulls in the mid-90s. A playmaker with an abundance of talent, Stockton holds the all-time record for the most career assists (15,806) by a margin of more than 4,000, as well as the record for most career steals (3,265).
Remarkable when you consider he was only the 16th pick in the 1984 draft!
Thomas meanwhile, was the heartbeat of the Detroit side - often referred to as the "Bad Boys" that picked up back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990 against the LA Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers respectively alongside the likes of Dennis Rodman and Vinnie Johnson.
Such was the impact he had in a 13-year career with Detroit, that the Pistons chose to retire his #11 jersey in his honour.
So there it is folks, Olajuwon's Dream Team, or rather Dream roster! Ten of the greatest exponents of the game in NBA history all jam-packed into one team.
http://www.sport360.com/component/content/article/95-all-features/3828-olajwon-reveals-his-greates-nba-team-of-all-time
Sport 360° caught up with NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, and took the opportunity to ask the great man to name his all-time NBA Dream Team.
Olajuwon, who is in the UAE capital taking part in the NBA Jamfest taking place this weekend, took some time out of his busy schedule to talk exclusively with us and reveal the names of the guys he would include in his all-time roster.
The two-time NBA champion, who remains the only man in history to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP), Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season (93-94), admitted his task was a near impossible one before offering the following selections...
For the position of Center, the 47-year-old has picked the "Godfathers", as he so eloquently puts it, in the shape of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
Hall of Fame inductee Chamberlain was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History of 1996 and holds numerous official NBA all-time records including becoming the only player in history to average more than 40 and 50 points in a season or score 100 points in a single NBA game.
He claimed two NBA titles during his career, with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967 and then five years later with the LA Lakers, as well as earning four regular-season Most Valuable Player awards, the Rookie of the Year award, one NBA Finals MVP award, and being selected to 13 All-Star Games and ten All-NBA First and Second teams.
Meanwhile, Russell is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and holds the record for the most championships won by an athlete in a North American sports league - winning a staggering 11 NBA titles during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics.
A five-time winner of the NBA MVP Award and a twelve-time All-Star, Russell also won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics as captain of the U.S. national basketball team and unsurprisingly was also named in the list of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
Following on from those two, Olajuwon picks San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan and "The Mailman" ('cause he always delivered of course) Karl Malone for the power forward position, stating you "can't go wrong with these two".
At 7ft tall, we were never going to argue...
Duncan, 34, is still currently strutting his stuff with the Spurs having spent his entire career with the franchise - winning four NBA titles in the process - dating back to 1997.
The 6ft 11in ace has won the NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA Most Valuable Player Award twice, and has been voted into 12 NBA All-Star Games, 13 All-NBA Teams, and 13 All-Defensive Teams respectively.
Malone may never have won the NBA title during his illustrious career, but he certainly left his sizeable footprint on the game.
Nicknamed "the Mailman" for his consistency and his work in the post, Malone twice won the (NBA) Most Valuable Player award, while he is currently the second highest points scorer (36,928) in NBA history, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Next up for Olajuwon is the small forward position - with Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson earning their stripes.
Bird spent 13 years at the Boston Celtics between 1979-1992 where he picked up three NBA titles and numerous other accolades as part of the legendary triumvirate that also included center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale.
He was also named NBA MVP on three occasions and was included in 12 NBA All-Star teams.
Johnson meanwhile spent his entire career with the LA Lakers with whom he won five NBA titles after being the first pick in the 1979 draft. "Magic" won his first championship in a rookie season that also saw him pick up the NBA Finals MVP Award, and went on to become the games' all-time leader in assists per game, avergaing 11.2.
Inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2002, Johnson was named as the greatest point guard of all-time by ESPN in 2007, hence Olajuwon's decision to include him in his all-star cast, even in his less favoured position.
His next two picks will come as no suprise as "His Airness" Michael Jordan - argubaly the greatest ever - is chosen alongside LA Lakers' talisman Kobe Bryant for the shooting guard position. "Of course I have to pick these two," Olajuwon states.
And who can argue when you consider what these two men have done throughout their careers.
Jordan won six NBA championships during his career - all with the Chicago Bulls - and each time claimed the NBA Finals MVP award which is, unsurprisingly, a record. His #23 jersey became revered the world over as he played a pivotal role in the late 80s and early 90s of bringing the game global.
Having won his first "three-peat" in 1991, 1992 and 1993, Jordan decided to hang up his snickers, but a fter a brief daliance with baseball he returned arguably bigger and better to inspire the Bulls to yet another three successive titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. A phenomenon, the likes of which we may never see again.
Check out Jordan in action below during Games 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals against Utah Jazz - considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history. Fast forward to 4:17 for the shot that sent reverberations around the world!
545uzhj47zk
Bryant meanwhile, is the heir apparent to Jordan's throne having lit up the league over the past decade with his devastating array of skills. With five NBA titles under his belt with Jordan's former coach at the Bulls, the legendary Phil Jackson, Bryant has already etched his name in NBA folklore.
Named the NBA player of the 2000s, Bryant also achieved a remarkable feat in 2006 when scoring 81 points in a single game against the Toronto Raptors.
And finally, for the position of point guard Olajuwon has opted for the talents of Utah Jazz legend John Stockton and former Detriot Piston's ace Isiah Thomas.
Stockton is one of the NBA's greats who unfortunately never got their hands on an NBA title, lsoing two Finals to a Jordan-inspired Chicago Bulls in the mid-90s. A playmaker with an abundance of talent, Stockton holds the all-time record for the most career assists (15,806) by a margin of more than 4,000, as well as the record for most career steals (3,265).
Remarkable when you consider he was only the 16th pick in the 1984 draft!
Thomas meanwhile, was the heartbeat of the Detroit side - often referred to as the "Bad Boys" that picked up back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990 against the LA Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers respectively alongside the likes of Dennis Rodman and Vinnie Johnson.
Such was the impact he had in a 13-year career with Detroit, that the Pistons chose to retire his #11 jersey in his honour.
So there it is folks, Olajuwon's Dream Team, or rather Dream roster! Ten of the greatest exponents of the game in NBA history all jam-packed into one team.
http://www.sport360.com/component/content/article/95-all-features/3828-olajwon-reveals-his-greates-nba-team-of-all-time