But I'd accept Kareem. And I'd consider Shaq depending on the offensive system.

I think that list overrates some recent players and some point guards. I also wouldn't put Rodman anywhere close to where he is. And I think some older big men have inflated rebound numbers that they couldn't get in a modern league.

How good Olajuwon was, especially in his prime.

His defense was light years better than Shaq, and he was just as good of a scorer as Shaq was in some instances, but worst case, he was a tick below.

Hell, Olajuwon was going toe to toe with him as a 32 year old while Shaq was in his first few years.

People need to go look at Olajuwon's stat line from the 1986 Western Conference Finals, going up against Worthy and Jabbar.

1986 WC Finals

Olajuwon averaged 31 Pts, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks a game.

There is no better "all around" center in NBA history, who combined Hakeem's scoring and defense. Some were better than him at one of those two, but never both at the same time.

His block record will never be touched. He averaged 3 blocks per game, over 1,200 games. No one will ever come close to that, ever. That's 246 blocks a season, for 14 straight seasons.

As some context, Gobert had 124 blocks, total, last year. Anthony Davis had 134, Brook Lopez had 149 and Whiteside had 187 blocks. Olajuwon averaged what amounted to 246 blocks a season for 14 straight seasons playing 82 games, over the course of his career.

1992-1996 Hakeem is better than 2000-2004 Shaq.

It's close offensively, but Hakeem smoked him on the defensive end.

But I think Olajuwon would particularly thrive in both today's NBA and yesterday's NBA, in addition to thriving in the rough-and-tumble 80s and 90s NBA. Young Hakeem could run up and down in a Warrior system and distribute the ball. The Rockets championship teams were running a modern three-point heavy offense during that physical era. But they were running it through Hakeem in the post.

Like LeBron, for instance he could take over a game when it required, as he did several times in the playoffs, but he was also a great passer with a feel for offense who made the players around him better.

TWICE!!

only 3 other guys did it once.

That alone is a very impressive stat

if you include turnovers.

He almost had two of them in one month (missed it by 1 rebound a few weeks prior to a quadruple double).


Other factoids. Lots of people have won back to back championships.

He's the only one in NBA history to be on a team that won back to back titles where he was the only All Star on the team that year.

The 93/94 and 94/95 Rockets had 1 All Star player both years, Olajuwon, that's it. And while they traded for Drexler, he wasn't an All Star in 94/95.

I would say, however, Otis Thorpe should have gotten more AS consideration than he did in 93/94.

Barkley and Malone, sure (although Barkley missed the game to injury). But Manning over Thorpe, I don't know. Cliff Robinson over Thorpe, I don't know. Kemp over Thorpe, it's closer than people think, I can see it, but there's an argument that Thorpe's 14 and 10 was AS worthy that year.