Ten fun facts about Hakeem Olajuwon

Fact 1
Olajuwon did not play basketball until he was 15 years old.

Fact 2
He was an instant star in the National Basketball Association (NBA), showing stunning quickness and agility in his game.

Fact 3
He formed one half of Houston's formidable "Twin Towers" duo with 7'4" Ralph Sampson.

Fact 4
Olajuwon became the first player in NBA history to record at least 200 steals and 200 blocks in a season during 1988-89, and led the league with 14 rebounds and a staggering 4.6 blocks per game the following year.

Fact 5
Olajuwon became the first player in NBA history to win the Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season.

Fact 6
Having secured his U.S. citizenship, he won a gold medal with the 1996 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team. Soon afterward, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of a campaign to mark the league's 50-year anniversary.

Fact 7
He was named to the All-NBA First Team six times, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team five times.

Fact 8
After leaving the hardwood, Olajuwon reinvented himself as a successful real-estate dealer in Houston and became a instructor for NBA players seeking to improve their moves around the basket.

Fact 9
When not tending to business in Houston, he spends his time with his family at a home in Jordan, where he studies the Koran.

Fact 10
Olajuwon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, a fitting recognition to the career of one of the game's all-time greats.

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