The Dream is one of my favorite players of all time. Some of the readers here probably didn't have the opportunity to see him play because of their young age or whatnot. I remember vividly how he utterly destroyed the hapless David Robinson in the playoffs, making the league MVP look picayune. I would rank him above Shaq. Whilst Shaq was one of most dominant offensive players of all time, he wasn't intimidating on the defensive end, and wasn't reliable at the end of the game due to his poor free throw shooting. The Dream, on the other hand, could annihilate his opponents on both end of the floor.
The Dream had the total package. These stats aren't sexy like scoring titles, but from a basketball purist's point of view, they are mind-boggling.
# 2x Defensive Player of Year (1993, '94)
# Only player in NBA history to have won MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season (1994).
# One of the 4 players in NBA history to have ever recorded a quadruple-double.
# Olajuwon also won the rebounding and blocked shots titles in 1989-90, becoming the third player ever (after Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton) to lead the league in both categories during the same season.
# All-time leader in blocked shots.
# Olajuwon is also in the top ten in blocks, scoring, rebounding, and steals. He is the only player in NBA history placed in the top ten for all four categories.
# All-time NBA Playoffs leader in total blocks with 472 and blocks per game with 3.3 per game.
# Olajuwon ranks 7th all-time in steals and is by far the highest ranked center.
# In 1989, Olajuwon had 282 blocks and 218 steals, becoming the only NBA player to record over 200 blocks and 200 steals in a season.
# Olajuwon is one of few players to record more than 200 blocks and 100 steals in a season. As the all-time leader in this feat, he did it for 11 seasons.
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The Dream had the total package. These stats aren't sexy like scoring titles, but from a basketball purist's point of view, they are mind-boggling.
# 2x Defensive Player of Year (1993, '94)
# Only player in NBA history to have won MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season (1994).
# One of the 4 players in NBA history to have ever recorded a quadruple-double.
# Olajuwon also won the rebounding and blocked shots titles in 1989-90, becoming the third player ever (after Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton) to lead the league in both categories during the same season.
# All-time leader in blocked shots.
# Olajuwon is also in the top ten in blocks, scoring, rebounding, and steals. He is the only player in NBA history placed in the top ten for all four categories.
# All-time NBA Playoffs leader in total blocks with 472 and blocks per game with 3.3 per game.
# Olajuwon ranks 7th all-time in steals and is by far the highest ranked center.
# In 1989, Olajuwon had 282 blocks and 218 steals, becoming the only NBA player to record over 200 blocks and 200 steals in a season.
# Olajuwon is one of few players to record more than 200 blocks and 100 steals in a season. As the all-time leader in this feat, he did it for 11 seasons.