After leading the Chicago Bulls to a third-consecutive championship in 1993, Michael Jordan retired from the NBA. That meant the best player in the world was not in the league anymore, and someone had to take charge.
Based on what happened in the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1995, Hakeem Olajuwon took the baton and ran with it. He might not have won the regular season MVP, but he was the best player in the postseason for two consecutive years, leading the Houston Rockets to their first two championships in the NBA. As one of his teammates during that period, Sam Cassell was in awe of what Olajuwon was doing every game.
“When the lights came on opening night, I can’t believe what I witnessed. We played the Golden State Warriors, and I’ll never forget this. This man had 38, 14 rebounds, six blocks, seven assists, three steals. He was in every category, man. Leading every category,” Cassell said on The Draymond Green Show. “You gotta understand Michael Jordan’s retired now, Michael Jordan was gone. This the baddest dude in basketball offensively and defensively.”
Hakeem stood out in a group of elite centers
It was challenging to stand out as an elite center in the 1990s. Names like David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Shaquille O’Neal played at an elite level. However, Hakeem might have been the best out of them all. That is a massive achievement, considering how good the other centers were.
Hakeem was the most well-rounded player in the group because he was not just an elite scorer but also led the league in blocks. To this day, he still leads the NBA record books for having the most total blocks. He was also reliable as a leader because the Rockets had full faith in him to perform and lead the team to success.
Through his performance at the highest level, Hakeem and the Rockets won the championship twice in a row. It was a fantastic achievement because he proved he could lead Houston to the promised land, which other superstars could not do in the 1990s, the decade dominated by Michael Jordan. However, Cassell thinks the Rockets could have won even if Jordan stayed after 1993 .
Cassell got a fantastic introduction to the NBA
Since Cassell was drafted by the Rockets in 1993, he was immediately introduced to winning basketball in the regular season. He did not feel that during the pre-season, so he was surprised when Hakeem leveled up his performance in the first game of the regular season against Golden State.
Despite the high stakes, Cassell became one of the starters in the Houston rotation. He developed a strong reputation for being one of the clutch players on the team alongside Robert Horry.
However, he considers playing alongside Olajuwon one of the best parts of his career because he experienced immediate success. His significant role on the team made it even better because Hakeem and the rest of the team trusted him.
Related: “Dream is in Top 10 in every category” - Sam Cassell says Hakeem Olajuwon would dominate Nikola Jokic
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