Hakeem Olajuwon reacts to NBA renaming Defensive Player of the Year Award after him

“Earlier this month, the NBA said its annual Defensive Player of the Year award would be renamed as The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy in honor of the Hall of Famer and former Houston Rockets center.”

Nigerian born “Olajuwon was a back-to-back winner of the NBA league’s Defensive Player of the Year award in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons, and he was named to the All-Defensive first team five times and second team four times. He is the league’s all-time leader in blocks (3,830) while ranking No. 9 in steals (2,162) and No. 14 in rebounds (13,748).”

Hakeem Olajuwon was courtside for @UHCougarMBK win over UCF: “I always enjoy watching them play. The energy, the effort. Every time I watch them play I’m inspired.” pic.twitter.com/AhSlY8t1R4

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 1, 2023

credit: Ben DuBose