European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse A wednesday May 19, 1993 sports the stars and stripes Page s3 % in no for Fame by Michael Knisley the sporting news a i dropped him off at his House the other Day a says Rollins about his Houston rockets teammate drop pc roller Hakeem Olajuwon. ,. A it was his first time Over there and i was expecting some big mansion. I go in and its two bedrooms. Its just a Little Beach House. So i asked him about it and he said a i keep it i asked him Why he Hadnot built the other part of his Home and he said a i done to need it right he wants to keep it simple. He wants to see his House completed but he has to keep association analysis % reminding himself to keep things maybe that a Why a National basketball championship does no to seem so1 important to Olajuwon either. Maybe he just does no to need it right now. But he will. Someday if he wants to Sec his career completed hell have to remind himself to win the title. Of course Olajuwon wants a championship As badly As most players in the league want one. That the rockets Are coming closer this season than they have since 1987, the last time they advanced past the first round of the playoffs helps make him a Happy Man. But his drive to a title Isnit a Mission As Michael Jordan a was until the bulls won in 1991, As Julius Ervings was until the mixers won in 1983. Despite ave Mything he has done in the game to Date a and his body of work already is considerable a a title is the missing link keeping him on this Side of basketball forever Ness. So Why does no to that seem to matter to him Why is a picture of Hakeem kissing the championship trophy a pose that captured a tearful Jordan for All time two seasons Back so difficult to imagine a a successful career is not just based on Aba championships a says Olajuwon whose Devotion to islam has intensified in the last few years. A i look at a career As a whole from your Rookie year to the time you retire. A if you have a successful career it goes beyond just winning. You look at a career from a business Point of View a you know a business career. This is my business. You look at your Money management How you help your Community what you do when you retire How you go out. Are you a successful pro you can to base everything on the championship. That s just one Butita a the final aspect. Olajuwon just finishing up a season that brings him to the Brink of the legends of the game is that one final aspect away from the russells the chamberlains and the Jab bars. Its a truth o. The lore of the Aba the great ones get a Little greater when they win the title. Fair or not the distinction gets made. There is a Dit for Cnoc Between the Best players in the game and the Best players in the game who never win a championship. Its the difference Between say Bill Russell and Bob Lanier. Russell won 11 titles Lanier who averaged five Points More per game Over the course of his career won none. There Are 58 former Aba players in the basketball Hall of Fame. Only 16 of them made it to Springfield mass., without an Aba championship. A Shakeem has always been a very Good and talented player Quot says Lanier one of those 16 and now a spokes a Man for the leagues stay in school program. A but to me he a never made the difference Between the Good and the treat until this year. This year i think he a risen to that Evel. Now he has to sustain it for a few years and it would be helpful to him if they get a sincere shot at a title. A if he does no to it hurts him from an exposure level. That a the last thing that really legitimizes this is Olajuwon a ninth year in the league. It s also his Best year in the league the year that brought him to the Foothills of the games mountains. He crunched the numbers this season As he a never crunched them before and he crunched enough of them before to be a seven time All Star. He made it eight in february and then capped off this Best of times last week by being named a bad a defensive player of the year. During the 1992-93 season Olajuwon averaged Points per game fourth in the league13.0 rebounds per game fourth and 4.17 blocked shots per game first for the third Tim and he was the Only Center in the top 20 in steals with 150 13th. His 291 assists were 57 More than his previous career High. On top of his first eight very impressive seasons those Are legendary numbers. But they Arentt Russell numbers or Chamberlain numbers or Jabbar numbers yet because he Hasni to done what they did 19 times among them. He Hasni to won a title. E Houston Center Hakeem Olajuwon does no to see an Aba championship As an end All to a successful career. A i love the Guy a Seattle coach George Karl says. A i said All along he a the second Best player in the world and i never thought anyone would even get close to Michael. I honestly think if he would do what he did this season and then compete to win a championship that people would Start thinking of him like that. A but if he never wins a title i think it hurts him. I done to think there a any question that the great ones the ones who Are thought of with reverence have to win a title. I actually think Hakeem has As much influence on the game of basketball when i coach against his team than any player in the league. A even Michael. But there a a Confidence in Michael a a sense that he a going to win a that 1 done to think Hakeem is giving to if it sounds like Karl is picking nits maybe nits Are All that separate the greats from the greatest in the Aba. In truth Olajuwon is one of the games most competitive players with one of the games most impressive work ethics. He never quits and he never quits trying to get better. Every of season he picks an element of the game that needs work and commits himself to improving it. Last summer his jump shot was the subject and the Woric paid off with a regular season Field goal percentage of 52.9, which ranked 13th in the league and is his Best since his Rookie year in 1984-85. This summer the dribble drive get specie attention. A i want to work More on Rny Ball Hanun so i can be More effective penetrating and dishing Oil says. A with Ball handling the More you wort on it the better you get and the More Corr. Right. Quot you Fin to Vai get now ill put the Ball on the floor . I be got pick it up. i see people around i it up. I it to be Able to put it on the floor and s .11 h a Cordroy to to yet m when i see people around. I a and feel comfortable with 11 the playoff it when screw to a., extra couple of turns and scoring Rodmell \ do a 01 a jul Wori is As Hea led up. Through the first nine games of the Pom so a ton numbers were up by 1.2 Points a x.7. I Post at Ige and 1.1 rebounds 14.1 Over in a Tor. A tics even As the rockets were k i fewer . Per game than the 104 they averaged the year. Voith the exception of the end of la St the a a h a was in a contract with team owner f Nomas his attitude has been. Well a dream. Early Tea year when he was still fighting the have done to rocke1 the in do a a h h -1 a. B e a it f m hat l from 1 /v5 mro. Quot j j t r 1 Mon Tom if he i a t . S m �a.-. A a it a a a a m Quot r � be 1 to real sex a re. At vie Rof in at ,. A r the i ass o i / v a r s. A 4 of. K n 7. J
