Hakeem Olajuwon is the Houston Rockets franchise all-time leader in steals.
The Houston Rockets are an iconic franchise who have produced a number of NBA greats throughout their 58-year history in the league. This list highlights the one player who has won a Defensive Player of the Year award while playing for the Rockets, Hakeem Olajuwon, which he accomplished in back-to-back seasons.
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1993, 1994
Olajuwon was one of the most dominant players of his era, as the Lagos, Nigeria native earned a myriad of accolades throughout his 18 years in the NBA. The Dream spent all but one of those seasons in Space City, where he was the first overall pick in the 1984 draft, suiting up for the Rockets from 1984 to 2001. Across 1,177 games there, Olajuwon averaged 22.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.1 blocks.
The 7-footer was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2008 and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021-22. Olajuwon was a 12-time All-Star, two-time rebounding champ, three-time blocks champ, two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, 12-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive, the 1993-94 MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. From the 2022-23 season, the NBA renamed the DPOY award to the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, signaling his importance and overall defensive excellence in the league’s history.
In the 1992-93 campaign, Olajuwon took home his first DPOY after posting 26.1 ppg, 13 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.8 spg and a league-leading 4.2 bpg. He recorded 72 double-doubles and 30 outings with five or more blocks in his 82 starts. Dream was even better the following year, as he won a second consecutive DPOY trophy in addition to winning his first and only league MVP honor. In 80 contests in 1993-94, Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.7 blocks, eventually leading Houston to the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship. He collected 63 double-doubles and one of his 14 career triple-doubles that season, registering 28 games with at least five swats.
