Back In The Day NBA

How David Robinson Motivated Hakeem Olajuwon In `95 Western Conference Finals

Shandel Richardson

Dec 16, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets former player and NBA Hall of Fame member Hakeem Olajuwon attempts a ceremonial free throw before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Dec 16, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets former player and NBA Hall of Fame member Hakeem Olajuwon attempts a ceremonial free throw before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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Motivation comes from a variety of factors in sports.

For NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon, it was San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson winning the regular season MVP in 1995. Olajuwon won a championship and the award the previous season but felt he needed to re-establish himself as the league's best center.

The opportunity arrived when Olajuwon's Houston Rockets faced the Spurs in the Western Conference finals. It started when Robinson received his MVP trophy at the start of the series.

"He won the MVP the first championship," former Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell said in a video posted online. "The next year, he came back and didn't have as good of a year. When that playoffs started, the (expletive) turned it up another notch."

D Robinson won MVP in front of Hakeem and he took it persona l@RunYourRace @tidalleague  #shorts#hakeemolajuwon#davidrobinson#foryoupage #viral

Posted by Notyouraverage_nba on Sunday, November 3, 2024

The Rockets won the series in six games but it was Olajuwon's dominance against Robinson that stood out. He averaged 35.3 points, 12.5 rebounds 4.2 blocks and five assists on 56 percent shooting. Clearly, Olajuwon took the matchup personally. After dispatching of the Spurs, the Rockets then won their second straight title against Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic.


"They gave that boy (Robinson) that trophy out there at midcourt before the game started," Maxwell said. "I could just look at his eyes. We didn't have to do nothing that series. Dream won (expletive) by himself. He hit David Robinson with so many up and unders and jump hooks and fades."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com