Inside The Rockets

Former NBA All-Star Slams Rockets Legend: 'Nobody Wants the Hakeem Olajuwon Sky Hook'

“Nobody wants the Hakeem Olajuwon sky hook,” Gilbert Arenas said on his Gil’s Arena podcast earlier this week.

Jeremy Brener

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Houston Rockets icon Hakeem Olajuwon is one of the most respected people in NBA circles, and he's remained a big part of the basketball community.

He's helped pay it forward to numerous players, including Rockets big men Yao Ming, Dwight Howard and Alperen Sengun, among others.

Hakeem is looking to spread his wings and train players outside of the Rockets organization, including Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokoumpo ... but as one of the greatest players in NBA history, he comes with a high rate, one that former NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas doesn't agree with.

Houston Rockets legend recognized at a Houston Cougars basketball game.
Houston Rockets legend recognized at a Houston Cougars basketball game

“Nobody wants the Hakeem Olajuwon sky hook,” Arenas said on his Gil’s Arena podcast earlier this week. “Nobody wants none of that s–t. …You should be ashamed of yourself, charging these young whippersnappers $50,000. When you came in the league in 1984, you wasn’t even making $50,000 a game. You’re trying to make your month back through the youth! Do not charge these boys 50 f-----g grand for that bull----. He ain’t been good since the ’90s. That means all the moves from the 2000s, he don’t know. 2010s, he don’t know. 2020s, he don’t know. Who the f— you gonna do the moves on? Wembanyama?”

While the league is very different today compared to when Hakeem was playing, he still has tools that can help some of the game's best today. Whether or not someone would pay $50,000 for a Hakeem lesson is their choice, but it's clear that Arenas won't be training with Olajuwon anytime soon.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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