Legendary Houston Rockets Center Hakeem Olajuwon dominates HoopsHype newly released all-time list of the best international basketball players, and it was a unanimous selection.
The day after publication a list of the 78 best For the league as a whole (after the NBA’s 78th season), the HoopsHype staff performed the same exercise for international players.
“As always, we took FIBA’s accomplishments into account to some extent, but we placed much more weight on what players did competing against the best (i.e. in the NBA),” HoopsHype explains of the criteria.
As the unanimous choice of the voting panel, Olajuwon received 100 percent of the maximum amount possible. Regarding his case, HoopsHype writes:
Major honors: Two NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, six All-NBA First Team selections, 12 All-Stars, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive First Team selections, one Olympic gold medal
NBA ranking: 1st in blocks, 10th in steals, 13th in points scored, 14th in rebounds, 225th in assists
Although he eventually played for Team USA and won an Olympic gold medal with the red, white, and blue, Olajuwon was born and raised in Nigeria and even played for a Nigerian junior team at the All-Africa Games. Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic threatening his position in the future, Olajuwon remains a unanimous top pick for HoopsHype voters, who place him just outside the Top 10 in our own HoopsHype78 rankings.
The Dream was a complete player, with arguably the most unstoppable post-match game thanks to his speed and athleticism, as well as his unpredictable moves. He was also an elite defender, with incredible counter-attack prowess. The international GOAT.
Other players with Houston ties on the international roster include Dikembe Mutombo (No. 10), Yao Ming (No. 16), Luis Scola (No. 28), Goran Dragic (No. 30), Steven Adams (No. 52), Clint Capela (No. 53), Dennis Schröder (No. 54), Nene (No. 57) and Samuel Dalembert (No. 76).
HoopsHype’s Complete International Rankings can be viewed here.
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This article was originally published on Rockets Wire: Hakeem Olajuwon unanimously voted best international player of all time