Biography of Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon was raised in Nigeria, a country in Africa. Hakeem had never stepped on a basketball court until he was 17 years old, and the head of the Nigerian basketball team urged him to give the sport a try. The very first shot he took missed the hoop totally, so did the second shot, and his third shot was an air ball as well.
Hakeem had lots to learn about American basketball. Coach Guy Lewis said " He just flat out didn't know how to play." Before he could learn how to play, he had to get in shape. In practice he got tired after 2 or 3 minutes and after he dunked the ball his back hurt so badly he had to stop playing. Coach Lewis said Olajuwon had to strecth before he plays in practices or games. " I didn't know about this stretching," said Olajuwon, but when he strecthed before practice his back problems disappeared.
Hakeem got a scholarship at University of Houston and played for the Houston Cougars. Fans called the Houston Cougars " The Slamma Jammas" because of the way its players slammed and jammed the ball through the hoop. No team in college basketball dunked the ball like the Cougars. Once Hakeem started to play, he realized that being tall is a big advantage.
The University of Houston, ranked number 1, met the University of Louisville, ranked number 2, in the semifinals of the 1983 NCAA playoffs. At the half the Louisville Cardinals was leading 41-36. Houston had 14 dunks before the game ended in a 94-81 with the Cougars coming out on top. Hakeem had an awesome game, he had 21 points, 22 rebounds, and 8 shots blocked. By the spring of 1983 Hakeem was recognized as one of the finest shot blockers and dunkers in college basketball.
NBA star Mosses Malone practiced basketball with Hakeem at the gym in Houston. Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown University Hoyas met the University of Houston in the 1984 NCAA finals. Hakeem led the Cougars to two NCAA finials and was the number one pick in the 1984 NBA draft. Ralph Sampson was the center for the Houston Rockets until Hakeem joined the team. Bill Flinch was Olajuwon's first coach in the NBA.
Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway is a gifted guard whose shooting, passing and athletic abilities earned him a spot on the All-NBA First Team and who helped the Magic reach the NBA Finals in 1995, only his second season in the league. The 6-7 Hardaway combines height, ballhandling and an accurate outside stroke into an exciting all-around game, although his scoring tailed off in his final two seasons with Orlando and he was traded to Phoenix prior to the 1999-2000 season. A native of Memphis, Tennessee Hardaway always seemed destined for roundball success. He was Parade magazine's National High School Player of the Year in 1990, when as a prep senior he averaged 36.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.3 steals, and 2.8 blocks. He chose to attend nearby Memphis State (now the University of Memphis) but had to sit out 1990-91 in order to become academically eligible. Hardaway, who achieved a 3.4 cumulative grade point average in college, ripped up the Great Midwestern Conference for two seasons. As a junior in 1992-93 he averaged 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists; shot .477 from the field; recorded 2 triple-doubles; and set a school single-season record for points with 729. He was named conference Player of the Year, a First-Team All-American, and a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards. The Orlando Magic, who had secured Shaquille O'Neal with the No. 1 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, won the NBA Draft Lottery again in 1993. The team took Michigan's Chris Webber with the No.
Some player's wish of winning a NBA Title but 'Larry Legend' won 3. Being the 5th overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft Larry Bird played 13 seasons as a Boston Celtic, winning 3 NBA Championships in 1981, '84, and '86. He was Finals MVP twice in 1984, and '86, NBA MVP 3 straight years in 1984, ?85, and ?86, NBA All- Star for 9 straight years 1980- '89, elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1998, Nine- time All NBA 1st Team 1980- '88, and Olympic Gold Medalist in 1992 with the 'Dream Team'.
He was also selected to be an NBA all-star as he averaged 30 to 40 points per game. While when it came to Michael’s second year in the NBA he broke his foot early in the season and was forced to sit out. While having his year off from the game, he decided to go back to school to finish his final year of college. His 3rd year wasn’t all so great either as the Bulls had another losing season, but they still made it to the playoffs. Michael would also score 63 points to set an NBA playoffs record.
In spring of 1991, the University of Michigan signed what was arguably the best recruiting class in the history of college basketball. Coach Steve Fisher signed five of the nation's top prospects - Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. Webber and Rose were childhood friends from Detroit who turned into McDonald's All Americans. The 6'9" power forward, Webber, was regarded as the number one player in the nation. Rose was a tall guard standing 6'7", who played like a young Magic Johnson. Howard, another McDonald's All American, was a multi-talented forward from Chicago. Texas natives King and Jackson capped off the Fab Five Freshman. While Jackson was an incredible defensive player, King was a super athletic guard [Wieberg].
Everybody had high expectations about him, they were seeing in him a new leader, a new beginning for the Pistons. He didn’t prove anybody wrong. He started at the 1995 all-star game after becoming the first rookie ever to lead all players in fan voting. Along with Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, were co-voted as the Rookie Players of the Year. In the next four seasons, he started in all all-star games and averaged 23.2 Points Per Game, 7.6 Rebounds Per Game and 6.7 Assist Per Game.
Reggie Harding was the first high school player to make the jump from high school to the NBA, and he did this in 1963. He spent five mediocre seasons in the NBA and was never the special player that people thought he would have been. Since then, there have been around 40 high school players who have decided to skip college and declare for the NBA draft. The bulk of these players have come within the last seven to ten years. Out of these forty or so players, no more than ten have had a successful career. Last year seven high school players entered the NBA draft, and only one of those seven had a successful first season, and that was Lebron James (Smith).
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. As a freshman in college, he was a member of the Tar Heels’ national championship team in 1982. Jordan was drafted as the 3rd overall draft pick by the Chicago bulls just two years later. He quickly attracted
few minutes later in the game. They Timberwolves later went on to lose this game at a final
...r_stats.html). Ray Allen was drafted out of Connecticut by the Seattle Supersonics in the 96-97 season. He started81 games and played 82 games, and in that season he averaged 13.4 points per game ("NBA.com." Web. 11 Jan 2010. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ray_allen/carrer_stats.html). Kevin Durrant was drafted out of Texas by the Seattle Supersonics in the 07-08 season. He started 82 games and played 82 games, and in his rookie season he averaged 20.3 points per game. ("NBA.com." Web. 11 Jan 2010. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_durrant/carrer_stats.html). Michael Jordan was drafted out of North Carolina by the Chicago Bulls in the 84-85 season. He started 82 games and played in 82 games, during his rookie year he averaged 28.2 points per game ("Basketball-Refrence.com." Web. 11 Jan 2010. http://www.basketball-refrence.com/players/j/jordanmi01.html).
In his first season with the Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan averaged 28 points a game and voted to the All-Star game, because of all the attention Jordan received his teammates refused to pass him the ball. Instead of letting the freeze-out during the All-Star game deter him he went on to win Rookie of the Year. The following season he would break his foot causing him to miss the rest of the regular season. He would return for the playoffs where in the second game of the series against the Boston Celtics he set the record for most points in a playoff game with 63; however the Celtics would win the series and would later on lose to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before Shaq was a Bigman for the NBA, he played Bigman for high school and college. In high school, he was 6’9 and in college he was 7’1 so he was dominant in high school and college as well as the NBA. He went to high school at obi wan kanobi High School in San Antonio, California, he would play pickup basketball sometimes and in his one on one record he went undefeated
He then won another Championship beating the Sonics as his 4th. He also was the star in the movie Space Jam. The next year he scored an average of 30.4 points per game with 72-82 record that season and won his 5th championship against Utah Jazz. He again won the same as the following year 1997-1998 winning again to make his 6th and final championship. He then joined the Washington wizards. Then, he retired from basketball (Biography.com Editors.).
It was not until the year 2002 that the NBA was able to find someone to match Jordan’s dazzling acrobatic style of play. His name is Lebron James. Lebron, who plays shooting guard and small forward, stands at an athletic six-eight. James, however, never played in the NCAA. He was drafted straight out of high school in the 2003-04 season, by the Cleveland Cavaliers. James is already on the road to success by achieving co-rookie of the year, and he appeared in the Olympics. James is expected to be a champion, but he may not have what it takes to become a real champion such as Michael Jordan was. Before Jordan or James can be categorized as a champion, they have to be able to handle pressure, fame, and maintain a positive relationship with their team. When comparing Jordan and James’ clutch capabilities, or their ab...
The NBA is well known for the number of amazing professional athletes it has had over the years. Some of the most gifted and talented individuals come through the NBA and one of the better-known superstars is none other than Kobe Bryant. For years people have wondered what makes Bryant so successful. The main contributors that lead to Kobe Bryant’s success is his hard work and dedication, his mindset, his natural ability’s and talent, and the people that have helped him throughout his life. Kobe Bryant was very successful in the NBA because of the amount of hard work he has put in, the people in his life, his relentless determination and his god given natural abilities.
Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan's family moved to moved to Wilmington, North Carolina while he was young along with his three siblings. He attended Ogden Elementary School, and later Trask Junior High School. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball ("Michael Jordan" Wikipedia). When jordan was twelve, he played with his local baseball team called the Babe Ruth All-stars. Jordan helped his team win there championship (Mattern 79). As A freshman at Laney, Jordan was cut from the varsity team and was reduced to playin junior varsity. His sophmore year he was cut from the varsity team once again, but this time, his best friend Leroy Smith, made the team. When Michael found out he did not make the team, he said: