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Hakeem Olajuwon among several Houston Rockets in first 25 players unveiled as the ‘NBA 75′

19 Jun 1994: HOUSTON ROCKETS OTIS THORPE AND HAKEEM OLAJUWON EXCHANGE HIGH FIVES AS THE MINUTES CLOSE DOWN IN THEIR 86-84 GAME 6 VICTORY OVER THE NEW YORK KNICKS IN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS. THE ROCKET''S WIN FORCES A GAME 7 ON WEDNESDAY IN HOUSTON. (Getty Images, Getty Images)

Hakeem Olajuwon was one of a host of former Houston Rockets in the first third of players unveiled by the NBA as the 75 greatest players in league history.

The NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary with this upcoming season that begins on Tuesday evening. The plan is to unveil 25 players a day from Tuesday through Thursday.

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Tuesday’s list included Olajuwon, who helped lead the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Olajuwon wasn’t alone in making the all-time list. The unveiled 25 also includes former UH and Rockets legend Elvin Hayes, who also spent time as a KPRC 2 sports analyst. Another basketball big man and former Rocket, Moses Malone, made the list - Malone helped lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981. Charles Barkley, one of Olajuwon’s Rockets teammates in the latter part of the 1990′s -- he was part of Tuesday’s list as well.

Former Rockets star and former league MVP James Harden was among the contemporaries who made the list, along with former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant. Former Rockets head coach Kevin McHale, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for his playing exploits in 1999, is also in the Tuesday 25.


About the Author
Howard Chen headshot

Born in Canada but raised in Houston, Howard joined KPRC 2 in 2021 after five years at ESPN. Before that, Howard was a reporter on Houston Rockets and Houston Astros game broadcasts. Among the events that Howard has covered on site: the NBA bubble and the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions for both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. He's H-town proud!

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