| Celebrated Name: | Hakeem Olajuwon |
|---|---|
| Real Name/Full Name: | Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 58 years old |
| Birth Date: | 21 January 1963 |
| Birth Place: | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Nationality: | Nigerian, American |
| Height: | 2.13 m |
| Weight: | 116 kg |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | Dalia Asafi (m. 1996) |
| Children: | Yes (Abi Olajuwon, Rahmah Olajuwon, Aisha Olajuwon) |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): |
N/A |
| Profession: | American-Nigerian basketball player |
| Net Worth in 2024: | $230 Million |
| Last Updated: | December 2024 |
Formerly named Akeem Olajuwon, Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a world-famous basketball player of Nigerian-American descent. He was associated with Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors from 1984 to 2002 and played in the position center.
Maybe you know about Hakeem Olajuwon very well But do you know how old and tall is he, and what is his net worth in 2024? If you do not know, We have prepared this article about details of Hakeem Olajuwon’s short biography-wiki, career, professional life, personal life, today’s net worth, age, height, weight, and more facts. Well, if you’re ready, let’s start.
Early Life
Hakeem Olajuwon was born on January 21st, 1963, in Lagos, Nigeria. His parents Salim and Abike Olajuwon were cement business owners and had eight children together. From his very childhood, he was taught the benefits of hard work and discipline, which helped him throughout his career. As a teenager and child, he played soccer football, and it was not until 17, that he played basketball.
He emigrated to play under Coach Guy Lewis of Cougars at the University of Houston. His journey from Nigeria to America was based on a recommendation for his talents in basketball.
Personal Life
He is married to Dalia Asafi and has two daughters with her. He has another daughter with his previous wife, Lita Spencer, named Abisola Olajuwon.
He is a fluent multilingual having knowledge of English, French, Arabic, and Nigerian indigenous languages, Ekiti and Yoruba.
Age, Height, and Weight
Being born on 21 January 1963, Hakeem Olajuwon is 58 years old as of today’s date 26th December 2024. His height is 2.13 m tall, and his weight is 116 kg.
Career
When he visited the University of Houston, he was chosen to play for the university team and played for three years with them from 1981 to 1984. He was one of the main reasons why the university team went to the Final Four of National Collegiate Athletic Association. He was picked up in the 1984 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. He and the even taller 7ft 4 in Ralph Sampson were together known as the Twin Towers. The duo most famously was the reason that Houston Rockets were a part of the NBA Finals in 1986.
In 1988, Ralph Sampson was traded with Warriors, and that made Hakeem Olajuwon, the sole star player for the Houston Rockets. He kept his wonderful lone performance in the following five years from 1989 to 1993. In 1993, he also adopted American citizenship.
He was given the opportunity to join the US national team at the Olympics in 1996, and he grabbed the opportunity to be part of a gold medal-winning team. He joined the Toronto Raptors in 2001 and played in the same center position for both the teams. But a year later, in 2002, he retired from professional basketball career.
Awards and Achievement
He and Shaquille O’Neal are known to be the NBA’s best centers of all time. He has created many records among them is the winning of both Defensive Player of the Year award and Finals MVP awards during the season 1993-94. He remains the only player to do so in NBA history. He has led the Rockets to the NBA first team in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994 and 1997.
He also won an Olympic gold medal in 1996. His name still exists in the history of the NBA as one of the 50 greatest players. He is ranked at 13 by the SLAM Magazine’s 2009 issue on 50 greatest players of all time. ESPN ranked him at number 10 in the All-Time NBA rank in 2016.
Net Worth & Salary of Hakeem Olajuwon in 2024
As of December 2024, Hakeem Olajuwon has a net worth of $230 Million.
Hakeem Olajuwon has his position in the Basketball Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame, both as players. He is also one of the only four players in NBA history to have scored a quadruple-double. He has a tell-all autobiography written along with Peter Knobler in 1996 titled Living the Dream.