KD invited Hakeem Olajuwon to The Boardroom

Shortly after the Houston Rockets traded for Kevin Durant, I offered my opinion on how the Rockets who are a part of the NBA’s top 75 should be ranked. To the surprise of many, before KD played a single game in a Rockets uniform, I ranked him 2nd behind only the G.O.A.T Hakeem Olajuwon. Just five months later, Kevin Durant serendipitously invited Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon to the “Boardroom” aka his internet series / podcast, in order to give the greatest player in Rockets history his flowers and to pick his brain a bit about the game of basketball.

The first thing that jumps out immediately when you watch this conversation between two NBA legends, is the reverence they hold for one another. Kevin opens the conversation immediately pouring over the 2x NBA Finals MVP and all-time blocks leader.

“Man, it’s just a true honor to be in your presence… you’re like a beacon, you’re a legend. What you brought not just to sports… but the world in general. Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the greatest basketball players to ever walk this earth.” For Dream, the feeling was mutual. “It’s an honor for me, someone of your caliber in today’s game… to appreciate my talents… that means a lot to me.”

Kevin took the opportunity to ask Hakeem about his start in basketball which Dream would not possibly have been able to explain in just the 20-25 minutes they spoke in this interview, but Dream was able to share with him about how his competitiveness began with the sport of soccer and eventually in high school, due to the fact that he was a foot taller than everyone else his age, he was introduced to basketball.

Hakeem was able regale stories of the legendary open runs at Houston’s Fonde Center where he learned the game from fellow Rockets legend Moses Malone. He was able to talk about the joy of playing in back-to-back NCAA Final Four appearances, back-to-back NCAA Title games, and heartbreak of losing both of those title games. The talked about the alternate universe where Dream could have played with Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan in Houston. They talked about Dream’s early success with the Rockets, the challenge of the lean years in-between before getting to the Golden Era of Rockets basketball with back-to-back championships.

The refreshing part of the conversation was that when Kevin asked Dream how he felt about the state of the game today, Hakeem had absolutely nothing negative to say. He highlighted the differences in their eras, but there was no weird energy toward this generation of players from Hakeem. In fact, at moments, Hakeem seems to express some envy over the open style of play today that closer resembles how he used to play in those runs at the Fonde Center. One of the coolest parts of the episode is seeing Dream and KD in the gym working on Hakeem’s patented spin move and breaking down the minute details of moves they both make look like second nature.

Probably my favorite part of the interview came near the end. Kevin began to speak on his current time here in H-Town. “I’m loving being here with the Rockets… every time I go in the arena, and I see the retired jerseys, it makes me go harder. I feel like if I put in enough work maybe I can be up there with y’all one day. For Rockets fans, we would love to see that as well, because if KD finds his jersey in the rafters at Toyota Center when it’s all said and done, that means that the Rockets will have accomplished big things while the Slim Reaper donned Rockets red.

All in all my TDS faithful, we are so fortunate to be fans of a team that can boast having been the home of 12 of the NBA’s to 75 players in the history of the league, none better that Kevin Durant and Hakeem Olajuwon. Both players have represented the city and the franchise with the utmost grace, and in the case of our G.O.A.T. Hakeem, with the utmost humility. It should make us proud to see our favorites on the big stage bringing even more pride to and already pride rich city and franchise.

(To learn even more about Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon’s journey, check out my interview with Mirin Fader, who wrote Hakeem’s latest biography “Dream - The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon”)