Hakeem Olajuwon was born on 21 January 1963, in Lagos, Nigeria into a middle-class Yaruba family, and is a popular former basketball player. During his career, Hakeem has played for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. In both teams Olajuwon was considered to be one of the star players, and helped the teams to achieve success, including winning many tournaments. He was even included in the list of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
So just how rich is Hakeem Olajuwon? Hakeem’s net worth is estimated by sources to be $200 million, his wealth having been accumulated largely through his basketball career. When Hakeem’s career in the NBA ended, he began investing in real estate and gained a lot of money from that too. There is a high possibility that due to the investments in real estate Hakeem Olajuwon’s net worth will grow.
Hakeem Olajuwon Net Worth $200 Million
Hakeem started to play basketball when he was 15 years old; before that he was a soccer goalkeeper. Hakeem soon realized that basketball was the right sport for him. The desire to play basketball made him emmigrate to the United States, where he played in the team of the University of Houston. During this period Olajuwon improved his game and gained useful experience. Hakeem’s improved skills persuaded him to drop out of university, and he was fortunate that the Houston Rockets were able to draft him first in the 1984 NBA draft. Consequently, Hakeem’s net worth started to grow quickly.
Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson quickly became known as the Twin Towers in the NBA. While playing in the Houston Rockets, Hakeem was considered to be one of the leaders and added a lot to the team’s performance. Hakeem became even more popular when the Houston Rockets won NBA finals in 1994, and then again the following year, and Olajuwon himself won the Defensive Player of the Year award, season MVP and Finals MVP. The success of the team had a huge impact on the growth of Hakeem Olajuwon’s net worth.
In 2001, Hakeem left the Houston Rockets and became a part of the Toronto Raptors form one season. Although the experience in this team was short, it still added to Olajuwon’s net worth. What is more, Hakeem was the face for Spalding and L.A. Gear. He also opened Big Man Camp, where he shared the secrets of his game with young players.
Internationally, Olajuwon became a US citizen is 1993, which enabled hm to play for the US at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where the US won the gold medal.
During Hakeem’s career as a professional basketball player he had an opportunity to work with Yao Ming, Emeka Okafor, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Kenneth Faried and many others. His acheivements are really oustanding, apart from those already mentioned, he was 12 times selected to the All-Star team, five times the NBA All-Defensive team, and is the all-time leading scorer for the Houston Rockets. In 2008 Hakeem became a part of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and what is more, the Houston Rockets commisioned a sculpture of him to honour his achievements.
In his personal life, Hakeem Olajuwon imarried Dalia Asafi in1996 in Houston. – they have two daughters, Hakeem is not only a good basketball player but he is also a very generous person, who wants to help children to achieve their dreams through charitable donations, as he knows how important that is.
