“The only player that scared Jordan? He’s the great African”
Michael Jordan wasn’t afraid of many people on the pitch, he had the talent and the confidence to step on anyone… Finally, there was still a superstar who seriously worried number 23, and we don’t can only understand it.
In the imagination of all basketball fans, Michael Jordan is this unsinkable legend who never trembled in front of the slightest opponent. The Bulls’ No. 23 was sure of his abilities, and he never missed an opportunity to let his rivals know it with often acerbic trash-talking. And when we see his track record, we can only agree with him.
But in reality, MJ knew how to recognize the talent of others. For example, he has always proclaimed his love for Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, his elders in the league and the first major international superstars. This is also the reason why he was so happy to share the 1992 Olympic adventure with them.
Michael Jordan terrified of Hakeem Olajuwon!
What is too little said in the small world of the NBA, however, is that Michael Jordan was particularly afraid of a player, like all of his colleagues in fact… It was Robert Horry who admitted it during a conference a few years ago. Obviously, he saw the number 1 in his Draft class as an absolutely insolvable problem, and fortunately for his legend, they never crossed paths in the Finals:
If you ask Michael Jordan the only player he could do, he’ll say Hakeem Olajuwon. He used to call us and he always said: “I’m afraid of the big African.” Hakeem was born in Nigeria. He always said it.
Obviously, Michael Jordan feared the talent of Hakeem Olajuwon quite strongly!
And we can only understand it when we know that the Rockets pivot is perhaps the best defender of all time, and that he had a complex and complete offensive palette. Besides, the fact that no one is offended by the fact that he was selected before MJ during the 1984 Draft says a lot about his talent… Any normally constituted player was afraid of the Dream.
The namesake of the Dream Shake and of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Not many more iconic than Hakeem.
Happy #NBABDAYDream!
— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2023
Like any NBA player, Michael Jordan had a rival he feared quite seriously. It must be said that Hakeem Olajuwon was outstanding on an individual level, even if he was not well enough surrounded to challenge MJ in terms of titles.
