He turned down Nike because they were going to price his shoes to high. He actually signed a deal during his playing days with Etonic because their shoes were reasonably priced.
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Its probably a marketing strategy to get you to buy the t-shirts and sweatshirts then when the polos and nicer apparel come out you buy that too. I had a conversation with the people at the bookstore in november and they said polos were not available or they would have ordered them.
I think the Hakeem does not get near enough the respect he deserves for how great he was. I think part of that is that he did not get near as much marketing as Jordan did. The NBA marketed Jordan to the moon and his shoes only helped in that.
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Most of that was Hakeem himself and his choices. His religion, beliefs etc played a role in how much he could market himself. He is World known to any Basketball aficionado that was at least a teenager in the 90âs. Jordan wanted to market himself whenever he could, that just wasnât HAKEEM imo.
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I couldnât disagree more with your first sentence. This seems to be consistent with Cougar victimhood or self loathing I see a lot here and on Facebook. Hakeem is very well respected. He was voted as 1 of the 50 greatest players of all time. Heâs in the Hall of Fame. He is consistently listed as one of the best centers of all time. He gets plenty of respect.
I promise you, everybody is NOT out to get us.
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Very well put. Thatâs the problem on here you never know if you are communicating with a 26 yr old or someone past their 50âs who experienced Akeem/Hakeem is his totality from time he played his first gm w UH through the late 90âs and all the glory he got through his playing career. Ask Bill Walton who was TV analyst for many of his Natâl gms or Marv Albert what they thought of Dream34. His legacy is well scripted in NBA circles. He didnât want to be in the limelight outside of the basketball court but he received plenty praise during and after his playing career.
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People in this thread are overestimating the desirability of a signature shoe from a post player. Thereâs a reason that every successful signature shoe-line to date (most significantly Jordans, Kobes, and LeBrons) has been created for a backcourt playerâtheyâre much more marketable to casual basketball players and fans.
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Hakeem was in the same draft and picked ahead of the greatest player of all time and almost no one thinks or ever says or said that the Rockets made a mistake. Thatâs some pretty legit respect.
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I donât think Hakeem is respected nationally as well as he should be to the casual fan. The debate about Hakeem always goes into well he wouldnât have won a championship if Jordan had not left the Bulls which I find ridiculous. Jordan said himself they had no answer for 34. There are plenty of fans that put Shaq over Hakeem which is also ridiculous. Hakeem was the best offensive skilled big man to play the game. No Center should be able to do what he could on the court with so much versatility. UH and Rockets fans know how good he is but sadly as time has passed I do not think NBA fans outside of Houston. I am 31 and very well aware of how good Hakeem was. I just think the fans that were not around when Olajuwon played donât fully understand how good he was.
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This is true. It all comes down to marketing for the casual fan and those from another city. Hakeem was never marketed the way backcourt players or even Shaq was, and never was a TV personality. On offense he had so much finesse, but letâs not forget that he sits quietly at the top of the all time shots blocked list. And itâs not even close. Oh , and he is also no. 8 on all time steals list. Donât worry, Iâm constantly reminding those not from Houston how great he was 
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The dream gets plenty of respect. Players go to him to learn how to play the post. Not Shaq or anyother great center that played during his era. Now if you want marketing you go to Jordan. Period.
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Hakeem played great defense! This block by 34 sums up his athleticism and defensive prowess!
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How about those 10 blocks against the Lakers during the 1990 playoffs. Just absolutely incredible!
He blocked shots from everyone: Magic, Worthy, Green, all of them.
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Could be a combination of players figuring out which shoes have the better grip and the court being properly treated.
Good. Remind away. When he retired he was a top ten all/time scorer, leader by far in blocked shots and tons of other categories. He was greatest center of all time and that was all done while he was being faithful to his religion and fasting during a stretch of every season⊠incredible.
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Is there a highlight of that performance on YouTube? If not someone needs to make one.
Yes, I just watched it on youtube. Try this:
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Probably the fastest guy off his feet that I have ever seen.
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There are a few highlight videos. I just felt like posting that quick one. I felt the clip I posted was a perfect example of how athletic Hakeem was. A center should not be able to chase down a guard from half court and block a layup into the stand. There are plenty of clips of him blocking people in the paint but a run-down block like that should not be possible with his size.
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