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Shaq Praises Hakeem For '95 Finals

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Rockets
By Max Gamarra | Last updated 9/26/23

When it comes to legendary championship matchups, it doesn't get much better than the 1995 NBA Finals when Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon, two of the best big men ever, battled it out.

The Houston Rockets swept the Orlando Magic in four games with Olajuwon winning Finals MVP in dominant fashion. O'Neal was just 23 years old and was in his third NBA season.

"Just him being one of the best ever," O'Neal said via Chron. "I realized that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best. That year we faced off, and the best won out. It just made me a much stronger competitor."

In the series, Olajuwon averaged 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals on 48.3% shooting from the field. O'Neal proved to be a worthy adversary, averaging 28.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.5 blocks and 0.3 steals on 59.5% shooting, but it wasn't enough to carry the Magic to victory.

It was the second straight year that Olajuwon had carried the Rockets to a championship, as the year before they defeated the New York Knicks in seven games.

O'Neal would go on to win four NBA championships in his career and has three Finals MVPs to his name. He won three straight NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999-2002 and then won his fourth and final ring with the Miami Heat in 2006.

Olajuwon and O'Neal are considered some of the best to ever play the sport. They were both named to the Hall of Fame and recently, to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team which recognized the top 75 players in NBA history.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Rockets and was syndicated with permission.

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