Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon is considered one of the best centers playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). While most of his teammates and rivals got involved with the sport in grade school, Olajuwan didn't play the game until his senior year in high school. Basketball was almost unknown in Olajuwon's homeland of Nigeria, Africa, and he did not come to the United States until he entered college at the University of Houston. He took his place among the game's great players when he was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player following the 1993-94 season and led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships.

Olajuwon was born January 21, 1963, in Lagos, Nigeria. His parents, Salaam and Abike Olajuwon, owned a concrete business in Lagos. Olajuwon was their third child, and he has four brothers and one sister. The name Hakeem means "doctor" or "wise one," and Olajuwon means "being on...