Do you long for some great throwback NBA and NCAA footage of superstars of the past featuring some of the game’s best players? Do you miss watching games in which the jump shot was an art form and not an afterthought? Longing to see some of the hardwood’s greatest grudge matches of teams wearing some of the league’s ugliest uniforms? If you are a fan of the game from back in the day, this is the series for you. Welcome to Vintage Video.
Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon was chosen as one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All-Time, and was arguably the game’s best defensive big man in the modern age. After all, the 12 time All Star and ‘93-’94 NBA MVP ranks 5th all time in total rebounds and #1 in blocks. On virtually a game-by-game basis he humiliated opponents by swatting their shots into the 5th row.
But on one occasion, during the 1994 NBA Playoffs between Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets and the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix point guard Kevin Johnson decided to turn the tables on Hakeem, by serving up one of the greatest facials and playoff dunks by a guard over a big man,…………..ever!
After getting a pass from “Thunder” Dan Majerle positioned in the post, Johnson drove the baseline, as everyone surely expected “KJ” to drop a dime at the rim to a hovering Charles Barkley. To everyone’s surprise, including Olajuwon, Johnson held on to the ball and rose up for a thunderous one-handed jam right in Hakeem’s grill, instantly becoming one of the all time best Playoff dunks in NBA history.
Of course, Olajuwon and his Rockets teammates got the best of the Suns in the series, and the rest of the NBA for that matter, by going on to win their first of 2 straight NBA Titles, while MJ was off attempting to beome a professional baseball player.
While “The Dream” was arguably the best player in the game at the time, the 6’1 pit bull of a point guard(Johnson) was a great player in his own right by making 3 All Star Game appearances and ranking 7th all time in assists per game at more than 9.1 per contest over his career. In my opinion, Johnson still ranks as one of the most underrated players of his generation. Kevin Johnson after retirement would later become the mayor of Sacramento, California.
Check out Kevin Johnson’s Facial on Olajuwon:
Check out Kevin Johnson describing Hakeem’s reaction and comments after the dunk:
In the end, don’t feel too bad for Olajuwon as he got his revenge:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
