Olajuwon vs Adetokunbo: Greatest Ethnic Nigerian Player Ever?

[righterwriter]

Two Yoruba Kings... Hakeem 'The Dream' Olajuwon & Giannis 'Greak Freak' Adetokunbo?

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**NBA agents scrambling to google "how to find the "Yoruba tribe"**

[NZB2323]

Giannis at age 26 > Hakeem at age 26

Hakeem’s career > Giannis’s career

What if I told you that 23 year old Hakeem beat the defending champion showtime Lakers that had Magic, Kareem, and Worthy, and then took the Bird Celtics to 6 games in the finals? Would that change your opinion?

23 year old Hakeem averaged 31 points 11 rebounds 2 assists 2 steals and 4 blocks in the WCF against the defending champion Lakers. And not only did he lead the Rockets to victory, he did it in 5 games. Hakeem didn't really hit his prime until the early 90s. But he was an absolute force the minute his career started. If he had gotten a Pippen level teammate early on Jordan's legacy might look really different.

Yeah, and that’s amazing, but Ralph Sampson was also great and Kareem was 38 that season. When Hakeem was 26 he didn’t have 2 MVPs, a record for highest PER in a season, a championship, and a finals MVP for averaging 35, 15, and 5 on 62% from the field while shooting 85 free throws and making 56 of them.

[dhsilv2]

Hakeem is the better shooter, passer, defender and a more well rounded offensive player. Giannis has a long way to go before he catches up.

Good lord...when Hakeem was a better defender (late 80's) he was a black hole on offense who barely ever even tried to pass, let alone was good at it. By the time his passing game to the point it was a SERIOUS weakness...his defense wasn't at Giannis's current level. Hakeem was never a better passer.

[gmoney411]

Giannis at age 26 > Hakeem at age 26

Hakeem’s career > Giannis’s career

What if I told you that 23 year old Hakeem beat the defending champion showtime Lakers that had Magic, Kareem, and Worthy, and then took the Bird Celtics to 6 games in the finals? Would that change your opinion?

23 year old Hakeem averaged 31 points 11 rebounds 2 assists 2 steals and 4 blocks in the WCF against the defending champion Lakers. And not only did he lead the Rockets to victory, he did it in 5 games. Hakeem didn't really hit his prime until the early 90s. But he was an absolute force the minute his career started. If he had gotten a Pippen level teammate early on Jordan's legacy might look really different.

Yeah, and that’s amazing, but Ralph Sampson was also great and Kareem was 38 that season. When Hakeem was 26 he didn’t have 2 MVPs, a record for highest PER in a season, a championship, and a finals MVP for averaging 35, 15, and 5 on 62% from the field while shooting 85 free throws and making 56 of them.

He didn't have all those accolades but he also didn't have good teammates at the age of 26 and was playing in a league with Jordan, Bird, and Magic. Nash
has more MVPs than Shaq and Kobe. Hakeem got it done when had good teammates. Unfortunately he rarely had them for most of his career.

[gmoney411]

Hakeem is the better shooter, passer, defender and a more well rounded offensive player. Giannis has a long way to go before he catches up.

Good lord...when Hakeem was a better defender (late 80's) he was a black hole on offense who barely ever even tried to pass, let alone was good at it. By the time his passing game to the point it was a SERIOUS weakness...his defense wasn't at Giannis's current level. Hakeem was never a better passer.

I already addressed the passing part earlier in this thread and you are right. Not really sure what you are talking about when it comes to defense though. Dream was still a great defender in the 90s and won DPOY back to back in 93 & 94.

[EArl]

Giannis would need to win either back to back or three to surpass the Hakeem.

[Woodsanity]

Giannis isnt there yet but when his career ends very good chance he could catch Olajuwon. Can't believe I am saying this.

[theforumblue]

what a very specific and situational last name.

[dhsilv2]

Hakeem is the better shooter, passer, defender and a more well rounded offensive player. Giannis has a long way to go before he catches up.

Good lord...when Hakeem was a better defender (late 80's) he was a black hole on offense who barely ever even tried to pass, let alone was good at it. By the time his passing game to the point it was a SERIOUS weakness...his defense wasn't at Giannis's current level. Hakeem was never a better passer.

I already addressed the passing part earlier in this thread and you are right. Not really sure what you are talking about when it comes to defense though. Dream was still a great defender in the 90s and won DPOY back to back in 93 & 94.

The DPOY award is one of the worst awards in sports in terms of getting it right. Dream should have won multiple awards in the late 80's, but by 93 and 94 Dream's defense had come down to earth. he was still great, but he wasn't nearly as good as he'd been before.

Giannis now or Hakeem 94 or 95 are pretty darn similar and if anything I might give a small edge to Giannis but splitting hairs. ~89 Hakeem....that was a clear better defender.

[gmoney411]

Good lord...when Hakeem was a better defender (late 80's) he was a black hole on offense who barely ever even tried to pass, let alone was good at it. By the time his passing game to the point it was a SERIOUS weakness...his defense wasn't at Giannis's current level. Hakeem was never a better passer.

I already addressed the passing part earlier in this thread and you are right. Not really sure what you are talking about when it comes to defense though. Dream was still a great defender in the 90s and won DPOY back to back in 93 & 94.

The DPOY award is one of the worst awards in sports in terms of getting it right. Dream should have won multiple awards in the late 80's, but by 93 and 94 Dream's defense had come down to earth. he was still great, but he wasn't nearly as good as he'd been before.

Giannis now or Hakeem 94 or 95 are pretty darn similar and if anything I might give a small edge to Giannis but splitting hairs. ~89 Hakeem....that was a clear better defender.

What made Hakeem a better defender in 89?

[dhsilv2]

I already addressed the passing part earlier in this thread and you are right. Not really sure what you are talking about when it comes to defense though. Dream was still a great defender in the 90s and won DPOY back to back in 93 & 94.

The DPOY award is one of the worst awards in sports in terms of getting it right. Dream should have won multiple awards in the late 80's, but by 93 and 94 Dream's defense had come down to earth. he was still great, but he wasn't nearly as good as he'd been before.

Giannis now or Hakeem 94 or 95 are pretty darn similar and if anything I might give a small edge to Giannis but splitting hairs. ~89 Hakeem....that was a clear better defender.

What made Hakeem a better defender in 89?

He was younger? Most guys are better defenders in their 20's than 30's. Only the freaks like Duncan who just master possitional advantages and learn to defend while standing in place have really ever been able to sustain their defensive value and even then, Duncan dropped off in his 30's. I mean again, I'm still saying he's on par with Giannis who's one of the best defenders on the planet earth...this isn't like he fell off a cliff.

[Harry Garris]

I think you're confusing ethnicity and race. Giannis' race is Nigerian. Ethnically he is more Greek than Nigerian, as ethnicity speaks to the social group that you grew up in and the customs and culture that you are familiar with.

[gmoney411]

The DPOY award is one of the worst awards in sports in terms of getting it right. Dream should have won multiple awards in the late 80's, but by 93 and 94 Dream's defense had come down to earth. he was still great, but he wasn't nearly as good as he'd been before.

Giannis now or Hakeem 94 or 95 are pretty darn similar and if anything I might give a small edge to Giannis but splitting hairs. ~89 Hakeem....that was a clear better defender.

What made Hakeem a better defender in 89?

He was younger? Most guys are better defenders in their 20's than 30's. Only the freaks like Duncan who just master possitional advantages and learn to defend while standing in place have really ever been able to sustain their defensive value and even then, Duncan dropped off in his 30's. I mean again, I'm still saying he's on par with Giannis who's one of the best defenders on the planet earth...this isn't like he fell off a cliff.

This is a very non answer. Hakeem was only 30 and 31 in 93 and 94. If you are going to say Dream was clearly a better defender in 89 you should be able to explain why and not just rely on him being younger with no explanation as to how age had made him worse.

[og15]

Easily Hakeem. Giannis has time, so it depends on what happens next.

[dhsilv2]

What made Hakeem a better defender in 89?

He was younger? Most guys are better defenders in their 20's than 30's. Only the freaks like Duncan who just master possitional advantages and learn to defend while standing in place have really ever been able to sustain their defensive value and even then, Duncan dropped off in his 30's. I mean again, I'm still saying he's on par with Giannis who's one of the best defenders on the planet earth...this isn't like he fell off a cliff.

This is a very non answer. Hakeem was only 30 and 31 in 93 and 94. If you are going to say Dream was clearly a better defender in 89 you should be able to explain why and not just rely on him being younger with no explanation as to how age had made him worse.

The same way it worked for everyone else. He was faster, quicker, had a better motor, etc...guys peak athletically at the latest by around 28 and most it's more like 26.

[gmoney411]

I think you're confusing ethnicity and race. Giannis' race is Nigerian. Ethnically he is more Greek than Nigerian, as ethnicity speaks to the social group that you grew up in and the customs and culture that you are familiar with.

Are you sure about that? Nationality and ethnicity are different too.

[gmoney411]

He was younger? Most guys are better defenders in their 20's than 30's. Only the freaks like Duncan who just master possitional advantages and learn to defend while standing in place have really ever been able to sustain their defensive value and even then, Duncan dropped off in his 30's. I mean again, I'm still saying he's on par with Giannis who's one of the best defenders on the planet earth...this isn't like he fell off a cliff.

This is a very non answer. Hakeem was only 30 and 31 in 93 and 94. If you are going to say Dream was clearly a better defender in 89 you should be able to explain why and not just rely on him being younger with no explanation as to how age had made him worse.

The same way it worked for everyone else. He was faster, quicker, had a better motor, etc...guys peak athletically at the latest by around 28 and most it's more like 26.

Defense isn't just about athleticism. Hakeem became a smarter defender with age. And it's not like we are talking about a 35 year old Hakeem that was on the decline.

[Harry Garris]

I think you're confusing ethnicity and race. Giannis' race is Nigerian. Ethnically he is more Greek than Nigerian, as ethnicity speaks to the social group that you grew up in and the customs and culture that you are familiar with.

Are you sure about that? Nationality and ethnicity are different too.

That's just the definition off of Google. I don't know if it's the most accurate one. I do know though that in the US at least we talk about race and ethnicity as if they're the same thing, but they're not.

[dhsilv2]

This is a very non answer. Hakeem was only 30 and 31 in 93 and 94. If you are going to say Dream was clearly a better defender in 89 you should be able to explain why and not just rely on him being younger with no explanation as to how age had made him worse.

The same way it worked for everyone else. He was faster, quicker, had a better motor, etc...guys peak athletically at the latest by around 28 and most it's more like 26.

Defense isn't just about athleticism. Hakeem became a smarter defender with age. And it's not like we are talking about a 35 year old Hakeem that was on the decline.

He really didn't become a smarter defender, his defense was mostly due to his insane athletic ability. And he is still a human and at 30-31 he was slower and less athletic. His offensive game improved around this time as he became more aware of his teammates and rudy t implemented an offense to make passing easier for him.

[gmoney411]

I think you're confusing ethnicity and race. Giannis' race is Nigerian. Ethnically he is more Greek than Nigerian, as ethnicity speaks to the social group that you grew up in and the customs and culture that you are familiar with.

Are you sure about that? Nationality and ethnicity are different too.

That's just the definition off of Google. I don't know if it's the most accurate one. I do know though that in the US at least we talk about race and ethnicity as if they're the same thing, but they're not.

You are right about the difference between race and ethnicity. And you might be right about Giannis being ethnically Greek but that classification shouldn't be made strictly on him being raised in Greece. My guess from past readings is that Giannis would probably describe his ethnicity as Greek-Nigerian. Kind of like African-American versus American.