In his first day in Toronto as a Raptors, Hakeem Olajuwon met the local media and hundreds of Raptors fans that gathered outside Gate 1 at Air Canada Centre.

Olajuwon: I am very happy to be in Toronto. I am looking forward to being part of the community and the team and making a difference to the team. You guys you have a great team, great fans and a great city. I am excited to be just a part of it. Thank you for receiving me, I feel so grateful to receive such a warm welcome.

Q: Is this a new beginning for you in Toronto?

Olajuwon: Coming to Toronto to play during the season is different from now coming to Toronto to relocate to stay here and play for the team. So this is a new beginning for me. It is exciting and challenging to just make the adjustment. That is part of that new beginning so I am excited about it.

It was interesting to note that Olajuwon spoke of joining the Toronto community as much as the team itself.

Q: Why did you decide that Toronto was the team for you?

Olajuwon: The team has a legitimate chance to win. The management did an excellent job in educating me about all these possibilities that they have to offer. From the team, the assistants and the city. I think that it fits for me. It is an ideal place for me and if there was another place for me to play it would be Toronto.

Q: What do you think of playing with Vince Carter?

Olajuwon: Playing with Vince Carter is an honour. I think that I can compliment him and I am looking forward to that.

Q: What goals do you have for the upcoming season?

Olajuwon: The goal is always the same. Every season you go out with the goal to win. Coming to Toronto, I saw them play last year and to see that this is a team that is on the way up. For me I see that this is a big role that I can play with the team to get them to the next level. So the goal is the same, to win.

Q: How will you at centre help Antonio Davis' game?

Olajuwon: I think as you know a legitimate centre will make it easy for Antonio Davis to play his natural position of power forward. I am a complete player, defensive, offensive, shot blocking, and I think that I can help the team.

Q: Did either of you talk to Antonio Davis?

Grunwald: I talked to Antonio and he is very happy.

Olajuwon: And I am very happy to have a power forward like Antonio Davis around me.

Q: What is your opinion of Vince Carter?

Olajuwon: You have to have a tremendous respect for his athletic ability. Somebody like that kind of player given that platform to play, you can't ask for anything more.

Q: How does playing for Lenny Wilkens appeal to you?

Olajuwon: There is no question that he is an excellent coach. He is very disciplined. I had a chance to play for him at the Olympics. He is a hard worker. I think with his experience, he knows how to win

Q: Did Vince Carter call you personally?

Olajuwon: Yes I talked to him about two weeks ago. That made a big difference also. A big difference!

Q: What would you say to people who say that you are too old to play the game?

Olajuwon: I would like an opportunity to prove a lot of people wrong. I want to educate the people that base skill on age instead of physical fitness. If you are healthy and you train you can do whatever it is you want to do. Once you are healthy the game is easy.

Q: Do you see yourself playing a role in the Muslim community?

Olajuwon: That would be natural, just to be part of the city and the community. It is our responsibility as public figures to do the best we can, to help shape the future generation in the right direction.

Q: Are you OK with the role where you may play 25 minutes per game?

Olajuwon: I think that the role and the time is not my responsibility. The coach has to make that decision. Once you go to camp, he'll put you in a game and see what you can do, if he thinks you can handle more responsibility then he'll give it to you. You just have to win the game. You can't go into a game and decide that I want to play 25 minutes. We are playing to win and he has to make that decision. My position is that I have to prepare myself, train myself to do whatever he needs to win the game.

Q: How would you assess the centres in the Eastern Conference?

Olajuwon: Alonzo, Mutombo, maybe Jermaine O'Neal, these are very good centres that I know of right now.

Q: Do you think that your signing will assist more athletes in coming to Toronto?

Olajuwon: The crowd, the organization is very professional, Toronto right now is the only international team. To me it is a natural fit and I am happy I made the decision.

Q: How do you feel about leaving Houston?

Olajuwon: I think that the ideal situation would have been me finishing in Houston but this team gave me a whole new enthusiasm. And also for my career it is a better choice because I will have a better role to play in here than Houston.

(Enter Vince Carter)

Olajuwon: Vince is a good recruiter. My job, my role is to make the game much easier for Vince to dunk on people.

Q: What do you know about Vince Carter?

Olajuwon: I saw him play in the playoffs last year and I was so impressed as to how he improved his game, facing up players and taking the jumpshot.

Q: How would you describe yourself off the court?

Olajuwon: I think it is better for somebody else to describe you than yourself.

Q: How will Hakeem's presence affect your game, Vince?

Carter: His ability alone, his name alone will help us. He will draw double teams which will create more open shots which will give me more leeway to get to the basket. If the big man happens then I can just dump it off and watch everyone else get dunked on. It's just going to be fun.

Q: Vince do you think that this signing gives the team a greater level of respect across the NBA?

Carter: That's what we have been trying to accomplish for a long time, to establish ourselves as a legitimate basketball team first of all, then a legitimate playoff team. When you see someone like myself who stays with the extension and then when you get one of the 50 greatest, that must say something about Toronto.