Before the 1993-94 season, the Houston Rockets had made it to The Finals twice — and lost twice. The third such championship series berth would not follow suit, though, thanks to Hakeem Olajuwon’s dominant play in Game 7.
On June 22, 1994, Hakeem Olajuwon powered the Rockets to their first NBA title in Game 7 of The Finals. He had 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in a 90-84 win against the New York Knicks, giving Houston its first major professional sports title. Overall, Olajuwon set the tone all series, averaging 26.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.9 blocks per game in The Finals en route to a unanimous selection as Finals MVP.
In the 1993-94 season, Olajuwon became the first to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP honors in the same season.
“If you write a book, you can’t write it any better,” Olajuwon said after Game 7. “It has been a great season for us, and I’m just so happy to bring a championship to this city, Houston. It means a lot.”
