The longest tenured NBA Hall-of-Famer that Jim Boylen coached during his 11 years with the Rockets was all-time great center Hakeem Olajuwon. Playing all but one season with the Rockets, Olajuwon was the definition of a home-grown talent that came through in a big way. The final season for Olajuwon in his NBA career was his only not with the Rockets (played for the Raptors).
Hakeem “The Dream” was a 12-time All-Star selection, 12-time All-NBA honoree, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and one-time NBA MVP. Olajuwon was also the first overall pick of the Rockets out of the Houston Cougars basketball program in the 1984 NBA Draft.
Coaching up Drexler and Olajuwon was a big point in Boylen’s professional and personal life. He reportedly got married to his wife Christine Boylen just 14 days after the Rockets won the 1995 NBA Championship.
Olajuwon had his best season while being coached up by Boylen and the rest of the Rockets staff in 1993-94 when he was his only NBA MVP award and averaged an insane 26.1 points per game, 13.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 4.2 blocks. Hakeem is truly an NBA legend that had Boylen make an impact on his career along the way.