Nick Wright argues for Hakeem Olajuwon as greatest NBA defender ever

In response to Draymond Green arguing for himself as the NBA’s top all-time defender, Nick Wright explains why Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan should be No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

Current Golden State forward Draymond Green continues to make the case for himself as the NBA’s top defender of all-time. But there’s a Hall of Famer from the Houston Rockets who appears to have a better one.

Hakeem Olajuwon was twice named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, and he made first- or second-team All-Defense nine times. By comparison, Green has won Defensive Player of the Year just once and has made first- or second-team All-Defense six times.

Perhaps most notably, Olajuwon led his Rockets to a pair of titles as the team’s clear best player, which can’t be said for Green on a Warriors squad that is led by perennial MVP candidate Stephen Curry.

On Fox Sports 1’s First Things First, veteran NBA media personality Nick Wright recently made the case for Olajuwon over Green:

Draymond Green went out and once again and said he’s the greatest defender in NBA history. And, listen, Draymond is one of the greatest defenders ever. I believe he should have won three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards, I’m on the record on that from years ago.

With that said: Stop it. Here’s the deal, Draymond. We don’t even have to talk Bill Russell, it’s too long ago, set him aside. If we just go post-merger, we’ve got to respect our elders here, and I’m not even talking about the great and underrated and Top 75 snub Sidney Moncrief, or Dennis Rodman, or Scottie Pippen, or even Dikembe Mutombo.

Even if you think you’re better than all of those guys, the two greatest defenders in modern NBA history are: No. 2, the somehow wildly underrated Tim Duncan, and No. 1 with a bullet, unquestionably the greatest defensive player of the last 50 years in the NBA, Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon. Hakeem’s blocks record will never be broken, ever. He has 3,800 blocks. The next closest is 3,200. If you added up Ben Wallace’s blocks and Dwight Howard’s blocks, you would barely pass Hakeem’s blocks, okay? Steals, he’s 10th all-time. As a center! There’s not another center in the top 60.

Hakeem Olajuwon is the greatest defender of all-time and I’m not asking you to go to (old archives) to watch tapes of him. Your guys’ careers damn near overlapped. So, I respect you Draymond, but just simmer down a bit. Hakeem “The Dream”: Greatest defender ever. Everybody knows it. Let’s move on. Thank you, Draymond.

Wright’s complete rant on Green versus Olajuwon, which runs for approximately two minutes, can be viewed below.

[lawrence-related id=55919,47954]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXb9oXNl5C5/

[listicle id=56006]