It was exactly 30 years ago today when Houston Rockets center and future Basketball Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon recorded just the third quadruple-double in NBA history.
In a 120-94 home victory (box score) over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks (37-33), Olajuwon tallied 18 points, 16 rebounds, 11 blocks, and 10 assists. The win improved the Rockets to 34-36 on the 1989-90 season.
The victory proved to be quite critical, since the Rockets (41-41) eventually clinched the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot upon winning a tiebreaker with the Seattle SuperSonics. Had Houston lost one more game, they would have missed the 1990 playoffs.
Then 27 years old, Olajuwon played all 82 games in the 1989-90 season and averaged 24.3 points, 14.0 rebounds, 4.6 blocks, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Those rebounding and blocked shot totals were the best of any season in the seven-footer’s storied 18-year NBA career.
Remarkably, Olajuwon had almost pulled off the quadruple-double in a victory over the Golden State Warriors earlier that same month (March 3, 1990), when he had 29 points, 18 rebounds, 11 blocks, and nine assists. Less than four weeks later, “The Dream” fully kicked that door in.
As of today, only four players have accomplished the quadruple-double feat in NBA history, and none since David Robinson in 1994. Other players to have done it are Nate Thurmond and Alvin Robertson.
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