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Defensive Player Of The Year: Houston Rockets

Hakeem Olajuwon is the Houston Rockets franchise all-time leader in steals.

The Houston Rockets are an iconic franchise who have produced a number of NBA greats throughout their 58-year history in the league. This list highlights the one player who has won a Defensive Player of the Year award while playing for the Rockets, Hakeem Olajuwon, which he accomplished in back-to-back seasons.

Hakeem Olajuwon – 1993, 1994

Olajuwon was one of the most dominant players of his era, as the Lagos, Nigeria native earned a myriad of accolades throughout his 18 years in the NBA. The Dream spent all but one of those seasons in Space City, where he was the first overall pick in the 1984 draft, suiting up for the Rockets from 1984 to 2001. Across 1,177 games there, Olajuwon averaged 22.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 3.1 blocks.

The 7-footer was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2008 and was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021-22. Olajuwon was a 12-time All-Star, two-time rebounding champ, three-time blocks champ, two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, 12-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive, the 1993-94 MVP and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. From the 2022-23 season, the NBA renamed the DPOY award to the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, signaling his importance and overall defensive excellence in the league's history.

In the 1992-93 campaign, Olajuwon took home his first DPOY after posting 26.1 ppg, 13 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.8 spg and a league-leading 4.2 bpg. He recorded 72 double-doubles and 30 outings with five or more blocks in his 82 starts. Dream was even better the following year, as he won a second consecutive DPOY trophy in addition to winning his first and only league MVP honor. In 80 contests in 1993-94, Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 3.7 blocks, eventually leading Houston to the franchise's first-ever NBA championship. He collected 63 double-doubles and one of his 14 career triple-doubles that season, registering 28 games with at least five swats.

Atlanta Hawks Vs Houston Rockets: Official Injury Report For Tomorrow's Game - Sports Illustrated

The Atlanta Hawks are on a three-game winning streak and have a chance to not only extend that streak tomorrow night vs the Houston Rockets, but they have a chance to be .500 for the first time since January. Atlanta is 7-3 in their last ten games and playing well, but the Rockets will be a big test. The Rockets were recently on a nine-game winning streak and have surged to the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. Ahead of the game tomorrow night, the Hawks have released their injury report.

Trae Young (right Achilles tendinitis) is probable while Larry Nance, Clint Capela, and Keaton Wallace remain out. There were not big changes to the Hawks typical injury report and they should have their full allotment of players tomorrow night vs one of the league's top defenses.

Over the last ten games, the Atlanta Hawks offense ranks 7th in offensive rating (120.3), 7th in rebounding percentage (51.3%), 7th in effective field goal percentage (57.1%), 7th in true shooting percentage (60.4%), and 8th in pace. Trae Young is spearheading this offense, averaging 27.8 PPG and 10.9 APG, but Onyeka Okongwu (15.4 PPG and 10.9 RPG), Zaccharie Risacher (14.2 PPG on 39% from three), and Caris LeVert (14.7 PPG on 49% shooting) have all been playing well during the last ten games. LeVert continues to be a second ball-handling option for the Hawks in crunch-time/fourth-quarter situations and Okongwu is getting better and is not getting enough attention. Tomorrow's game against the Rockets will be tough, but the Hawks did just carve up a very good Golden State Warriors defense.

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Rockets Make Official Injury Announcement Ahead Of Game 6 Vs. Warriors

On Friday, the Rockets and Warriors will play in San Francisco with a trip to the Western Conference semifinals on the line. The Warriors lead the series, 3-2, so a win sends them forward for a matchup against the Timberwolves. A loss, though, sets up a winner-take-all Game 7 in Houston on Sunday.

The Warriors led the series, 3-1, after beating the Rockets at the Chase Center on Monday. Teams that lead a series, 3-1, have, historically, fared very well. In 288 series that started 3-1, the team with three wins has won 275 times. That's a 95.5% success rate.

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The Rockets, then, are up against a sizable wall, even after forcing a Game 6.

rom left to right, Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) guard Jalen Green (4) and guard Fred VanVleet (5) smile from the bench as their teammates play against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter during game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

But on the plus side, as guard Fred VanVleet pointed out on Wednesday, despite the disparity in results, the games between the two teams have mostly been close. The Warriors only won Game 4, for example, after Alperen Sengun missed a makeable 12-footer in the closing seconds.

"Keep everything light and fresh and and confident and understand that we have played good basketball," VanVleet said. "It's not like we were getting our (expletive) kicked the whole time."

Another plus side: Heading into Game 6, the Rockets will mostly have their rotation intact. The team made its official injury report to the NBA on Thursday night, and there was only one change. Jock Landale, who has been out with a knee injury but returned to action with five minutes played in Game 5, is back on the injury report.

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Landale is listed as "out" with the knee problem.

Jae'Sean Tate is also out, with an ankle injury that will at least keep him out for this series, and likely longer--if the Rockets can make a comeback, that is.

The Rockets are hoping they can carry the composure they showed in Game 5 into Game 6.

"We came out aggressive, executed offensively and defensively," guard Jalen Green said. "We had a professional approach and handled business."

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