The Tape
Was Hakeem Olajuwon better than David Robinson?
Hakeem Olajuwon, 1984-2002, against David Robinson, 1989-2003. The numbers levelled to one league, then the call.
Method, stated plainly: scoring is adjusted to a league averaging 114 points per team per game. Rebounds and assists are printed as they were recorded, with the league scoring rate beside them, because a rebound in 1962 came out of a different number of missed shots and we will not pretend one multiplier fixes that. Career lines for active players run through 2024-25.
What the numbers say
Adjusted to a league averaging 114 points a game, David Robinson is the bigger scorer: 33.5 a game in 1993-94 against 30.7 for Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993-94. That is a real gap of 2.8 points, not an era illusion — David Robinson's league averaged 101.5 and Hakeem Olajuwon's averaged 101.5.
Away from scoring they are nearly the same player on paper: 11.9 and 10.7 rebounds, 3.6 and 4.8 assists. The separation is in what their teams asked of them, not what they could do.
Hakeem Olajuwon: The only player to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in one season, and the all-time leader in blocks. David Robinson: An MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year and a scoring title closed out with 71 points on the last day of the season.
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Read the file: Hakeem OlajuwonDavid Robinson
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