"That damn pre-Muslim was a little wild" - Vernon Maxwell dishes on how tough it was to play with Hakeem before he turned to Islam originally appeared on Basketball Network .
Hakeem Olajuwon was undoubtedly one of the greatest centers of all time. A 7-footer with the nimbleness of a ballerina and the tenacity of a lion, he dominated the NBA for most of his 18-year career.
However, according to former teammate Vernon Maxwell , playing with Dream on the Houston Rockets was not all peaches and cream. In fact, he recalled how Hakeem was so unruly and selfish during his early years in the league that all he cared about was his own stats. And anyone who got in his way was met with unpleasant words and actions.
Maxwell, a 6'4" guard known for his feisty defense and penchant for hitting big-time shots, knew better than to get on Olajuwon's bad side. He experienced this first-hand when he and the Rockets superstar got into it in the locker room during a road game in Seattle .
"I got goddamn slapped and s—t, so I know," Maxwell recalled on "Byron Scott's Fast Break." "You know that damn pre-Muslim was a little wild. You know, put his goddamn hands on you."
Vernon shared he wasn't the only player to experience Dream's wrath as many others did.
"We seen it. He didn't just do me. He was slapping the shit out of a bunch of MFers all over the NBA. He was slapping everybody. You doing anything, that MFer just come out of nowhere — pow. Like, 'Goddamn, Dream, where that come from?'" Maxwell continued.
And then, there was also the matter of Hakeem refusing to share the rock even when waves of defenders were already crowding him.
"When I first got there, it was difficult. I mean, because Dream was — you know, he just wanted the ball all the damn time. It was just about Dream," Mad Max stated.
It wasn't until Hakeem became a more devout Muslim that things began turning around for the better for the former hothead. Vernon noticed the change, too, as he saw his teammate become more composed, calm and focused.
"When he became Muslim and he transformed and did the Muslim thing," Vernon expressed. "It was great, man."
"I just knew at that time, when he came back, when I saw him, it looked different. Attitude was different. Willing to share the ball with everybody," he added. "At first, it was just about Dream, Dream, Dream, getting his numbers and shit. And when he became Muslim, I knew. And then over that summer, we knew. I mean, because he was willing to pass it and give it up."
Hakeem's willingness to share the wealth translated to better cohesion with his Rockets teammates. In turn, that led to the team getting off to a remarkable 22-1 start during the 1994-1995 season, which eventually paved the way for them to win the first of back-to-back NBA titles.
"You know Dream's getting double-teamed night in, night out, every night. But a lot of nights at first, when I got there, he wasn't passing that s—t. He just taking some bad shots for real. Then he learned. He learned how to share the wealth with his teammates. And that's when we just took off, man," Maxwell exclaimed.
Olajuwon wasn't the easiest teammate to work with during his early career. With his short temper and penchant for accumulating statistics rather than wins, he often clashed with his teammates and opponents. A shift in his spirituality sparked a transformation in both his mindset and playing style, ultimately driving the Rockets to remarkable success.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
