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"If he relaxes and just plays his game, he'll be fine and I think (the Heat) win it," said Olajuwon, who said he has become like a "big brother" to James in the past year. FOXSports Florida

Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

James, disappointed after his Heat lost the Finals last year to Dallas, sought out Olajuwon to help him with his post moves. The two worked out at Olajuwon's ranch during three-hour sessions over four straight days last August. FOXSports Florida

Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Read a report over the weekend that asserted Howard wants to hire as well as fire. His top choices supposedly are Brian Shaw and Michael Malone, proving he’s at least up to speed on worthy candidates. This just in: Howard does not intend to grant Patrick Ewing an interview. Howard has little respect for the Magic assistant. Of course, you probably already deduced that, given he felt the need to work on his post moves last summer with Hakeem Olajuwon. New York Post

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Dwight Howard, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Mike Malone 

Olajuwon lives in Jordan during the NBA season, catching James' Heat games whenever he can. But he'll be back in the U.S. for a short visit later this month and will be spend the summer in Houston. "I would hug him," the Hall of Famer said when asked how he would greet the future Hall of Famer when he next sees him. "The friendship is real. I'm like a big brother (to James)." FOXSports Florida

Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

So James, going though mutual acquaintances, arranged to work out with Olajuwon last August at his ranch outside Houston. The master of the "Dream Shake" showed some of his secrets to James during three-hour sessions over four days. Everything was videotaped, enabling James to continue to study what the master taught. "The joy to me is that I get to know that I can add significant value to his career," Olajuwon said from Amman, Jordan, where he makes his home most of the year with the exception of some trips back to the U.S. and spending summers in Houston. FOXSports Florida

Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

"I knew he recorded everything we worked on," Olajuwon said. "I know he's practiced it. I can see that. But the comfort level, when you get into the competition, you start playing to your strengths, which is more of (an) outside (game). I see him post up. But I still see a lot of opportunities there. He's not capitalizing as much as he should. He needs more of a refresher course where he can become more comfortable. I see him (improving his post game), but he needs more time." FOXSports Florida

Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Olajuwon spoke to James about finances and offered some tips on real estate, another field in which Olajuwon has had much success. And, yes, he talked to the nine-year man about never having won a championship. Olajuwon knows all about that kind of pressure. He didn't win a title until his 10th season, finally breaking through in 1994 and then picking up another ring the next year, "I think it creates more value when you finally accomplish it," Olajuwon said of having told James about his long wait. "If he can develop his whole game and score at will, the championship will be automatic. It's just a matter of time. He's on the right team. He will have an opportunity to win it all. He's put himself in position where they can go every year and not just win one championship but more." FOXSports Florida

Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Who is the best player that you ever played with? I would say Hakeem Olajuwon and Kobe Bryant. The things The Dream could do on the floor were phenomenal for a big man. And the dedication that I saw in Kobe, I didn’t see in anywhere else. And I think that he’s not given enough credit for this: he has spent a lot of time and energy to become what he is now. I don’t want to offend anybody, but those two stay above everybody else. Rush'n Hoops

Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon, Robert Horry 

Now, with the lockout, what are your plans? Do you feel like taking a break? Joakim Noah: Not at all. I have to go back to Chicago to take care of some things but I’m going right back in the gym after this… I want to go see Hakeem and work with him. BasketSession.com

Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah, Hakeem Olajuwon 

What do you want to work on with him? Joakim Noah: Eveything! I have this tremendous chance of being able to work with the best. I have the best gyms and the best weight rooms at my disposal, so I have everything I need to make it. It’s all up to me to work harder now. Sometimes it’s boring, sometimes it’s hard, but that’s my job. BasketSession.com

Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Have you discussed things with Hakeem yet? Joakim Noah: Not yet, but that’s something I would really like to do. Everybody knows that he has helped the guys who have come to work out with him tremendously. Just to be able to live this experience would be great. We’ll see later if it helps me or not, but at least I will have tried everything I could to get better. BasketSession.com

Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Col: OK, if you could do one thing over again during your time in Portland, what would it be? Clyde Drexler: If I could one thing over what would it be? Hmmm. As a player or administratively? Col: Um, as a player, I guess. CD: How about administratively? Col: OK, administratively. What would you do? CD: I'd go back to that 1984 draft and try to influence that coin flip result. Then it would have been a no-brainer. (The Blazers lost a coin flip prior to the 1984 draft that gave the Rockets the rights to the first pick. Houston took Hakeem Olajuwon, Portland infamously drafted Sam Bowie second, and Chicago selected Michael Jordan third.) Columbian

Portland Trail Blazers, Draft, Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Col: But you could have had Michael regardless of the coin flip! CD: At that time, Hakeem was the guy you needed to compete against Kareem. He really would have rounded out our team. Col: Yeah, but somehow I feel like you and Michael would have figured something out. CD: Oh, definitely! We would have played the same way he and Scottie (Pippen) played together. Columbian

Portland Trail Blazers, Draft, Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Instead, Howard plans to work more with Hakeem Olajuwon and continue to develop his expanding offensive game in the states. Howard worked with Olajuwon for a week earlier this summer and three days last summer, concentrating on Howard's footwork and scoring mindset. Howard reveres Olajuwon, who he calls "Dream," and he intends to visit Houston again in the coming months to work with the two-time NBA champion. Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon 

He's also trying to deliver on his vow to be even better whenever the Heat resume play, saying he's been in Houston at times this offseason to learn post play from one of the game's all-time greats, former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon. "I'm doing whatever it takes to just become a better basketball player," James told ESPN's Rachel Nichols. "Just everyday just trying to critique my game -- seeing ways that I can get better so I can be more of a complete basketball player on the court, a better leader on and off the court and continue to work towards my goal of winning an NBA championship." "I look at what he was able to do throughout his career," James told the AP about working with Olajuwon. "Unbelievable talent. Multiple champion. Just to see how he was able to dominate in the low post, for me as an individual, I just try to look at some of the things I feel I need to get better at and hit home at it. Our team becomes better if I continue to get better and that's what it's about." ESPN.com

Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard spent last week in Houston working with Hakeem Olajuwon, continuing to build on the principles Olajuwon taught Howard during a three-day training session last summer. Last week, Howard went to Olajuwon’s house every morning to work out at Olajuwon’s private court for several hours. The two big men not only worked on Howard’s post-game footwork and mid-range shooting game, they talked about Howard keeping a scorer’s mentality and ways for Howard to improve his free-throw shooting. Olajuwon feels Howard can be an even better offensive player with a little more freedom and confidence in his offensive moves. He just said I want you to do them in the game, and tell your coach you got a lot of skills and he needs to let you use all your skills,” Howard said Tuesday. Orlando Sentinel

Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Zach McCann: Hakeem Olajuwon told Dwight Howard he needs to push for more shots. Olajuwon said Magic aren't using Howard's skills enough. Twitter

Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon 

As the coach spoke, he listened to the instructions, but his eyes and his mind wandered. His gaze kept rising toward the rim. When the talk ended and his teammates began to stand slowly, stretching their arms and legs before the start of practice, he rose like a shot. Gathering the leather basketball into both hands, he went up, up, up. Bam! "My first dunk ever," says Hakeem Olajuwon. "Oh, I remember because the coach had been trying for weeks to get me to dunk the ball. I had never seen anyone do it. I didn't really think it was possible, the coordination of the jump and holding the ball. "Then everything he was trying to tell me came together in that one moment. Everyone was shocked. The coach said, 'Do it again.' So I did. And I did it again and again and again. I guess it changed my life." NBA.com

Hakeem Olajuwon 

Nobody did and in more than three decades since he first set foot in Texas, the anticipated flood of dominating, overpowering big men with the combined strength of a cape buffalo and the speed of a cheetah never materialized. Olajuwon didn't transform the center position, simply because there has never been any one else like him. "Oh, not even close," said his former college and NBA teammate Clyde Drexler. "Plenty of big men have had this or that, but not everything like Dream. We're talking one of a kind. At the 1997 All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, when the league honored the selection of its 50 Greatest Players, Olajuwon was stopped in a hotel hallway by a pair who might as well have stepped down off basketball's Mt. Olympus -- Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. "Ah, our bloodline," Chamberlain told him. "The big man who plays at both ends of the court the way a big man is supposed to play." "You're the one who represents us," Russell told him. "You carry on for us. I just enjoy watching you play." NBA.com

Hakeem Olajuwon 

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is training again with former NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon and says he's working on shooting more and on raising his notoriously poor free- throw shooting to above 75 percent. In messages back and forth with some of his Twitter followers, Howard said he's in Houston working with Olajuwon for the second consecutive summer. Asked whether he's working on his outside touch, Howard responded that he is working on becoming "more complete" as a player. When a follower asked what Howard meant, Howard answered: "shooting more" and "freethrows above 75." Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon