Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 445 Another Hall of Fame Player
Before the challenge began, Hakeem Olajuwon started warming up meticulously.

For stars of his age, warming up is essential to maintain peak performance and reduce the risk of injury.

Having warmed up beforehand, Kogure began practicing shooting to maintain his touch, preparing to challenge the current NBA's best player in top form.

In the last two years, Hakeem Olajuwon has undoubtedly been a Mount Rushmore-level player.

Even as he approaches the end of his career, someone as strong as Duncan will find it difficult to gain much advantage over him.

In fact, Hakeem Olajuwon's career average stats are better than Tim Duncan's, including playoff stats.

As for the head-to-head record between the two, according to statistics, they have faced each other 22 times in their professional careers, with a record of 11 wins and 11 losses, making them evenly matched.

The problem is that Da Meng was already in the twilight of his career at that time.

The reason why Hakeem Olajuwon is ranked lower than Tim Duncan is mainly due to his insufficient number of championships, rather than his overall strength.

Unfortunately, he plays for the most stingy team in the entire NBA, unlike the Spurs who often find good players in low draft picks or even undrafted players.

Hakeem Olajuwon's best teammate was Ralph Sampson, who formed the first "Twin Towers" in league history, enabling him to reach the NBA Finals in his second year as a rookie.

Unfortunately, Sampson was traded to the Golden State Warriors and ultimately had his career cut short due to a knee injury.

When Sampson is mentioned, Kogure thinks of the future Wenban Yama.

Due to their similar height and playing style, he is also considered to be the role model for Wenban Yama.

During the warm-up, more and more Rockets players and coaches entered the arena.

The Dream Team, which was warming up on the field, naturally attracted their attention.

Kenny Smith, not wanting to be left out, immediately shared the news of Kogure's challenge against Hakeem Olajuwon with his teammates.

Upon hearing the news, the Rockets players all showed interest and gathered in the area where Hakeem Olajuwon was.

"This is the first time I've ever seen such a brave high school student. I don't know whether to call him courageous or foolish..."

"Who gave this mere high school student the courage?"

"With Hakeem's defense, tsk tsk, he might not score a single point. Hopefully, Hakeem won't destroy his confidence!"

……

The Rockets players became spectators, whispering among themselves.

In this age of entertainment scarcity, they are always full of enthusiasm for such unexpected events.

The Rockets players started joking with each other, and some even started placing bets.

Throughout the entire process, Kogure remained unusually calm and unaffected.

With his current ability, apart from Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, the other Rockets players are probably no match for him.

As time went on, more and more players gathered at the training facility.

The atmosphere inside the stadium quickly became even more enthusiastic.

As Rudy Tomjanovich entered the training facility, his gaze swept over the gathered players, and he asked his assistant coach curiously, "What's going on?"

Rudy Tomjanovich, also known as Coach Tomjanovich, is probably only known to many people as an NBA coach.

In fact, he is also a Hall of Fame player.

In the 1970 NBA draft, Tomjanovich was selected second overall in the first round by the San Diego Rockets (now the Houston Rockets).

He spent his entire career with the San Diego/Houston Rockets and was selected to the NBA All-Star team five times.

In 1983, Tomjanovich's number 45 jersey was retired by the Rockets.

In 2020, Tomjanovich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

What's most memorable about Tom is his quote: "Never underestimate the heart of a champion!"
Furthermore, he is widely recognized as a victim of one of the most brutal conflicts in the NBA.

In 1977, during a game between the Lakers and the Rockets, a fight broke out between the players on the court. Tomjanovich tried to break up the fight but was hit squarely in the face by Lakers player Washington, causing him to faint on the spot.

At the time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was present at the scene, compared the sound of the punch to the cracking of a watermelon falling onto concrete.

"What salty and bitter stuff went into my mouth?" Tang Shuai asked the doctor after waking up, explaining why his mouth tasted salty.

That's your brain matter!

It has to be said that Tomjanovich and 'Little Elf' Knight Archibald have a very strong connection.

Both were born in the same year, entered the NBA in the same year, and were both inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The difference is that Knight Archibald is also one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players and 75 Greatest Players, giving him a greater advantage. Tomjanovich is stronger than Knight Archibald because he is also an NBA championship-winning head coach.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages!

Based on Tomjanovich's achievements as a player, he is very likely to meet Kogure's standards.

At this moment, the assistant coach came to Tang Shuai's side and whispered about Kogure's challenge against Dai Meng.

Tang Shuai frowned slightly, because he knew Hakeem Olajuwon's strength all too well; he was a nightmare on the basketball court.

Hakeem Olajuwon possessed well-rounded skills and outstanding physical attributes. After Jordan's first retirement, he was undoubtedly the best player in the NBA, with almost no one able to match him, let alone a mere high school student.

This was undoubtedly a match between two vastly unequal forces.

However, Tang Shuai did not stop him; he didn't want to spoil Meng's fun.

The NBA is a business league, so superstars have a very high status in NBA teams.

When the conflict between the head coach and a superstar becomes irreconcilable, it is often the head coach who gets fired.

Normally, superstars have a greater impact on a team's performance than head coaches.

Of course, there are always exceptions, such as gOat.

In the 2025-2026 season, when GOat was sidelined due to injury, the Lakers started the season with a 7-2 record in their first nine games, ranking third in the league.

Both Doncic and Rivers delivered phenomenal performances.

He averaged 39 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 10 assists per game.

Rivers averaged 31.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game, and also scored 51 points.

Of these nine games, Doncic missed four and Reeves missed two.

This shows just how formidable this Lakers team is.

If both players stay healthy, this is definitely a championship contender!
It must be said that this aligns perfectly with gOat's philosophy.

Because he will only join a team that can win the championship without him.

Winning isn't scary, but it's embarrassing if someone is missing!
Lakers fans probably don't want gOat to return.

On the field, sunlight streamed through the tall windows onto the smooth floor, creating dappled light and shadow.

Under Drexler's direction, the one-on-one duel between Kogure and Daimu officially began.

To avoid a single decisive victory, Dream opted for a system of alternating possession of the ball.

The rules are simple: three points count as two points, and the first person to accumulate 11 points is the winner.

"you first!"

To show his sportsmanship, Daimu naturally wouldn't take advantage of Kogure and voluntarily relinquished the right to attack first.

When Kogure received the pass back from Omega again, he didn't hesitate at all, he quickly started his run and broke through with the ball.

Da Meng quickly moved sideways, blocking Kogure's path to break through.

Despite being a center, Hakeem Olajuwon possesses amazing coordination comparable to that of a guard.

Just as the two were about to make contact, Kogure skillfully transferred the ball to his left hand.

His left-hand ball control technique is in no way inferior to his right-hand technique, which makes his ball control frequency extremely fast and unpredictable.

This series of actions completely caught Da Meng off guard. Before Da Meng could fill the gap, Mu Mu had already completed his breakthrough.

The two passed each other, and Kogure immediately sprinted towards the basket at top speed.

Da Meng did not give up and quickly turned around to chase after him.

His explosive power was astonishing, and his stride was longer, quickly closing the distance between the two.

The next moment, Kogure strode into the paint zone and jumped first.

Da Meng followed closely behind, preparing to present the nailed hat.

However, Kogure seemed to have foreseen this scene.

In mid-air, Kogure did not immediately shoot, but drifted to the other side of the basket and then made a reverse layup based on his feeling.

sigh~
The basketball swished through the hoop, and Kogure scored the first point.

(End of this chapter)