The 24 Best Individual Rivalries In NBA History

Patrick Ewing vs. Hakeem Olajuwon

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Oh do we miss ’90s basketball. The collective group of big men in the NBA during this time was ridiculously good. Two of the hallmark group members included Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon and the effervescent Patrick Ewing. Aside from facing off against one another in the 1994 NBA Finals, there was a natural rivalry at stake during the regular season.

Olajuwon and Ewing were both excellent defenders in their own right. Ewing gobbled up buckets around the rim, whereas Olajuwon could score from farther away with an excellent touch. Each had their strengths, and the head-to-head battles between both were sublime. In the Finals, Olajuwon averaged 26.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 3.9 BPG (!) in the seven-game triumph (on .500 from the floor). Ewing wasn’t a slouch — averaging 18.9 PPG, 12.4 RPG, and 4.3 BPG (on .364 from the field).