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A look back at sports

Olajuwon and Ewing inducted into Hall of Fame

LOS ANGELES
Sat Sep 6, 2008 2:03am EDT
Patrick Ewing (L) and Hakeem Olajuwon share a laugh during an induction news conference at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, September 5, 2008. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing were among seven new members inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.

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The two centers were joined by coach and former player Pat Riley, former player Adrian Dantley, Detroit Pistons and Shock owner Bill Davidson, television personality Dick Vitale and Cathy Rush, a college coach.

Olajuwon's career was spent mostly at the Houston Rockets and included two NBA championships, 27,000 points, 13,747 rebounds and 3,830 blocks.

"Growing up in Nigeria, I didn't know anything about basketball," he said. "My career has been a dream career."

Ewing was a long-time rival of Olajuwon's, and his New York Knicks came up short against the Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals.

He never won an NBA title, but earned two Olympic gold medals and finished his career as the Knicks' all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocked shots and steals.

Riley coached Ewing at New York and won four titles as a coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and another with the Miami Heat.

(Reporting by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Peter Rutherford)



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