Ralph Sampson fires back at Gilbert Arenas over Hakeem Olajuwon comments

Feb 28, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets former player Ralph Sampson smiles at fans during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US Presswire

Hakeem Olajuwon’s fellow Twin Tower is coming to his defense this week.

Retired ex-All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas went on a viral rant earlier this month against the Hall of Fame big man legend Olajuwon. Arenas had an issue with Olajuwon reportedly charging $50,000 to host private workouts with NBA stars. He ripped Olajuwon for being old and supposedly out of touch with the modern game (see the rant here).

On Thursday though, it was Ralph Sampson’s turn to respond to Arenas. In an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Sampson addressed Arenas’ rant about Olajuwon and essentially told Arenas to sit down and shut up.

“Gilbert, I respect his game to whatever degree,” said Sampson. “But when you try to compare that to ‘The Dream,’ Hakeem Olajuwon, big man back in the day, the skill-set and the footwork that Hakeem had? [Arenas] needs to go back and look at some more film because I don’t think he really knows what the hell he’s talking about.

“You gotta understand that footwork, and the game today, is all about footwork,” Sampson continued. “It is not about post-up moves any more, but if you can use a post-up move, you might [do] good … Today’s game is different, we know. But go back and do your homework before you open your mouth.”

Here is the full clip of Sampson’s remarks.

“Go back and do your homework before you open your mouth”.

Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon’s former teammate, tells @JumpShot8 & @SamMitchellNBA that he disagrees with Arenas’ comments on “the Dream”. pic.twitter.com/BxRii4RIb9

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 21, 2023

Arenas made the comments on his show “Gil’s Arena,” which is humorous and over-the-top (mirroring Arenas’ own personality). But that does not magically make Arenas’ take on Olajuwon correct. Everybody from Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have come to Olajuwon over the years for his mentorship. Olajuwon teaches the art of fundamental footwork, which can be applied to both back-to-the-basket and face-up situations. As the long as the game is still played with a bouncing ball and a ten-foot hoop, those skills will never go out of style.

Sampson, who was Olajuwon’s frontcourt co-star on the Houston Rockets from 1984-87, got to witness The Dream’s entire bag of tricks firsthand. That makes him uniquely qualified to speak about Olajuwon (whereas somebody like Arenas might not be).