'I would never use the injury to negotiate a contract. I use my skills' - When Hakeem Olajuwon shut down rumors about faking an injury

Although Hakeem Olajuwon is definitely the biggest name in the history of the Houston Rockets franchise, everything almost fell apart due to a contract dispute accompanied by an alleged fake injury on Hakeem's part.

"The Dream" had spent his entire playing career up to that point in H-Town. The Nigerian native came to the United States to play basketball at the University of Houston, was selected as the first overall pick by the Rockets in the 1984 NBA Draft, and it seemed he was destined to become a "Space City" legend. Then came a beef with the team owner at the time, Charlie Thomas.

Hakeem denied faking an injury

It all started in March of 1992 when the Rockets center refused to play a game, claiming he felt hamstring stiffness and wasn't 100 percent ready to suit up, even though the team's medical team ran some tests and cleared him to return to action.

Houston didn't appreciate that move from their superstar center, claiming it was just a "negotiation ploy" by Hakeem. Angry at such accusations, the Hall of Fame center reflected on the times he almost left the franchise he called home for good, insisting that the "hamstring thing" was real.

"You can never question an injury someone is claiming. The injury I had was a hamstring injury, and coincidentally it happened during contract negotiation time," the seven-footer said.

"I would never use the excuse of an injury to negotiate a contract. I use my skills. This was a situation that was blown out of proportion and was cleared up when the Rockets owner at the time and I talked on our way to play a regular season game in Japan," he added.

All's well that ends well

From the moment he stepped foot in the Association, Hakeem gave his all for the franchise, leading the way on both ends of the court. However, looking back now, we can see arguments on both sides of the story. "The Dream" had the leverage to use the situation to his advantage and secure better terms for himself, but claiming he faked his injury is a slippery slope.

Still, as the saying goes, all's well that ends well, and that applies here. During a flight to the 1992-93 season opener in Japan, the franchise player and the franchise owner ironed out their differences, finally saying what they hadn't been able to before.

After that, Hakeem began his rampage through the league, winning the 1994 NBA MVP and leading the Rockets to back-to-back championships for a team he nearly left just a season and a half earlier.