1988-89 Fleer #53 Akeem Olajuwon
About Akeem Olajuwon
This card lists him as "Akeem," the spelling Olajuwon used early in his career, and catches the Rockets' center mid-monster season: a league-leading 13.5 rebounds per game alongside 24.8 points and a third straight All-NBA First Team nod. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he didn't pick up basketball until age 15, then powered Guy Lewis's Phi Slama Jama Houston Cougars to three Final Fours before Houston took him first overall in the loaded 1984 draft — ahead of Jordan, Barkley, and Stockton. He was nicknamed "The Dream" in college because he dunked so effortlessly his coach said it looked like a dream. Over 18 seasons (Rockets 1984-2001, Raptors 2001-02) the 12-time All-Star piled up 26,946 points and a record 3,830 blocks, swept MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP honors in 1993-94, and delivered back-to-back Houston titles in 1994 and 1995. Not a rookie card — but a Naismith Hall of Famer, Class of 2008, in full flight.
Sources: Wikipedia · Basketball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 1-6 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 2,641 | 158 | 970 | 928 | 396 | 189 | 0 |
| SGC | 179 | 3 | 50 | 64 | 38 | 24 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-18. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). The graders do not break out the stickers, so sticker pages carry no table.
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Related cards
More Akeem Olajuwon in this product: #126 All-Star
More Houston Rockets cards:
- #50 Joe Barry Carroll
- #51 Sleepy Floyd
- #52 Rodney McCray
- #54 Purvis Short
- #63 Mike Woodson
- #126 Akeem Olajuwon
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1988-89 Fleer Akeem Olajuwon card?
It is card #53 of the 132-card 1988-89 Fleer Basketball base set, picturing Akeem Olajuwon with the Houston Rockets.
How many cards are in the 1988-89 Fleer Basketball set?
132 base cards - 119 players ordered by team, the All-Star subset #120-131 and a checklist - plus the 11-card Super Star Sticker insert, for 143 cards in a master run. There are no variations; three backs carry uncorrected errors (#20, #26, #100).
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, Basketball-Reference, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-08-23.