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Watch: Olajuwon says Embiid reminds him of himself

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The parallels between Hakeem Olajuwon and Joel Embiid are striking: Both were born in soccer-mad African countries and didn't take up basketball until their teens. Olajuwon's now in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest centers in NBA history, and Embiid could be on his way to joining him.

"I can see myself," Olajuwon says.

While Embiid obviously has a long way to go, the size and mobility of the two are similar. Embiid's outside shooting ability is a product of the way the game is trending, but even Olajuwon was no pushover as a perimeter threat in an era when it was virtually unheard of for a center to shoot threes. In his MVP season of 1993-94, "Dream" was 8-for-19 from behind the arc, a 42-percent success rate.

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