Houston ? Hakeem Olajuwon left the Houston Rockets a little more than a year ago to finish his career with the Toronto Raptors. That injury-plagued season provided a dubious end for one of the greatest centers in NBA history.

“The Dream” will get a more fitting sendoff tonight, when he announces his retirement during halftime of a game between Golden State and Houston, where Olajuwon played 17 of his 18 seasons.

The ceremony, which will include Olajuwon’s No. 34 jersey being retired, will give the Rockets a chance to toast one of the city’s most beloved athletes :quot; a man who brought it NBA titles in 1994 and ’95.

“He’s like royalty,” said Houston point guard Steve Francis, a teammate of Olajuwon’s in 1999-00 and 2000-01. “I’m basically inheriting :quot; all of us are inheriting :quot; something that guy built here in Houston. For myself and all the guys, we strive to be where he was, winning championships and MVPs and All-Star games. It’s going to be a good thing for us to see.”

After turning down a three-year, $13 million contract offer from the Rockets, Olajuwon signed a three-year, $18 million deal with Toronto in the summer of 2001. But he averaged career lows in points (7.1) and rebounds (6.0) with the Raptors, and back trouble prompted the team to excuse him from training camp.

“Everyone figures that people in the limelight love it so much, they never want to leave it. But I view this as a celebration,” Olajuwon told the Toronto Sun.

The 39-year-old center’s career achievements assure him a spot in the Hall of Fame: He averaged 21.8 points (nearly 26 in the playoffs) and 11.1 rebounds in 18 seasons. He holds the league record in career blocks with 3,830 and was selected to 12 All-Star games.

Olajuwon helped his college team, Houston, make the NCAA title game in 1983 and ’84, and the Rockets made him the first pick in the 1984 draft. Olajuwon improved every season with the Rockets, culminating with back-to-back titles.

“We’d never seen anything like him before,” coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. “Paying tribute to him is going to be a wonderful thing. It’s going to be emotional for me.”

Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.71 blocked shots in leading Houston to the Midwest Division title prior to the 1994 playoffs and earned both offensive and defensive player of the year honors in the NBA.