KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce did more than break three tackles on an early 15-yard reception against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

He also paid tribute to one of the NBA’s all-time greats.

Kelce, who made a short catch with his back to the Lions’ defenders, faked outside before cutting back inside while using some shoulder wiggle to clear space.

NFL Films later caught Kelce talking about the reception on the sideline — and how he was mimicking the “Dream Shake” move from former Houston Rockets star center Hakeem Olajuwon.

.@tkelce went full unc mode teaching his younger teammates about Hakeem Olajuwon 😂@InsideTheNFL Week 6 Mic’d Up on X pic.twitter.com/NCGdfyInlO

— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2025

“I grew up watching that, so I emulated that,” Kelce said on the NFL Films video while sitting on the sideline during the game. “Shout out to ‘the Dream.’”

The sequence was just part of a standout performance for Kelce, who is showing renewed burst this season after turning 36 last week.

Pro Football Focus credited Kelce with four missed tackles forced during Sunday’s Week 6 game against the Lions. That number was actually higher than Kelce’s entire regular-season total for 2024; in 16 combined games then, the tight end forced only three missed tackles.

“That’s him feeling young and vibrant,” Chiefs tight end Robert Tonyan said.

Kelce led all Chiefs pass catchers with six catches and 78 yards in the team’s 30-17 home victory over the Lions. He also has higher yards-per-game (53.5) and yards-per-target (8.7) numbers than a season ago, while on pace to double his 2024 touchdown total.

So what’s changed for Kelce this season?

Chiefs coach Andy Reid wasn’t ready to get too in-depth during an interview with reporters Monday.

“We’ve been giving him a lot of Geritol,” Reid said with a smile, “and he really has progressed.”

OK, so it’s probably not senior-citizen multivitamins making a difference.

What probably has, though? Kelce arrived at summer workouts — and then training camp — in noticeably better condition than a year ago.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he started to sense Kelce might be skinnier during their offseason golf outings, though it was difficult to know for sure at the time.

When May’s organized team activities arrived, however, Mahomes said it was clear that Kelce was moving better on the field.

“You could see that his body was in good shape,” Mahomes said, “and he was moving faster than he even was the year before.”

Mahomes also commented on Kelce’s new look during the Chiefs’ news conference before their Week 1 game in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Kelce, when asked if this might be his last season, told a reporter, “I’m feeling young, and I’m feeling ready to rock.”

A few seconds later, Mahomes — seated next to Kelce on a raised platform — looked over at his No. 87 Chiefs T-shirt he’d worn for walk-through practice that day.

“Look how loose that shirt is, man,” Mahomes said with a grin. “It looks great.”

“My God,” Kelce quipped in response. “This thing was a little tighter last year.”

Per the NFL Films video, Kelce wanted to be sure to credit Olajuwon for some inspiration on Sunday.

While appearing to talk to rookie running back Brashard Smith, Kelce quickly realized that speaking about Olajuwon wasn’t going to be a good conversation starter; Smith was born in 2003, which was one year after Olajuwon retired.

“You weren’t even a part of the ’90s. You would’ve saw Hakeem Olajuwon hit them with what he called the ‘Dream Shake,’” Kelce said on the sideline in the NFL Films video. “Do your research. You’ve got to do your research.”

Kelce also said that the Lions “don’t wanna see me in the post, man,” likening his actions to a basketball player in the paint.

Mahomes said he was impressed with Kelce’s savvy shimmy against the Lions.

“He’s still got it, man. He’s got the vet moves,” Mahomes said. “You get up there a little older, you know how to use the other guy’s athleticism against him. And I feel like I have a couple of those as well. Maybe not the shake yet. I’m going to have to learn that one from him.”

Tonyan said he believes Kelce’s recent production is well-earned.

In his eight NFL seasons, Tonyan, 31, said he’s never played with a 36-year-old teammate who never takes a day off from practice. That is, until he started working alongside Kelce this season.

“He’s constantly running, constantly finishing, and yeah, he looks great,” Tonyan said. “He’s running great, and he’s making consistent plays. So he’s where we need him to be.”

Mahomes believes this version of Kelce began with his offseason mindset. After the Chiefs fell short in the Super Bowl last season, Mahomes could sense a different type of focus from his teammate and close friend.

“I could tell just from the mentality that he had that he was going out there to prove something,” Mahomes said. “And he’s done a great job starting off this year.”