ABOVE: The Dream helped to win a gold medal for the U.S. in 1996
He emigrated from his native Nigeria to play for the University of Houston in the famed "Phi Slama Jama" era (along with Clyde Drexler). The Houston Rockets picked Olajuwon with the first pick of the 1984 draft (picking him over Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton). In the 1980's he formed half of the Twin Towers duo with Ralph Sampson. Once Sampson was traded, The Rockets became Hakeem's Team.
Side note: when I was living in Houston a few years back, I regularly got my car washed over at Dream Bros., a Houston car wash chain owned by Hakeem's brother (and funded by Hakeem's money, no doubt). They did a good job. I would often see a well dressed fellow, who had to be Hakeem's brother judging by size, walking around talking on his cell phone. In the office where you paid, they had Hakeem posters everywhere, including one that traced the footwork for his patented Dream Shake (more on that below).
Entering his prime years in the mid-1990's, Olajuwon became one of the greatest Centers to ever play the game. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in the mid-1990's. Hakeem retired all-time NBA shot block leader, and in the top ten for scoring, rebounding and steals (the only player in the top ten of all four of those categories). His most famous move, the Dream Shake, was nearly unguardable. Hakeem himself explained: "The Dream Shake was actually one of my soccer moves which I translated to basketball. It would accomplish one of three things: one, to misdirect the opponent and make him go the opposite way; two, to freeze the opponent and leave him devastated in his tracks; three, to shake off the opponent and giving him no chance to contest the shot." Olajuwon is also noted for his impressive charity work and his devotion to his Muslim faith.
I've got a great memory of seeing Olajuwon play when I attended a game in the Western Conference Finals in 1995 here in San Antonio. The heavily favored Spurs were playing The Rockets in an epic series. It was the game where David Robinson was awarded the MVP trophy for the season amid much hoopla before tipoff. Then Olajuwon proceeded to destroy Robinson on the court. It was incredible to watch.
In my opinion, Olajuwon is the greatest Houston sports figure. Afterall, his Rockets are the only team out of the Rockets, Astros, Texans (or former Oilers) to bring a championship home to the city. (Yet The Rockets usually take a backseat to the ever-disappointing Astros or the even more disappointing NFL teams in the hearts of Houston sports fans).
Also inducted this year: Patrick Ewing, Pat Riley, Adrian Dantley, Bill Davidson, Cathy Rush and Dick Vitale.
19 comments:
>> (Yet The Rockets usually take a
>> backseat to the ever-
>> disappointing Astros or the
>> even more disappointing NFL
>> teams in the hearts of Houston
>> sports fans)
What exactly is your basis for this comment? As a Houston sports fan, I have not actually found this to be the case at all. Personally, I like baseball more than basketball. However, if you walked around asking random people on the street about their favorite Houston sports team, I would be willing to bet that you would find more interest in the Rockets than either of the other two teams that you mentioned.
I think the reason for that is that most Astros and Texans fans tend to be sports fans, in general. Whereas I know quite a few people who enjoy the Rockets, but don't know or care anything at all about "sports". I'm not sure exactly why that is, but you are a perfect example. You decided at some point that you liked basketball, but you never really had much interest in baseball or football. For that reason, it's difficult for me to take anything that you might have to say about my Astros very seriously, since I know that you really have no idea what you are talking about.
Now, there is another person on this board who loves to rail against the Astros, and he actually does know what he's talking about. However, I don't usually take him very seriously, because he is just a jerk.
Anyway, I think your "let's feel sorry for the poor Rockets" comment is a little off base.
Respectfully, Walter, you are on crack. Take playoff time out of the equation, because Houston sports fans (like casual fans most places, I suppose) get excited about their city's team if it is in the playoffs, regardless of NBA, MLB, NFL, etc.
But let's look at fan support and media attention during the regular seasons. The woeful Texans and the beloved 'stros get much more attention during the grind of the regular seasons. I am not the only one who has noticed this, by the way. I just think this loyalty is a bit misplaced, being that the Rockets are the only organization that has delivered for the people of Houston.
And yes, I enjoy basketball more than baseball or football. That is because it is the superior sport.
And whether I know much about the Astros or not is irrelevant to this discussion. I can observe the amount of local media coverage allocated to the respective teams during the regular season and observe the general public interest. I can also attend Rockets games and see seats empty and weak willed fans leaving early, etc. The Rockets don't get the love they deserve.
I'll put it this way: Rockets fans suck. I go to Spurs games here in SA, and let me tell you. These SA folks love their Spurs. That place is packed and rocking every game until the end. Granted, The Spurs are the only major league team in town. SA basically has adopted the Cowboys as their football team and the Astros as their baseball team. It is funny how they have split it up that way. But when the Cowboys play, you might as well be living in Dallas as far as fan interest. And the same deal with the Astros here. But the way SA treats the Spurs...that is how the Rockets should be treated in Houston.
I actually think that Dez is right. I would not have said that 10 years ago, but the NBA is now soooo mediocre that "sports fans" turn away from the NBA because the league has turned into a soap opera. I saw a poll last week that college basketball and the NBA are about equal in popularity. That means most sports fans have diverted to the college game, leaving the NBA for Latinos and Asians.
Baseball and Football (steroid scandal excepted) are genreally much more popular accross the board. At least for white people (GOOOOOO HONKIES!!!)
I don't know, I guess I have just not had the same experience personally. I can think of at least 10 people within my immediate cirlce of family and friends who love the Rockets, but couldn't care less about the other teams.
Let's put it this way, as a real-world example. When I have really good tickets available for a Rockets game, I have absolutely no problem getting someone to come. I could contact almost anyone, and they would want to go. When I have the same quality seats available for the Astros, I have two...maybe three...people that I can call, who would be interested. As for the Texans, I have found one person who has shown interest in the past.
Your comments to me sound representative of Houston sports fans, in general...not just Rockets fans. Head to Minute Maid Park in June and look around. You're going to see a lot of empty seats. Houston fans, collectively, have a difficult time getting behind the "love of the game"...any game. They need something to be on the line, if they are going to show their support. It's disappointing, but it's true. I really think the reason you see it more with the Rockets is because that is the team you follow.
And, again, please limit your qualitative judgments to topics which you know something about. On the subjects of music, and movies, and general entertainment, I consider you to be (fairly close to) the ultimate authority. However, talking to you about sports (outside of basketball) is a little like talking to my daughter about food. She may think that Chef Boyardee is "superior" to Filet Mignon, but no one actually takes her seriously.
Dammit, Walter. As I said before, my keen observations that I am making in this discussion do not depend on me being an expert on (yawn) baseball or (look at watch impatiently) football. I am talking about general interest in the respective sports teams of a city.
Dammit, Dez! I am not calling into question your keen observations. I thought that my wording made that fairly clear. How can you be so obtuse? Is it deliberate? (Name that movie).
I am only comparing you to a four-year-old when it comes to the individual editorial comments that you like to sprinkle on top of your keen observations.
Otherwise, you make perfectly good points...if you set aside their validity.
"Shawshank Redemption"
As I said...ultimate authority.
Or I just know how to use Google.
Cheaters never win, Dez.
You should really take compliments where you can get them. Clearly, I am actually the ultimate authority on movies, but I was trying to throw a little flattery your way.
Dez,
I have to agree with Walter Evans on this. In general, Houston sports fans are fair weather friends. They basically suck. But I don't see the Rockets getting less press or less support than the Astros or Texans. Houstonians get excited about any local sports team that is doing well and quickly lose interest when they are not.
I also agree with Pockyjack's comment about the NBA overall. I know lots of people who love college basketball but have no interest in the NBA. I think there are several reasons for that. The NCAA tournament is perhaps the greatest sports event ever. Over half the teams in the NBA make the playoffs, so even people that like the NBA don't start watching until the playoffs. And, of course, the NBA playoffs last as long as the regular season, anyway, so you get plenty of basketball even if you only watch the playoffs.
Also, it seems there are more sports going on during basketball season. College basketball fans don't start watching until after the NCAA tournament (which is when the NBA finally gets interesting, anyway). During the NFL season, the NBA games take a back seat because they just don't matter. It's too early in the season.
MLB benefits because there is nothing else going on in the summer and the World Series happens early enough in the NFL season that it's still got center stage. MLB also benefits from much lower ticket prices.
The NBA's issues go will beyond Houston fans, but in spite of that I think the Rockets get at least as much attention and interest in Houston as the Astros and Texans.
Good points, Dre. Except the one where you say that the early part of the NBA season doesn't matter. Have you seen the West standings? (See my Post and ongoing discussion on the West). Golden State lost its first 6 games, when it "doesn't matter". That looks to have lost them a spot in the playoffs after Denver beat them last night.
The point is, though, that the importance of those early games is not evident at the time. At that point, it's all guess work. So, it's difficult for the casual fan to get too worked up about it.
Currently, the Astros have started off their season with a dismal 3-7 record. Could these early games end up costing us in the end? Absolutely! However, even the hard-core fans, like myself, are not overly concerned, because there are still 152 games left to play.
To use an example from my own line of work... Obviously, a person who has not saved up any money yet, and is not currently saving on a regular basis, is going to have a very difficult time when it comes to retirement. However, it is usually quite a struggle to convince someone to make minor changes to their lifestyle now, even if it has a major impact on the future.
Or, to use Pockyjack's phrase from another topic, why bother with the minutiae of the early games, when the "instant gratification" of the playoffs is so much more exciting?
I said that?
Again, I agree with Walter Evans.
No, Pocky, you only used the phrase "instant gratification" (hence, the quotes). I said the rest.
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