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Houston Sports: The ten best athletes to ever represent the city of Houston

By Joe Fernandez

Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; A general aerial view of the downtown Houston skyline prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; A general aerial view of the downtown Houston skyline prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 26, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Former Houston Sports Rockets player and hall of fame member Clyde Drexler is honored during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Former Houston Sports Rockets player and hall of fame member Clyde Drexler is honored during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Clyde Drexler

While his professional career is best known for his time playing ball as a Portland Trail Blazer, his connection to Houston Sports is undeniable. When he and Hakeem Olajuwon were at the University of Houston, they were one of the best tag teams in college basketball history with THE best nickname in all of sports history, Phi Slamma Jamma.

With Drexler and Olajuwon, the Cougars went to two straight Final Fours (They made it a third straight the year after Drexler departed) including a national title game appearance in 1983 that resulted in one of the biggest upsets in all of basketball, if not sports history, losing to North Carolina State and the late great Jim Valvano.

When Drexler reunited with Olajuwon in a 1995 trade to the Rockets, the team was in dire straits, stuck in the midst of what looked like a championship hangover from the previous year. The energy of Phi Slamma Jamma combining forces a decade later rejuvenated the Rockets (well everyone except Vernon Maxwell) and that post season solidified the Clutch City moniker as they went on to win their second consecutive NBA championship.

That 1995 team is still the lowest seed (6 seed) to ever win an NBA finals

That 1995 team is still the lowest seed (6 seed) to ever win an NBA finals, but even more impressive, they beat the teams with the four best overall records in the NBA that year to do it (#2 Utah Jazz, #3 Phoenix Suns, #1 San Antonio Spurs, #4 Orlando Magic.) They’re the only team in NBA history to win a championship without a single round of home court advantage and the first team to beat four opponents with 55 wins or more in a single post season.

Most importantly, that team provided my favorite moment in Rockets history, the Mario Elie “Kiss of Death” shot sealing their 3-1 series comeback on the road against Phoenix in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Back to our guy Drexler though. His patented head down, not looking up, full steam ahead ball handling on fast breaks was perplexing and effective all at once.  And his connection to the city is obviously still strong as he not only owns a barbeque place in town, but he is a broadcaster for the Rockets as well, where his biased homer-ism in unabashed.

Exaggerated example:

Drexler: “Oh that was a foul! How could they not call that? They fouled Harden, he should get two free throws.”

Matt Bullard: “We’re in pre-game warm-ups Clyde.”

Drexler: “It’s still a foul. The guy looked at him weird, that’s a foul.”

Gotta love the Glide.

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