-FUPPETS- Loves Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon

Yesterday was the 25th of May. Sixteen years ago yesterday, the greatest basketball player ever to put on a Rockets uniform was awarded the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player award. The Houston Rockets were in the middle of a hard-fought series with the Phoenix Suns, and were soon to engage the New York Knickerbockers in a 7 game trench war for the NBA Championship.
The tiny gnome who came to Houston to award the MVP trophy to Dream was actually the NBA commissioner, Daniel Stern. In a show of Hakeem's tremendous goodwill and love of his teammates, he asked that the entire Rockets roster be with him as he accepted the MVP award, and specifically commented that he could not have won that award without his teammates and his coaches. This is something that many MVP's pay lip-service to, but Dream truly meant it and the smiles on his and his teammate's faces show this. In fact, Hakeem in the 1993-1994 season did something remarkable. He won NBA Defensive Player of The Year, NBA Most Valuable Player and also won NBA Finals Most valuable Player. In other words, Hakeem Olajuwon spent the 93-94 season providing dominating butt-whuppins to the entire NBA.

-FUPPETS- says "Thanks for the memories Dream!"

-FUPPETS- For Readers XIII

Ahhh the majesty of communing with one's own neurons as they decipher and imagine what is offered by textual clues upon a blank screen or an empty page. It is a mainline to your brain, direct input of data and stimuli, all of which will forever impact and affect the thought processes you may engage in for the rest of your life. This is the glory of reading. Get into it, or kill yourself to make room for the learned ones. The world is full enough of dullards, willfully ignorant people who are content with the data and experience they already have, however minuscule and backwards it may be. Don't fall into that trap of contentment. Even the smartest and most well-read among us has an infinity of possible new experience and input to gather.

IN DEFENSE OF SHAME: Objections to shame as a method for managing people's behavior - ( Megan McArdle - The Atlantic )

BEWARE THE PUNK ROCK BAND STICKERS! : Sticker shuts down Memphis International Airport - ( Sean Michaels - Guardian )

ART AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT: Art for an audience, rather than art for art’s sake - ( Jonathan Le Cocq - Policy )

DAWKINS ON DARWIN: Why we really do need to know the amazing truth about evolution, and the equally amazing intellectual dishonesty of its enemies - ( Richard Dawkins - Times Online )

THE NO-STATS ALL-STAR: Shane Battier's greatness is not marked in box scores or at slam-dunk contests, but on the court Shane Battier makes his team better, often much better, and his opponents worse, often much worse. - ( Michael Lewis - The New York Times )

McCULTURE: Americans have developed an admirable fondness for books, food, and music that pre-process other cultures. But for all our enthusiasm, have we lost our taste for the truly foreign? - ( Aviya Kushner - The Wilson Quarterly )

-FUPPETS- Video of The Day: HAKEEM OLAJUWON

In honor of The Dream's entry into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, here is a highlight video which showcases Hakeem's mastery and basketball genius.

HAKEEM OLAJUWON - Hall of Fame Inductee

Today, the greatest sports hero the city of Houston has ever had, Hakeem "The DREAM" Olajuwon, is to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Pro Basketball Hall Of Fame. (be forewarned, the basketball hall of fame website sucks ass)

Hakeem began his basketball career at the University of Houston, as part of Phi Slamma Jamma, and leading U of H to three consecutive Final Four appearances. "DREAM" brought the first major championship to Houston since the days of the American Football League in the 50's/60's. He then proceeded to do it again the year after, giving us memories to carry for our entire lives. After the first championship, driving home after the game, seeing thousands upon thousands of people standing on the streets cheering and cars honking and crowds gathered outside of the Summit, the feeling was amazing. Getting to see it again the year after was just icing on the cake.



Fran Blinebury, of the Houston Chronicle, writes about Olajuwon's journey from Lagos in Nigeria to Houston, Texas.


Hakeem Olajuwon is the greatest center to play in the N.B.A. these last 25 years. The year the Rockets won their first championship Hakeem Olajuwon was awarded the League's Most Valuable Player award, the League's Defensive Player of The Year award, and the N.B.A. Finals' Most Valuable Player award, the ONLY MAN IN N.B.A. HISTORY TO DO SO. "Dream" retired with the record for most blocked shots, and 7th in all-time steals, as well as leading the Houston Rockets in nearly every offensive and defensive stat category.


Tonight he joins the man that beat him in the NCAA Championship, and whom he beat in the NBA Championship, Patrick Ewing, as inductees into the Pro Basketball Hall Of Fame. They came into the N.B.A. together and they enter the Hall of Fame together. It is only fitting.

Here are some videos for your pleasure, hand-chosen by -FUPPETS-.

The first is Hakeem Olajuwon's Top 10 Plays as chosen by ESPN.

Perhaps my fondest memory of "Dream" was when the Rockets were fighting the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs. Spurs center David Robinson was voted the NBA Most valuable Player, a year after Olajuwon had earned that award. Olajuwon, and many others, felt that the 1995 MVP trophy should have gone to him again. The MVP trophy was awarded to Robinson before the start of their series together. According to his teammates, Hakeem and them sat in their locker room, watching the NBA commissioner hand Robinson the award, and Hakeem said "That man has my trophy." For a soft-spoken man, this was as much as he was going to say about it. He would proceed to put on one of the greatest single-player efforts ever witnessed in the NBA playoffs, leading his Rockets to victory in the series against David Robinson, and effectively emphasizing who truly deserved to be named League MVP that year. Here is a short summary of that ass-kicking.

The Houston Rockets celebrated Hakeem Olajuwon's entry into the Hall of fame at Toyota Center, in front of the fans. Houston loves us some "Dream."

Congratulations Hakeem Olajuwon. You deserve all of it and more. Thank you for the memories.