Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets beefed so hard he almost left Houston before they ever got a ring
912,601
Published 2020-11-08
Yes.
First, owner Charlie Thomas and GM Steve Patterson refused to negotiate with him. Then Olajuwon strained his hamstring, and the Rockets brass was like ,“Oh yeah right, you’re not hurt, you’re just refusing to play until we negotiate your contract.” They suspended Olajuwon and took to the press with their fake-injury allegations.
Hakeem fired back in the press, really going after Thomas and Patterson’s intelligence. The word “stupid” was used quite a bit. Oh, and he also demanded a trade.
The 92-93 season rolled around and Hakeem did not get traded, though he did eventually land a contract on par with David Robinson and Patrick Ewing. Despite the ugly months, Hakeem managed to find happiness with Houston,-- it helped that ownership and GMs changed. And best of all might be Olajuwon and the Rockets took home two, that's right TWO, subsequent championships.
Written and produced by: Clara Morris
Edited by: Phil Pasternak and Ryan Simmons
Directed by: Ryan Simmons
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All Comments (21)
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Welllllllllll well well. You again. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy this beef but make sure you save a little room, we've got more coming next weekend too.
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The fact i've never heard about this is probably a testament to Olajuwon's character.
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Beef History: The New York Jets vs Winning.
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The Dream was so damn good that he was drafted before MJ and nobody ever questions it.
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Untitled: Terrell Owens Beef History: Talib v. Crabtree
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Ralph Sampson really could've been something man. The fact that he and Hakeem reached the Finals so early is nuts. The two could've been an all-time great duo if Sampson never got injured.
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We need to give Hakeem Olajuwon all Praises as well as Dikembe Mutombo as well as Clara Morris for that matter she's been killing it
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Lmao the owner sold the team and they immediately won two straight rings damn
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Daddy’s boy Patterson calling Hakeem a “fat cat” was too much. The way these teams treat their players - the ones most responsible for success - is so gross.
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Gotta say, I think this beef was entirely the Rockets managements fault. They undervalued their franchise player because they knew he wanted to stay in the city. They refused to renegotiate his contract, they accused an extremely hard working player of faking an injury, damaging his reputation, and they denied him a trade because they wanted to sell the team. I'm glad those guys sold the team before Hakeem got his rings.
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I can't believe owners used to be able to assassinate the character of their players like that. The player-empowerement era really keeps these owners in check
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Beef History: Madden Peyton Manning vs Coach Ask Madden Plays
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Beef History: Michael Jordan vs Isiah Thomas Shaquille O’Neal vs Kobe Bryant Kevin Durant vs Russell Westbrook Paul George vs the Side of the Backboard Magic Johnson vs Maurice Lucas Kawhi Leonard vs The Spurs Ray Allen vs George Karl Tim Thomas vs Sam Cassell Allen Iverson vs David Stern Charles Barkley vs Michael Jordan
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Beef history: The Knicks vs. Free agency
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That’s last line was so threatening and ominous, I love it.
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Please do an untitled for one of the most underrated players in NBA history: Dikembe Mutombo.
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Hakeem deserves to get talked about as one of the greatest players to ever do it.
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Beef history: Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost.
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I’m a simple man, I wait every Sunday morning at this exact time for Secret Base’s new video and immediately click!
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I have an idea for an april fools day beef history, a lecture about the domestication of cattle.
