Larry Bird, to me he had the passion to win. He wasnt really fast or strong, but but just got it done. Made incredible shots and that whole Lakers/Celtics rivalry got me hooked on basketball
Hakeem "Dream" Olajuwon.. he came to my country (Indonesia) when he just got the title (i forgot, year 1994 or 1995, i'm still 9-10 years back then) and even prayed on Indonesia greatest mosque in that time (Istiqlal).. for me he's not only basketball idol, but such inspiring moslem role model.. after he retired, incidentally Indonesia did not have NBA matches played on tv (there is no broadband tv here until 2000).. but i always follow Rockets on the newspapers (only seeing the scoreboard and standings.. sometimes 3 paragraph review..) and internet (since 2002).. luckily, after 2003 or 2004, i have got the broadband tv and sometimes watch the Rockets games on ESPN..
I'm pretty sure for the 2002-2003 season he had a higher efficiency than magic or bird ever had, it was up there with MJ...of course it was only one season but people tend to think t-mac was overrated as an inidividual talent these days because it's the cool thing to do. The dude could just flat out ball, it's very similar to what we seen from durant these days. These guys aren't the best winners (although I really think Durant gets it more than t-mac ever will and he's well on his way) but they were certainly players who had uncomparable basketball skills. A prime t-mac had the best basketball skillset he just didn't have to the will dominate with them all the time. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aCeqXBYFctY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aCeqXBYFctY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> he was a little quicker than hardaway.... <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lUQki8E455w?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lUQki8E455w?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> if this isn't getting up I don't know what is and this was in 2008 so I'm pretty sure in 2002-2003 he was getting a little higher...just sayin' <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4bGGlpkQi_w?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4bGGlpkQi_w?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
It's good to see a number of "Moses Malone"'s, because he was the first one to hook me to basketball, followed a few years later by Akeem and Clyde at UH and then Ralph Sampson. (Houston was a great place to grow up to watch good post play.) So, there are at least a few old-timers around.
Clyde Drexler. He played the game the right way, was always silky smooth just like his nickname (except when he was kicking himself in the butt during one of his patented three's lol), he resurrected our team in 1995 which was the first year I followed the Rockets hard (I was a 9yr old casual spectator when we won it all in 1994). Plus, he was the favorite player of one of the girls I had a crush on in 6th grade
LOL Sam Cassell. I was a young teenager watching the finals and he was fun to watch. Jordan and Dream next
When I was about 8 years old my father took me to my first Rocket's game at the Summit. During the warmups, I asked him who was good. He pointed at a guy going by Akeem Olajuwon. He did not lie. The Rockets have been a big part of my life ever since. And I don't even like other sports. Were it not for Olajuwon, I've no doubt I'd have no interest in basketball either.
my dad got me into watching Hakeem and the rockets in 91' and ive been a basketball fan ever since! :grin: i used to get so upset when the rockets lost, but when the championship years happened, thats when i got hooked for life! :grin:
I used to watch Moses, Rudy, Calvin, etc. back in the day, but what really woke me up was Phi Slamma Jamma. After that almost-championship season, I was addicted.
Vince Carter fricken looooved him when he first came into the league, must have watched that dunk contest a million times
dream all the way .. i would practice fading out of bounds on the side line shooting jumpers, fake going left and then turning around to shoot .. fun times
Hersey Hawkins and Dell Curry on the Charlotte Hornets. They were bomb from downtown on Tecmo NBA Basketball on the original Nintendo when I first starting liking basketball. 92ish.
Are you really using a video of prime T-Mac blowing by a broken down old Penny Hardaway as proof that T-Mac was quicker? Hell, I could probably get by T-Mac these days, does that mean I'm quicker than both of them?
i feel that the player who introduced me to basketball most had to be Hakeem Olajuwon. I started watching lots of basketball ever since he was with the team. ever since then I never stopped watching basketball especially the Houston Rockets.
