Houston has reached the national championship game for the first time since 1984 – and they did it in front of an NBA legend.
A historic Cougars comeback knocked off the NCAA tournament favorite Duke in the Final Four on Saturday night.
Their smothering defense took over to erase a 14-point second-half deficit and stun the Blue Devils 70-67, leaving star Cooper Flagg distraught.
Cougars alumni and NBA icon Hakeem Olajuwon knows a little something about great defense, and he also knows about playing in the NCAA tournament final, too.
Olajuwon, who has turned his career earnings into a $100m real estate fortune, was on the roster the last time Houston played for the college title, way back in 1984.
In March Madness that year, his Cougars were beaten in the championship game by Georgetown.
Led by Reggie Williams and Patrick Ewing, the Hoyas won 84-75.
It has taken more than four decades for Houston to return to the big game, and they finally did it with ‘The Dream’ in attendance.
With the celebrations unfolding on the floor, the two-time NBA champion tried to make his way from his courtside seat to join the team, only to be denied by security.
Footage of the incident has been shared on social media and has since gone viral, with more than 1.7 million views over the weekend.
In the video, a man is seen stopping Olajuwon from coming onto the court, much to his confusion.
Many basketball fans were left shocked by the footage, questioning why he wasn’t allowed to join the party.
“This is criminal,” one person wrote, responding to the video.
“Imagine not knowing who THE DREAM is…” another said.
“This is despicable! The greatest Cougar ever not allowed to celebrate with his team,” a third wrote.
Even fellow Houston legend, J.J. Watt, weighed in on the situation.
“C’monnnnn Man. You let The Dream on the court,” the former Texans defensive end wrote on X.
“What are we doing here…”
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According to a report from the Houston Chronicle, after the on-court celebration was done, Olajuwon waited for the players by the stairs that lead to the locker room.
One by one, current Cougars hugged the Houston legend, who played in three Final Fours in his own college days.
“Us getting back to the Final Four, now playing for the national championship, you can see on their face that they’re especially happy knowing they went to the University of Houston and for us to be back at the top where they were at, too,” Houston senior J’Wan Roberts said post-game.
“I just feel like they’re proud of us, all the accomplishments that we’ve had.”
Olajuwon, indeed, shared warm words for the team when he was interviewed courtside amid all the chaos.
“It’s amazing, people who were down, stuck together and pulled through,” he said.
“They’ve done this all year long. So proud of them, unbelievable.”
Houston will face the Florida Gators in the national championship game on Monday night.
How to watch March Madness in the UK
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March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, with a total of 68 teams battling it out to become the Division 1 college champions.
This year UConn have the chance to become only the second team ever to complete a March Madness three-peat, having emerged victorious for the last two years.
talkSPORT will have the latest news on the tournament, but for UK basketball fans the way to watch is through Sky Sports. The broadcaster will be showing EVERY March Madness game through their Sky Sports + streaming service.
Click here to sign up to a Sky Sports subscription, or read our article on the best Sky Sports deals available now.
