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Twenty-seven years ago the Houston Rockets celebrated their first ever NBA Championship title win, igniting celebrations across the city for days.
On June 22, 1994, the Rockets defeated the New York Knicks 90-84 in a game seven win, the first of two NBA titles in franchise history, according to Rockets Wire. The Rockets went into the finals with a 58-24 regular season, the best record in team history.
U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston) remembered the milestone victory and took to Twitter to send a shoutout to the team.
"We still believe! #HoustonProud," Fletcher wrote in a June 22 Twitter post.
Center Hakeem Olajuwon, who was unsuccessful in the team's second Finals trip overall eight years before, led the team to victory, scoring 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on his way to being named the series' Most Valuable Player, according to Rockets Wire.
“Finally,” Olajuwon said after the 1994 game, Rockets Wire reported. “If you were to write a book, you can’t write it any better. It’s been a great season for the team.”
Vernon Maxwell played effective defense against Knicks guard John Starks and contributed 21 points to the Rocket's final score including a pivotal three-pointer within the game's final two minutes.
“It’s the biggest shot so far in my career,” Maxwell said postgame, Rockets Wire reported. “Dream [Olajuwon] made a great pass, and I just shot the ball with a lot of confidence.”
According to Houston Press, Olajuwon represented the Rockets in the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery and Houston will pick second after the Detroit Pistons in the July event.
The following year, on June 14, 1995, the Rockets clinched their second NBA championship, defeating the Orlando Magic 113-101 in game four. Olajuwon was the Finals MVP, scoring 35 points and securing 15 rebounds, according to Rockets Wire.