Hakeem Olajuwon is an esteemed alum of Houston University, so it would make sense for him to be in attendance for his alma mater’s March Madness run.
After Houston pulled off their miraculous comeback over Duke University, Olajuwon wanted to celebrate the Cougars, but there was a problem.
Security Stopped Hakeem Olajuwon From Celebrating With Houston
Chancellor Johnson posted a video of Olajuwon trying to take the floor after Houston’s victory. Unfortunately, security stopped him from getting the chance.
In Houston's win over Duke, program legend Hakeem Olajuwon was hoping to join the team on the court in celebration, but security wasn't having it.
One man even tried to vouch for him, but no luck pic.twitter.com/tlncbOMhoX
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) April 6, 2025
Perhaps most baffling is that despite Olajuwon being the most esteemed alum to come out of the university’s men’s college basketball program, he wasn’t allowed to celebrate with the team, even with someone vouching for him.
It is a shame because this has been the most successful March Madness run Houston has had since the days of having Olajuwon on the team. The basketball legend played for Houston from 1980 to 1984. The last two years he played there, Olajuwon guided Houston to the NCAA Finals.
That played a huge part in why Olajuwon is one of the five players whose number is retired by the university. The fact that they hadn’t been back there for over 40 years shows the kind of rare impact he had on their program.
After he finished his collegiate career with Houston University, Olajuwon then went on to become one of the best players in NBA history, winning MVP in 1994 and two championships in 1994 and 1995. Because of his impact on both sides of the floor, he is widely considered to be one of the very best centers to ever play the game.
This has been a special run for Houston because even though they have made plenty of college basketball tournaments over the years, they haven’t typically been the ones to make it all the way to the final round. It would be fitting to see their biggest success story join in on the fun with all that they have accomplished.
If Houston wins the NCAA Championship, hopefully Olajuwon will then get the chance to celebrate the victory with his team. The Cougars don’t know when they’ll be back here again, which puts the possibility of Olajuwon returning to celebrate with them very much into doubt.
It would be quite poetic to see Houston take home its first championship on Monday, and what would make it all the sweeter is to see Olajuwon be right there when they do.
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