The then young basketball player learned to play the game of basketball in that arena, under the direction of Hall of fame coach, Guy V. Lewis.
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On Sunday, the University of Houston men's basketball team will play the last game ever at Hofheinz Pavilion when the Cougars host East Carolina.
Hofheinz Pavilion will be renovated and called the Fertitta Center.
Olajuwon has nothing but fond memories of playing in the early 80's, with Clyde Drexler and the rest of Phi Slama Jama.
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Olajuwon said, Hofheinz was home to some of the best basketball talent, you'll ever see.
"If you look at the hall of famers, but even all the players that played in the pro's, not just hall of famers. That is a lot of players that played at the University of Houston that played in the pro's. They didn't make it to the hall of fame but they were great in their own rights."
Olajuwon led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995 and in 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. One of only five numbers retired by the University of Houston men's basketball team, Olajuwon's #34 hangs in Hofheinz Pavilion.