Sports Wax Episode 2: The Valentine’s Day Trade That Saved a City’s Title Hopes
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There’s something poetic about a sports redemption story, especially when it takes years to unfold. That’s exactly what this week’s episode of Sports Wax, our nostalgia-driven sports podcast at GrumpyBuck.com, is all about.
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In this episode, we rewind to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history — North Carolina State’s stunning last-second victory over Houston in the 1983 national championship game. It was a gut punch for future NBA legends Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, who walked off the court in stunned silence.
But redemption doesn’t always come quickly. For Houston sports fans, it would take more than a decade of heartbreak before the city finally got its moment.
By the early ‘90s, the Houston Rockets were a strong team, but they needed something extra to get over the hump. That missing piece? A Valentine’s Day trade, 30 years ago this week, that brought Clyde “The Glide” Drexler back home to Houston.
The result? One of the greatest and most improbable playoff runs in NBA history.
With Michael Jordan retired (for the moment), the Rockets seized the opportunity. Drexler reunited with Olajuwon, and together, they led Houston past a murderer’s row of NBA legends — Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, and finally, Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando Magic — to win the 1995 NBA championship.
It was a storybook ending for Drexler, who had come so close so many times before. And it all started with a midseason trade on Feb. 14, 1995.
If you love reliving the greatest moments in sports history, this podcast is for you. Listen to Sports Wax below and subscribe for a new episode every week!
Listen to the full episode here: