The fifth annual Houston Sports Awards will feature the induction of three local favorites into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.
Roger Clemens, Clyde Drexler, and Sheryl Swoopes will be honored in a theater-style event on February 3, 2022.
The theme of the night is “deuces wild;” fitting, since all three athletes wore the number 22 on their jerseys.
Clemens, a Spring Woods High School graduate, was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game, intimidating batters with his powerful pitches, and earning him the nickname “Rocket” and a record seven Cy Young Awards in his 24 seasons.
“This is where I grew up,’’ Clemens said. “Houston has always been my home, so it’s a real honor and a privilege to receive this award. I’ll have a lot of people to thank the night of this award, for sure.’’
Clyde “The Glide” Drexler, a Sterling High School graduate, was a member of the University of Houston’s famed Phi Slama Jama teams of the 1980′s. After helping UH to two Final Four appearances, Drexler took that glide to the NBA where he spent 12 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer was traded to Houston in 1995 where he joined fellow UH alumnus Hakeem Olajuwon and helped the Rockets to their second straight NBA title.
“This is a tremendous honor, the Houston Sports Hall of Fame, with world-renowned athletes and contributors that are part of that, and to be included is a tremendous honor,’’ Drexler said.
Swoopes stepped into the spotlight when she led Texas Tech to an NCAA title in 1993 and was the first player to sign with the WNBA when she signed with Houston. She played just the final third of the inaugural season after giving birth to her son but went on to become one of the early stars of the WNBA, helping the Comets to the first four WNBA titles. A three-time Olympic gold medalist, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer was also a three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, a three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time WNBA scoring champion.
“This is special,” Swoopes said. “It ranks right up there with the Naismith Hall of Fame for the simple fact that no, I wasn’t born in Houston, but Houston has been home to me for 20-something years. I know the talent that’s come through the city and the people that live in the city and Houston has done nothing but show me love and support, so for me to go into the Hall of Fame with Clyde and Roger is just amazing.’’