I have a vivid memory of watching a SportsCenter clip of Hakeem Olajuwon and Antonio McDyess absolutely wailing on each other during a March, 1998 Rockets win over the Suns. NBA fights in recent history are mostly shoving and face-mushing, but this one featured both parties landing actual punches for which they would eventually get suspended.
Remembering the time Hakeem Olajuwon and Antonio McDyess punched each other a lot
There is no video of this fight, but it definitely happened.
Bob Levey
I can’t find video of the incident now, and I’m almost glad for it. If my idle afternoon searching had led me straight to YouTube, I might not have found these quotes in an old Sam Smith news roundup after the fact:
The devil made him . . . Hakeem Olajuwon couldn’t believe he got into that fight with Antonio McDyess. “I fell into the trap of Satan,” he said. “My reaction was in the heat of the moment. It was Satan at work and I gave in. I thought I’d learned to control my emotions as I got older. It shows none of us is immune.” As for being fined and suspended, Olajuwon said, “I was happy the league did what it did.”
Asked his take on Olajuwon’s position, Charles Barkley said: “Satan? I live the life of Satan. Satan’s one of my brothers: Darrell, John and Satan.”
To recap, that’s Hakeem Olajuwon blaming Satan for his lapse into haymaker-throwing wildness, followed by his teammate Charles Barkley vouching for Satan. The ‘98 Rockets were FANTASTIC. (This forum thread about the fight is also worth a scroll.)
But yeah, if anyone can access footage of this old fight, I’m confident the Internet would love to see it.
