The hype for Victor Wembanyama has been unreal. While the upside is immense, the projections may have gotten a touch out of hand. Yet, for all the hyperbole, the true product is genuinely mesmerizing. When the ceiling for a player is entering the GOAT conversation with Michael Jordan and LeBron James, perhaps no hurdle is too large to cross. Days after the San Antonio Spurs drafted the French wonder, fans remembered the original unicorn. While the NBA has boasted several freaks of nature, the first of its kind played for the Houston Rockets.

40 years to the day, we take a look back to a 7’4 prospect, who became one of the greatest What-Ifs in NBA history.

The Houston Rockets had another giant before Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming

When people talk about what-ifs in NBA history, the usual candidates show up. Derrick Rose not tearing his ACL, KD not joining the Warriors, or Michael Jordan not retiring the first two times. In the case of the Rockets, the prime candidate is Chris Paul’s injury in the 2018 playoffs. However, years before any of these scenarios was the original what-if.

The NBA had seen a few dominant centers until this point. George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Yet, none of them were projected to be as dominant as the 7’4″ giant drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 1983 Draft.

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Ralph Sampson came into the NBA ready-made for dominance. In his rookie season, he put up 21 points, and 11 rebounds, to go with 2.4 blocks. An All-Star the first 4 years of his career, Sampson was the real deal. However, as is the case with most 7-footers in NBA history, injuries derailed his momentum.

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Prior to the injury, Sampson and next year’s draftee, Hakeem Olajuwon, were poised to take over. Sampson was so elite that the Portland Trail Blazers offered a crazy trade package that might have changed the NBA landscape forever.

The Michael Jordan-Hakeem Olajuwon dream team

Clyde Drexler and the 2nd pick in the 1984 Draft were reportedly offered to the Rockets by the Blazers. Now, in most cases, you would assume that that’s a fair package for a young, already elite center. But 1984 wasn’t like most cases.

The Houston Rockets owned the 1st pick in the draft. They used it to select Hakeem Olajuwon. With the second pick, Portland drafted Kentucky Center and high-school sensation Sam Bowie. However, the real kicker was the number 3 pick. For those who don’t know, with the 3rd pick, the Chicago Bulls selected a certain guard from North Carolina by the name of Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

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With Houston already having drafted Olajuwon, they wouldn’t have selected another center. With the rejection of a trade offer from the Trail Blazers, Houston lost out on a potential big 3 of Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan. Those 3 men accounted for all Finals from 1990-1998. Imagine the three on the same team. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

40 years later, as Wembanyama gets set to debut on the NBA stage, with critics aplenty, we hope that his career goes along swimmingly, and more importantly, injury-free.