After three long decades, the University of Houston is back in the NCAA Final Four. College basketball fans today probably don't even remember the last time that the Cougars made any real waves in the NCAA Tournament, but when they did, they really did. They left an imprint on the NBA.

If we are talking about NBA-level talent, U of H was an absolute powerhouse in the 1980's, and while they haven't shown up lately, it is only appropriate that we celebrate and respect their legacy in the annals of NBA and college basketball lore. These are the greatest NBA players (and coolest names) from the University of Houston.

What else would you expect from the alumni of a Houston team with the nickname Phi Slama Jama?

5. Bo Outlaw

Spoiler alert: This Houston list gets better.

Be that as it may, Bo Outlaw at least fits the ‘cool name' theme of this list. The talent level drops off in a big way after the third-best NBA player from Houston, but Bo Outlaw was a key member to three of the NBA's most dynamic squads:

Tracy McGrady's Orlando Magic; Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns; and Dwight Howard's Orlando Magic.

Now, granted, Outlaw was definitely no more than a role player on every one of these teams after playing college ball in Houston. But, his career PER is decent at 14.2, and he served a solid big man role for each of these squads, able to guard four positions on the court.

Not bad, and Bo Outlaw is one of the coolest names in NBA history. Moving on.

4. Otis Birdsong

This Houston list just got better.

You can think of Otis Birdsong as a Gilbert Arenas type of player. Not a lot of sharing, not a lot of winning, but boy could he score for Houston.

If you want a glimpse of the day-to-day star in the 1980s after he played for Guy Lewis at the University of Houston, look up some old Birdsong highlights. He put up some solid numbers for some of the least spectacular New Jersey Nets teams to ever exist, and before that led the Kansas City Kings. If you forget the Kansas City Kings, don't blame yourself. Everyone forgets the Kansas City Kings.

He was the Nets' first star after they let Julius Erving go to the Philadelphia 76ers after the NBA-ABA merger. Like most Nets stars, he flew under the radar, and continues to do so today. After all, who could remember that the Nets existed back when the Boston Celtics were the sole rulers of the Atlantic?

Granted, his advanced numbers are nothing special. But with an 18 PPG career scoring average, Birdsong could simply put the ball in the hoop. That's a theme you'll notice for Houston alums later on this list.

3. Clyde Drexler

The fact that Clyde ‘The Glide' Drexler is ranked third on this list shouldn't be a disappointment. In fact, it should be a testament to the talent powerhouse that the University of Houston was back in the day.

The ‘Jama' of unofficial Houston fraternity Phi Slama Jama (more on that later), Clyde Drexler is most famously known as being the young rival to Michael Jordan. What a heartbreaking job that must have been.

The Glide was known for his smooth, high flying game at Houston and then in the NBA. If there was a player to make dunking graceful, it was him. Imagine if Julius Erving and George Gervin somehow combined themselves into one player on the offensive end, and you have Clyde. Even his name is smooth.

Of course, there was plenty of substance beneath the flash after he left Houston for the NBA: With a career 20.4 PPG and 135.6 win shares (higher than #2 on this list), Clyde was the driver of the Portland Trail Blazers' car throughout the 80s and early 90s. He was a member of the original '92 Dream Team, a 10x All-Star, and 5x All-NBA selection too.

He even won a championship in 1995 as a senior member of the Houston Rockets!

Yet, he will always be remembered as the shadow of one name: Michael Jordan.

Why did Portland not select Jordan in the '84 draft? Houston Cougar fans knew the Blazers had their franchise scoring guard with Drexler. In 1992, Clyde placed 2nd in the MVP race. Who did he lose to? Michael Jordan. That same year, Clyde's Blazers finally made it to the NBA Finals. Want to know who they lost to?

Clyde Drexler will always be remembered as one of Jordan's most famous victims. He simply deserves more than that.

2. Elvin Hayes

Elvin Hayes is not as famous as Clyde Drexler. But he is way better, and older Houston fans recognize this.

Not a lot of NBA fans — in Houston or anywhere else — really remember the 1970s, and for good reason. The 50s, 60s, and 80s were ruled by the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, the 90s belonged to Jordan, and the 2000s and 2010s were ruled by Kobe, LeBron James, and the Golden State Warriors. The 70s were ruled by the ABA merger and boatloads of drugs — not great selling points.

But lost in the haze of the 70s was a hidden Washington Wizards (then the Bullets) mini-dynasty, with the Big E — fresh from Houston — at its center. That Bullets team, led by Hayes and fellow 1968 All-Rookie teammate Wes Unseld, went to three NBA Finals in five years, breaking through in 1978 over the Seattle Supersonics.

Some fun facts about Hayes: He led the NBA in scoring as a rookie, became the first player to lead the league in rebounding outside of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain since they started playing, and is eerily similar to the player ranked No. 1 on this list (both went on from the University of Houston to play for the Rockets).

Hayes was as well-rounded as they come after Guy Lewis developed him at Houston: a scoring champ, a rebounding champ, an 2x All-NBA Defensive selection, and a true champion. He should not be left in the shadow of his more famous and less successful peers.

1. Hakeem Olajuwon

Rare is the player that would not be viewed as a disappointment if not drafted over Michael Jordan. Hakeem Olajuwon is one of those rare players.

The most famous alumnus of Houston's Phi Slama Jama fraternity, Olajuwon amazingly didn't even start playing organized basketball until he was 15 years old, opting instead to play as a goalkeeper for his youth soccer team.

Thank goodness he switched.

Hakeem Olajuwon credits his history with soccer as the culprit behind his phenomenal footwork and defensive instincts, and that is easy to see for this Houston sports icon.  He was the rare classic center that could float and fly as well as he could bring the hammer down on opposing players. If you think back on the history of the NBA's greatest centers, even the undeniable athletes were hugely powerful. Olajuwon's game was beautiful. It's no wonder his nickname was ‘The Dream'.

As for the stats, they back him up. Olajuwon might be one of the most famous offensive players in NBA history with his patented Dream Shake, but he was equally, if not more, incredible as a defensive force with the Houston Rockets. He is the league's all-time leader in blocked shots, and is fifth all-time in defensive win shares. Olajuwon's static accolades back up this ranking as well, with 2 championships, 1 MVP, 12 All-NBA nods (9x All-NBA Defense), and 2x DPOY awards.

The Dream is a good name for him, and he seems to finally have an heir in Joel Embiid. Here's hoping that Embiid can keep the dream alive.