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TheFonde Recreation Center, often known simply asFonde (pronounced "fon-DEE") orFonde Rec, is a public gym near downtownHouston,Texas.[1] Fonde is known for its basketball courts, which have been the proving ground for numerousNCAA andNBA basketball players during the summertime. Among the basketball legends that have played at Fonde are all-time greats such asHakeem Olajuwon,Moses Malone andClyde Drexler. Among the most oft-cited anecdotes of Fonde are the Malone–Olajuwon duels during the early 1980s, in which the two future Basketball Hall of Fame centers squared off, with the elder Malone, formerly of theHouston Rockets, testing the skills of the younger Olajuwon, then just a college player with theUniversity of Houston. Fonde has been featured as a playable location in several NBA video games, including the NBA Live series, along with other well-known underground hoops hotbeds such as New York'sRucker Park,Goat Park, andThe Cage, Chicago'sJackson Park Cages andVenice Beach.[2][3]
While many NBA players still play in Houston during the summer, many now play at the privately ownedWestside Tennis Club. However, Fonde remains a mecca of basketball, with the Nike Houston Pro City Summer Basketball League being the signature event of the summer, recently featuring NBA stars such asSam Cassell,Rashard Lewis,Steve Francis,Emeka Okafor andT. J. Ford.
29°45′47″N95°22′30″W / 29.7630°N 95.3750°W /29.7630; -95.3750