Standing on the balcony of a rooftop bar with a view overlooking Buffalo Bayou and the Houston skyline just as the sun ducked behind it Tuesday evening, J.J. Watt didn't even have to use words to say everything he wanted about the place he calls home these days. He just pointed to the scenery and nodded his head.
Watt was joined at Le Tesserae, just east of downtown, by a Who's Who of the city's sports royalty, including former Houston Astros closer Billy Wagner and the Houston Dynamo's most storied player Brian Ching as the trio became the latest inductees into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.
Watt - who was joined by his wife Kealia, who played six seasons for the Houston Dash - is toasted in this town often. He's one of only two players in the Houston Texans' Ring of Honor and will go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as soon as he's eligible in 2028, but he said being recognized in a city that he's made his home, is still special.
"To be honored like this in a city like this, and for them to welcome me as one of their own and now to be able to be in the Hall of Fame for such an incredible city that I have so much love for, it's pretty special," Watt said.
That was the theme for the night, even for Wagner, the one honoree who doesn't still live in Houston.
The 55-year-old Wagner, who coaches high school baseball in Virginia, says his sister still lives in Houston and proudly calls his children Houstonians since they were born here during his nine years with the Astros.
"This is where everything got started," he said. "Our career got started, our family got started, so being able to come back and be home and be around some of these greats is incredible. Do I feel like I'm one of (the greats)? No, but I'm sure happy to be back home and be a part of this."
Ching, who wore a lei around his neck to reflect his Hawaiian roots, first came to Houston when the San Jose Earthquakes moved to town and became the Dynamo in 2006. He quickly led the new team to back-to-back MLS titles and played eight seasons in Houston before retiring and laying down roots. Now, he owns multiple businesses, including Pitch 25 Beer Park, which is just about a mile walk from where Ching's Hall of Fame bronze plaque will be displayed on the city's Walk of Fame at GreenStreet in downtown.
"Houston is special because of its people," Ching said. "I grew up in Hawaii and it's the Aloha spirit, but you come here and it's the southern hospitality. From day one, the people that I've met out and about in this city and the fans, they have always embraced us and welcomed us. I think that's the true spirit of Houston and why I call Houston home today."
Watt and his family, which now includes his two sons Koa and Niko, briefly lived in Arizona after he retired, but now they're back in Houston as he stays busy being a part of CBS's No. 1 NFL broadcasting team alongside Jim Nantz, another Houston favorite. Watt said he and Nantz watched University of Houston's football win over Kansas State on Nantz's phone Saturday while they did their preparation together to call Sunday's Steelers-Colts game.
When asked about everything he poured into this city, including helping raise more than $41 million after Hurricane Harvey, Watt flipped the question around.
"It's more about everything this city poured into me," said Watt, shortly after unveiling his plaque that features his signature. "To be embraced by the people of such an amazing city means the world."
Walking around the venue with his Class of 2026 inductees, as well as past honorees like his old Astros buddy Jeff Bagwell or other Houston royalty like Rudy Tomjanovich and Dan Pastorini, the 5-foot-10 Wagner, who said he wanted to make sure to stand next to Ching instead of the 6-5 Watt, noticed something.
"I'm the most unlikely person here," he said. "You look at who's walking around here. I'm not the most noticeable guy here. I think when you look at me, I hope kids can see it's not the stature that makes you stand out, it's what you go out there and achieve by going out there and committing yourself to success and committing yourself to your teammates."
It wasn't just the company he was around that made Wagner feel different though. He was wearing slacks and a sports coat, something he admits was a last-minute change when his wife Sarah, who is in the Ferrum College Hall of Fame for her exploits as a basketball player when she was in school with her future husband, made a call to the bullpen.
"I was going to wear my usual boots and blue jeans and everything, but my wife said no," Wagner admitted. "I married up, so she made sure I was sophisticated enough to dress up, I guess. Thirty-two years of marriage and I do what I'm told."
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There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at J.J. Watt, Billy Wagner, Brian Ching share love for Houston as trio goes into city's Hall of Fame.