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*[[Shane Battier]]&nbsp;– 2008, 2009<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/battish01.html |title=Shane Battier Statistics |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |accessdate=March 3, 2009}}</ref>
*[[Shane Battier]]&nbsp;– 2008, 2009<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/battish01.html |title=Shane Battier Statistics |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |accessdate=March 3, 2009}}</ref>
*[[Ron Artest]]&nbsp;– 2009<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/artesro01.html |title=Ron Artest Statistics |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |accessdate=March 3, 2009}}</ref>
*[[Ron Artest]]&nbsp;– 2009<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/artesro01.html |title=Ron Artest Statistics |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |accessdate=March 3, 2009}}</ref>
Patrick Beverly

'''[[NBA All-Star Game|All-Star]]'''
'''[[NBA All-Star Game|All-Star]]'''
* [[Hakeem Olajuwon]] – 1985-1990, 1992-1997
* [[Hakeem Olajuwon]] – 1985-1990, 1992-1997

Revision as of 12:26, 7 July 2014

Houston Rockets
2014–15 Houston Rockets season
Houston Rockets logo
ConferenceWestern
DivisionSouthwest
Founded1967
HistorySan Diego Rockets
1967–1971
Houston Rockets
1971–present
ArenaToyota Center
LocationHouston, Texas
Team colorsRed, Silver, White
     
Head coachKevin McHale
OwnershipLeslie Alexander
Championships2 (1994, 1995)
Conference titles4 (1981, 1986, 1994, 1995)
Division titles4 (1977, 1986, 1993, 1994)
Retired numbers6 (22, 23, 24, 34, 45, CD)

The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1967 and played in San Diego, California for four years, before moving to Houston.[1]

In the Rockets' debut season, they won only 15 games. But after drafting Elvin Hayes first overall in the 1969 NBA Draft, they made their first appearance in the playoffs in 1969. After Hayes was traded, Moses Malone was later acquired to replace him. Malone went on to win the MVP award twice, and lead Houston to the conference finals in his first year with the team. He also took the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, but they were defeated in six games by Larry Bird's Boston Celtics which also featured the Rockets current head coach, Kevin McHale.[2]

In 1984, the Rockets drafted Hakeem Olajuwon who, paired with Ralph Sampson and both collectively known as the "Twin Towers", led them to the 1986 Finals in their second and third year respectively, where in another brave effort they lost again to the Boston Celtics. In the next seven seasons, plagued by injury including to Sampson who would be traded in 1988, they lost in the first round of the playoffs five times, until finally advancing in 1993 with a re-tooled roster past the L.A. Clippers and battle the rival Seattle SuperSonics to the bitter end before falling short in an overtime Game 7. Inspired by the tough playoff defeat, Olajuwon famously proclaimed to the team "We go from here." The Rockets stormed all the way to the 1994 NBA Finals, where Olajuwon led them to the franchise's first championship against his rival Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks. The team repeated as champions in 1995 with a memorable run as the 6th seed in the West and sweeping the favored Orlando Magic led by a young Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway. After winning two championships, the Rockets traded away most of the championship team for Charles Barkley, changed their championship uniforms, and, to date, have not advanced to the finals again. They missed the playoffs from 2000–2003 and did not reach the playoffs again until they drafted Yao Ming and they did not advance past the first round of the playoffs again until 2009.[3] Following Yao Ming's retirement in 2011, the Rockets entered a period of rebuilding, failing to reach the playoffs for 3 straight seasons. With a complete dismantling of the team entering the 2012 season, the Rockets have proclaimed "a new age" and their period of rebuilding over, capped by their first playoffs game win on April 9, 2013.

Franchise history

Main article: History of the Houston Rockets

1967–1971: San Diego Rockets

File:Pat riley elvin hayes 1968.jpg
Teammates Pat Riley and Elvin Hayes in 1968.

The Rockets were founded in 1967 in San Diego, and after being bought by Robert Breitbard for US$1.75 million,[1] they joined the NBA as an expansion team for the 1967–68 NBA season.[4] The San Diego franchise nickname became the "Rockets" due to the local development (General Dynamics) of the Atlas missile and booster rocket program. Jack McMahon was named the Rockets' coach,[5] and the team's first draft pick, in 1967, was Pat Riley.[6][7] The Rockets lost 70 games in their inaugural season,[8] which was then an NBA record for losses in a season.[9]

In 1968, after the Rockets won a coin toss against the Baltimore Bullets to determine who would have the first overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft,[10] they selected Elvin Hayes from, coincidentally, the University of Houston.[11] Hayes led the team to the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969,[12] but the Rockets lost in the semi-finals of the Western Division to the Atlanta Hawks, four games to two.[12] In 1970, the Rockets drafted future Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy and future Rockets championship coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who would both play for the Rockets all their careers, and would make the NBA All-Star Team several times.[13][14]

Coached by Hall of Fame coach Alex Hannum, the Rockets tallied a 57–97 record in the following two seasons, and did not make the playoffs in either season.[15][16] Because of the low performance and attendance, Breitbard looked to sell the team,[1] and in 1971, Texas Sports Investments, which was led by real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg, bought the franchise for $5.6 million, and moved the team to Houston.[1] The franchise became the first NBA team in Texas.[17] The team's nickname of "Rockets" took on even greater relevance after the move, given Houston's long connection to the space industry.[18]

1971-1976: Improving in Houston with Murphy and Rudy-T

Before the start of the 1971–72 NBA season, Hannum left for the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association (The Denver Rockets would be the Nuggets by the ABA-NBA merger in 1976),[19] and Tex Winter was hired in his place.[20] However, Winter, who said that Hayes had "the worst fundamentals of any player" he had ever coached,[21] applied a system that contrasted with the offensive style to which Hayes was accustomed. Because of the differences between Winter and Hayes, Houston traded Hayes, who had led the Rockets in scoring for four straight years,[2] to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin at the end of the 1971–72 season. It was also around this time that the Rockets would use their classic logo used until the end of the 1994–95 season.[22] Winter left soon after, in the spring of 1973, following the Rockets 10th straight loss,[20] and he was replaced by Johnny Egan.[23]

In 1974 the Rockets unveiled their classic uniforms that matched the font of the logo and would be used for the next 21 years. In the 1975 NBA Playoffs they would not only make their first appearance since 1969 in San Diego but also advanced to the second round past the New York Knicks 2 games to 1 and advanced to meet the veteran Boston Celtics, which shut the young Rockets down in 5 games. It was by this time that Houston had become rather fond of their basketball team selling out several games down the stretch of the regular season as the Rockets battled for a playoff spot, and then sold out all home playoff games.

1976-1982: The Moses Malone era

In the 1975–76 NBA season the Rockets finally had a permanent home in Houston as they moved into The Summit, which they would call home for the next 29 years. The following season (after missing the 1976 playoffs), under coach Egan's guidance, as well as ABA Newcomer Moses Malone and veterans Tomjanovich, Murphy, and Mike Newlin to help lead the way, the Rockets won the franchise's first division title, the 1977 Central Division title at 49–33, and made their second appearance in the playoffs since arriving in Houston.[2] After a first round bye for having the second best record in the East, the Rockets defeated the Washington Bullets led by former Rocket Elvin Hayes as well as Bullet stars Wes Unseld and Dave Bing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals 4–2, but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers led by former ABA star Julius Erving 4 games to 2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.[24]

Early into the 1977–78 season, at a game on December 9, 1977, Kevin Kunnert got into a fight with Kermit Washington of the Los Angeles Lakers. As Tomjanovich approached the altercation, Washington turned and threw a punch that landed squarely in the face of an approaching Tomjanovich, causing numerous fractures in his face.[25] Tomjanovich spent the next five months in rehabilitation and was not available for selection in the 1978 All-Star Game, and Malone went in his place as the lone Rocket All-Star that season. Rudy-T's averages for the season significantly declined after the injury,[26] and without the leadership of team captain Rudy-T, Houston finished with just 28 wins in the season, despite an excellent season by Calvin Murphy.[27]

In the following season, Malone, Murphy, and Tomjanovich all played in the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, and "The Chairman Of The Boards" Moses Malone received the 1979 MVP Award.[28] The Rockets also sent John Lucas II to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Rick Barry, who went on to set the NBA record at the time for free throw percentage in a season by shooting 94.7%.[29] The Rockets went 47–35 in Nissalke's last season as coach, and finished second in the Central Division, but were swept 2–0 against Atlanta in a best-of-three first-round series.[30] In Houston's 1979–80 campaign, Del Harris replaced Nissalke as head coach, and he led the Rockets to a 41–41 record, tying the San Antonio Spurs for second place in the Central Division.[31] After the Rockets defeated the Spurs two games to one in their first-round playoff series, they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals, led by rookie Larry Bird.[31]

In 1979 George Maloof, a businessperson from Albuquerque, New Mexico, bought the Rockets for $9 million. Bill Schadewald of the Houston Business Journal said that, at that time, "I could arrive just before game time, pay a desperate scalper two bucks for a ticket and sit just about anywhere in The Summit."[32]

In the 1980–81 season, after the newly established Dallas Mavericks became the third NBA team in Texas,[33] the NBA restructured the conferences and sent the Rockets, who had previously played in the Eastern Conference, to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. In Harris's second season, Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest Division behind San Antonio with a 40–42 record, and qualified for the playoffs with just one game left.[34] During the season, Murphy set two NBA records, by sinking 78 consecutive free throws to break Rick Barry's mark of 60 set in 1976, and achieving a free-throw percentage of .958, breaking Barry's record set with the Rockets in 1979.[35]

In the playoffs, Houston began a run that began when they upset Los Angeles two games to one, and then confronting George Gervin's San Antonio Spurs in a classic Battle of Texas, which would see the Rockets defeat the Spurs four games to three in the Western Conference semifinals, ending in a climactic Game 7 at the hostile HemisFair Arena where Calvin Murphy would score a playoff career-high 42 points.[36] This resulted in a surprise conference finals matchup with the likewise 40–42 Kansas City Kings, who were led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford. When the Kings fell to the Rockets in five games,[36] the Rockets became only the second team in NBA history (after the 1959 Minneapolis Lakers) to advanced to the Finals after having a losing record in the regular season, and thus met Larry Bird's Boston Celtics in the finals round.[37] However, after blowing a late lead in Game 1 against the Celtics, and actually winning Game 2 at the legendary Boston Garden, the Rockets failed to capitalize on the early surprising success against the favored Celtics, and Houston eventually lost in six games.[38] During the Playoff run, the Rockets received strong play from Mike Dunleavy, Calvin Murphy, Tom Henderson, Bill Willoughby, Billy Paultz, Allen Leavell, Robert Reid, Major Jones, and even an older Rudy Tomjanovich who hit critical free throws in game 2, in addition to the superb performance of Moses Malone.

1983-1987: The Twin Towers

File:Hakeem sampson 1.jpg
Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson played for five seasons together, including an NBA Finals appearance against the Boston Celtics in 1986.

The following season, the Rockets improved their regular season mark to 46–36 but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.[39] Although Malone won the league's Most Valuable Player award in that season,[28] in the following offseason, the Rockets traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caldwell Jones,[28] to avoid paying his salary, which was a decision the Rockets were forced to make as they were low on funds due to a declining regional economy at the time.[40] When the Rockets finished a league worst 14–68,[41] Celtics coach Bill Fitch was hired to replace outgoing Del Harris,[40] and after winning a coin flip with the Indiana Pacers to obtain the first pick of the 1983 NBA Draft,[40] the Rockets selected Ralph Sampson from the University of Virginia.[42]

Although the Rockets finished only 29–53 in the 1983–1984 season, Ralph Sampson was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year award,[43] after averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game.[43] Houston was again given the first pick of the 1984 NBA Draft, and they used it to select Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston.[44] In his first season, Olajuwon finished second to Michael Jordan in NBA Rookie of the Year balloting,[45] and the Rockets record improved by 19 games good for 2nd place in the Midwest division (after Denver) and the third seed in the west, though they were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the sixth seeded Utah Jazz.[46] In the following season, both Olajuwon and Sampson were named to the Western Conference All-Stars in that year's all-star game,[47] and the duo was nicknamed the "Twin Towers".[48]

The next season Houston won the Midwest Division title with a 51–31 record. One game against the Phoenix Suns epitomized the effectiveness and promise of the Twin Towers in which Ralph Sampson bringing the ball up-court passed an alley-oop to an eager Hakeem Olajuwon far above the reach of their opponents. In the playoffs, the Rockets breezed past the Sacramento Kings in a 3–0 first round sweep, but struggled with Alex English's Denver Nuggets, including one game going to double overtime in the exhausting altitude of the Mile-High City. The young squad grinded it out and eventually pulled away with the victory over the Nuggets 4–2. When faced with defending champion Lakers in the Conference Finals, the Rockets were ready to knock off their rivals who had the best of them during the regular season. The Rockets, however, were blown out of Game 1 with Olajuwon's spinning reverse dunks and Sampson's alley-oops notwithstanding. Embarrassed by the loss, Olajuwon and the Rockets stormed back to shock the star-studded defending champions with 4 straight wins in an impressive four games to one series victory, a feat that no other Western Conference team had come close to doing against the Showtime Lakers. In Game 5 of that series in Los Angeles, Olajuwon had been ejected for fighting with Mitch Kupchak and the Rockets were down 3 with less than 30 seconds left. Robert Reid hit the critical 3 point shot to tie the game with 17 seconds left, and perennial back-up guard Allen Leavell pulled down a key rebound off a Byron Scott miss and wisely called time out with only a fraction of a second left, allowing the Rockets to inbound the ball at half-court. Pat Riley did not have anybody guard the inbounds pass which allowed Rodney McCray a clean pass to Sampson who launched a miraculous, twisting turnaround jumper that bounced straight up off the rim before sailing through the hoop at the buzzer, giving the Rockets a 114–112 victory that launched them into the Finals.

In the NBA Finals the Rockets faced Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. Boston sportswriters were not happy about not getting a shot at revenge against the Lakers who had beaten the Celtics in the Finals the year before, yet the matchup was interesting with the young front court challenging the playoff-hardened Celtics front court of Bird, McHale and Parish. During the season at the Boston Garden, the Rockets were playing the Celtics well until Sampson suffered a jarring fall on his back. At the start of the Finals, Sampson quickly found himself in foul trouble early in game one as Boston held its serve easily leading 2–0 going back to Houston. Houston won a close game 3 under the leadership of Sampson (and the national anthem sung by one Willie Nelson). Game 4 also went down to the wire with the Celtics pulling it out on late Larry Bird 3 pointer heroics and untimely turnovers by Rockets guard Mitch Wiggins. In a similarly close Game 5 in Houston (under the 2–3–2 format) Sampson inexplicably and unprofessionally succumbed to taunting by the much smaller and less significant 6-foot-1 Boston guard Jerry Sichting resulting in Sampson taking a swing and an ejection from the game. Strangely, this fired up the Rockets who won game 5 by 15 points without Ralph thanks to the inspired play of Hakeem Olajuwon, Jim Peterson and Robert "Bobby Jo" Reid. Game 6 went back to Boston with Sampson finding himself again in foul trouble and of little effect against the older and wiser Celtic front court of Bird, McHale and Parish. After the series, Boston coach KC Jones called the Rockets, "the new monsters on the block" with the future looking very bright for the Rockets. During the six-game championship series loss against the Celtics, Sampson averaged 14.8 points on .438 shooting, 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The Rockets again made the playoffs, and advanced to the second round past favored Clyde Drexler and his Portland Trail Blazers (eventually proving to be their last playoff victory until 1993), before being eliminated by the Seattle SuperSonics in Game 6, a double-overtime classic in which Olajuwon scored 49 points in the losing cause.[49] Early in the 1987–88 season, Sampson was traded to the Golden State Warriors, bringing the Twin Towers era to an end. Sampson's once-promising career was shortened due to chronic knee injuries, which forced his retirement in 1991. KC Jones' prophecy of the Rockets being the "new monsters on the block" never materialized until the early 90's.

1987-1992: Lean years

In the next five seasons, the Rockets were either eliminated in the first round of the playoffs[50][51][52] or from playoff contention, with Don Chaney replacing Fitch as head coach in 1988.[53]

Chaney, also a former Celtic, was named the Coach of the Year for the 1990–91 season,[53] but the Rockets were once again eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, 3–0 to the Lakers.[54] While Olajuwon continued to post all-star numbers, he didn't receive the needed support from his teammates. Nevertheless, the Rockets began to rebuild their nucleus that would later make an impact in the years to come, with players such as Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, Sam Cassell and Otis Thorpe arriving during this period.

Midway through the next season, with the Rockets' record only 26–26, Chaney was replaced by former Houston player Rudy Tomjanovich.[55] Although the Rockets did not make the playoffs,[55] in the next year, the Rockets won-loss record improved by 13 games, as they won 55 games.[56] However, the Seattle SuperSonics eliminated them in the conference semifinals in a game 7 overtime loss.[56] Nevertheless, the 1993 season was a step forward in the team's development, which would materialize the following year.

1993-95: Championship years

On July 30, 1993, Leslie Alexander purchased the Rockets for $85 million.[57] In Tomjanovich's second full year as head coach, the Rockets began the 1993–94 season by tying an NBA record with a start of 15–0.[58] Led by Olajuwon, who was named the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year,[59] the Rockets won a franchise-record 58 games.[2][60] The Rockets recovered from being two games down to the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs,[61] to advance to the finals.[60] Houston was once again down by three games to two to the New York Knicks, but they managed to win the last two games on their home court, and claim their first championship in franchise history.[2] Olajuwon was awarded the Finals MVP, after averaging 27 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots a game, and after close to a quarter of a century associated with the Rockets, Rudy Tomjanovich finally won a championship ring as head coach.[59]

The Rockets initially struggled in the first half of the 1994–95 season,[62] and ended up winning only 47 games, which was 11 games lower than their previous year's total.[60][63] In a midseason trade with Portland, the Rockets obtained guard Clyde Drexler, a former teammate of Olajuwon at the University of Houston,[64] in exchange for Otis Thorpe.[65] Houston entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western Conference, but managed to defeat the 60–22 Utah Jazz in the first round.[63] They fell behind 3–1 to the 59–23 Phoenix Suns in the second round, but won three straight to win the series, and became the first team in NBA history to overcome both a 2–0 and 3–1 series deficit in a seven-game series.[66] The Rockets then beat the 62–20 San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals,[63] to reach the Finals against the Orlando Magic, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway.[67] When Houston swept the series in four straight games,[63] they became the first team in NBA history to win the championship as a sixth seed, and the first to beat four 50-win teams in a single postseason en route to the championship.[68] Olajuwon, who had averaged 35.3 points and 12.5 rebounds against the Spurs and regular-season MVP David Robinson in the conference finals,[69] was named the Finals MVP, becoming only the second player after Michael Jordan to win the award two years in a row.[68]

1995-2001: Post-Championship and rebuilding

The Rockets won 48 games in the 1995–96 campaign,[70] in which Olajuwon became the NBA's all-time leader in blocked shots.[71] They beat the Lakers featuring a brief comeback by Magic Johnson in the first round of the playoffs, but were swept by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round.[70]

Before the start of the succeeding season, the Rockets made a dramatic trade that sent four players to Phoenix for Charles Barkley.[72] The resulting "Big Three" of Olajuwon, Drexler, and Barkley led the Rockets to a 57–25 record,[73] and Houston swept Minnesota in the first round. However, after a 7-game battle with Seattle, the Rockets fell in the Western Conference finals to the Utah Jazz 4-2 on a dramatic last-second shot by John Stockton, the Jazz being a team they had beaten on their way to championships in 1994 and 1995.[73] Despite not winning the NBA championship that year, the 1996-97 season is still considered as one of the team's greatest moments in franchise history.

The 1997–98 season was marked by injuries,[74] and the team finished 41–41 with the 8th seed in the Western Conference.[75] Houston once again faced the Jazz, this time in the first round, and they lost the series 3–2.[75] Drexler retired after the season,[76] and the Rockets made another bold trade to bring in Scottie Pippen to take his place.[77] In the strike-shortened 1998–99 season, the Rockets went 31–19, but lost to the Lakers in the first round 3–1 of the playoffs.[78] After the 1999 draft, the Rockets traded for the second overall pick Steve Francis from the Vancouver Grizzlies, in exchange for four players and a first-round draft pick.[79] However, after Houston traded a discontented Pippen to Portland,[80] and Barkley suffered a career-ending injury,[81] the rebuilt Rockets went 34–48 and missed the playoffs,[82] for only the second time in 15 years.[2]

In the 2000–01 season, the Rockets worked their way to a 45–37 record. However, in a competitive Western Conference where seven teams won 50 games, this left the Rockets two games out of the playoffs.[83] In the following offseason, a 38-year old Olajuwon requested a trade, and, despite stating their desire to keep him, the Rockets reached a sign-and-trade agreement, sending him to the Toronto Raptors.[84] The ensuing 2001–02 season—the first without Hakeem in two decades—was unremarkable, and the Rockets finished a disappointing 28–54.[85]

2002–2009: The Yao Ming era and arrival of T-Mac

Yao Ming during his rookie season with the Rockets.

However, after Houston was awarded the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, they selected Yao Ming, a 7 foot 6  inch Chinese center.[86] The Rockets' record improved by 15 games,[87] but they missed the playoffs by one game.[88]

In the 2003-04 season, Houston began playing in their new arena, the Toyota Center,[89] and redesigned their uniforms and logo.[90] Before the season, Rudy Tomjanovich resigned as head coach after being diagnosed with bladder cancer, ending a 33-year association with the franchise—including its first 32 years in Houston.[91] Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy succeeded him.[92] The Rockets finished the regular season with a record of 45–37,[93] and earned their first playoff berth since 1999,[2] but the Lakers again handed the Rockets a loss in the first round.[93] In the offseason, Houston saw major changes in the roster as the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady in a seven-player deal with the Orlando Magic.[94] The 2004–05 season saw McGrady and Ming lead the Rockets to their best record in ten years,[2] finishing at 51–31 and seeded 5th in the Western Conference Playoffs. However, their season ended in the first round of the playoffs as they lost to their in-state rival, the Dallas Mavericks, in seven games,[95] despite leading the series 2–0.[96]

Try-plagued year in which McGrady and Yao missed a total of 70 games, the team finished with only 34 wins, and missed the playoffs.[97] The Rockets improved by 18 games the next year, with 52 wins,[98] but once again lost in the first round after leading 2–0, when they lost in seven games to Utah.[99] After the loss, Van Gundy was fired,[100] and the Rockets hired Rick Adelman to replace him.[101] In the 2007–08 NBA season, despite Yao suffering a season-ending injury for the second time in three years,[102] the Rockets won 22 consecutive games, which was at the time the 2nd longest winning streak in NBA history.[103] Houston finished their season 55–27,[104] but were eliminated for the second year in row by the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, 4 games to 2. In 2008–2009 the Rockets ended the season 53–29, reaching the number 5 spot. With McGrady out with season-ending surgery the Rockets were still able to get out of the first round, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2. The series win was their first since 1997. During the series, Dikembe Mutombo injured his knee, which forced him to retire after 18 seasons in the NBA. [105] However Yao Ming suffered yet another season-ending injury, this time a hairline fracture in his left foot during Game 3 of their second round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets lost the series 4–3.

2009–2012: "Competitive Rebuilding"

On July 8, 2009, the Rockets signed forward Trevor Ariza to a 5 year, 32 million dollar contract using the Disabled Player Exception allowed by the league through the injury of Yao Ming. Ariza was a former member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

On September 23, 2009, the Rockets unveiled new alternate uniforms, which were inspired from the 1994–95 championship uniforms and featured similar colors. On February 18, 2010, hours before the trade deadline, the Rockets acquired Kevin Martin, Jordan Hill, Hilton Armstrong, and Jared Jeffries in a 3-way team trade that sent Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks, and Joey Dorsey and Carl Landry to the Sacramento Kings. Despite the stellar play of Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks before the McGrady trade and the arrival of Martin, the Rockets could not make it to the playoffs, finishing 42–40, 3rd in the Southwest. At that time, the Rockets set an NBA record for best record by a team with no All-Stars.[106] On April 22, Aaron Brooks was named the NBA Most Improved Player, beating Kevin Durant and George Hill who both came in second place.

The Rockets drafted Patrick Patterson of Kentucky with the 14th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. On July 15, the Rockets signed free agent Brad Miller. About one month later, Trevor Ariza was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in a 4 team, 5 player trade. The Rockets received Courtney Lee from the New Jersey Nets in return. At the start of the new season, after five games Yao Ming injured his left ankle. After being examined, what was thought to be a mild sprain turned out to be a stress fracture which kept Yao out of the court for another season. In July 2011, Yao, only 30, retired after a series of unfortunate injuries after his short career as the best Rockets center since Hakeem Olajuwon. On February 24, 2011 the Rockets traded Shane Battier to the Grizzlies for Hasheem Thabeet and a first round pick. They also traded Aaron Brooks to the Phoenix Suns for Goran Dragić and a first round pick. For the second straight season the Rockets failed to make the playoffs, although they finished the year with a winning record. Coach Adleman left the Rockets right after the season, and talks of a new coach include championship-era Rockets star Sam Cassell and hall-of-fame Celtics former star Kevin McHale. A few days later, the Rockets hired Kevin McHale as their new head coach. With the 14th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets selected Marcus Morris from the University of Kansas. And with the 38th pick in that same draft, they selected Chandler Parsons from the University of Florida. Nearing the trade deadline on March 15, 2012 the Rockets traded Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn to the Portland Trail Blazers for Marcus Camby. The Rockets also sent Jordan Hill to the Lakers in return for Derek Fisher (later waived and signed by the Thunder) and a first round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Before the 2012 NBA Draft, The Milwaukee Bucks sent the 12th pick, Shaun Livingston, Jon Brockman, and Jon Leuer to the Rockets for the 14th overall pick and Samuel Dalembert, while the Minnesota Timberwolves traded the 18th pick for Chase Budinger.

In the 2012 NBA Draft, Houston drafted Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut, Royce White of Iowa State, and Terrence Jones of Kentucky with the 12th, 16th, and 18th picks.

2012–present: Resurgence

After dealing away Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors for an unprotected first-round draft pick and letting Goran Dragić return to the Phoenix Suns via free agency, Houston was in search of a point guard. On July 11, The Rockets signed Jeremy Lin to a 3 year, $25.1 million contract as the New York Knicks decided not to match this offer. Lin achieved worldwide fame with a 25 game stretch of high performance basketball play known as "Linsanity", where he stepped up in place of the New York Knicks' injured stars. On July 20, restricted free agent from the Chicago Bulls Ömer Aşık signed an offer sheet with the Rockets, worth $25.1 million for three years. The Bulls decided to not match the offer on July 24, 2012, and he officially joined the Rockets. On October 27, 2012 the Rockets traded Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb and two future first-round picks (one of which was the pick received for Lowry) for reigning sixth man of the year James Harden, along with Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, and Lazar Hayward; Hayward was released shortly after the trade. Harden had 37 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and a block in his debut as a Rocket, while Jeremy Lin, whose playing time was limited by foul trouble, had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. Harden also signed a 5-year extension contract with the Rockets worth approximately $80 million. Harden scored a career-high 45 points in his second game with the Rockets against the Atlanta Hawks. Jeremy Lin tied a career-high of 38 points in an overtime loss to the Spurs while Harden was out with an ankle sprain. Harden was selected to the 2013 NBA All-Star game, which was held in Houston.

On February 5, 2013, the Houston Rockets equaled the NBA team record for the most made 3-point field goals of 23 against the Golden State Warriors. In this game, the Rockets also achieved a home game record for most points scored at the Toyota Center with a 140-109 victory.

The Rockets acquired 2012 5th overall pick Thomas Robinson in a trade with the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 20, 2013. They traded away Marcus Morris and Patrick Patterson. On that same night, the Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-119 after trailing by 14 with 6:58 remaining in the game. James Harden also had a new career high of 46 points against his former team.

Despite being the youngest team in the NBA, the Rockets became one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA. Even more remarkable was that only two players - starting forward Chandler Parsons and backup bigman Greg Smith (who rarely played in his rookie season) - were left from the 2011-12 roster. Head coach Kevin McHale ran an up-tempo offense that put emphasis on transition baskets, shooting three-pointers, and playing at a fast pace. As a result, the Rockets became one of the highest scoring offenses in the NBA, leading the league in scoring for the majority of the season. In the post-season, the Rockets fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, losing 4-2 in the series.

On July 5, 2013, Dwight Howard confirmed via Twitter, he would sign with the Houston Rockets. The NBA fined the Rockets $150,000 for talking about Howard during the free-agency moratorium period.[107] Dwight Howard officially signed with the Rockets on July 13, 2013.[108] After the arrival of Dwight Howard, rumors surfaced that Omer Asik had requested a trade. Although the rumors were never officially substantiated, team general manager Daryl Morey issued a statement that the team had no immediate plans to trade Asik. Both Howard and Harden expressed interest in seeing Lin and Asik stay in Houston.

Season-by-season records

Main article: List of Houston Rockets seasons

Home arenas

The Summit (later Compaq Center) hosted the Rockets from 1975 to 2003, and was also the site where the Rockets won both of their NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. Today the site is now Lakewood Church.
Toyota Center is the current home of the Houston Rockets.

During the four years the Rockets were in San Diego, they played their games in the San Diego Sports Arena,[1] which had a seating capacity of 14,400.[109] In their first season after moving to Houston, the Rockets did not have their own arena in Houston, and they played their first two years at various venues in Houston, including the Astrodome, AstroHall, Sam Houston Coliseum and Hofheinz Pavilion, the latter eventually being adopted as their home arena until 1975. They also had to play "home" games in other cities such as San Antonio, Waco, Albuquerque, and even San Diego in efforts to extend the fan-base. During their first season, the Rockets averaged less than 5,000 fans per game (roughly half full), and in one game in Waco, there were only 759 fans in attendance.[1]

Their first permanent arena in Houston was the 10,000 seat Hofheinz Pavilion on the campus of the University of Houston, which they moved into starting in their second season. They played in the arena for four years, before occupying The Summit in 1975. The arena, which could hold 16,611 spectators,[110] was their home for the next 28 years. It was renamed the Compaq Center from 1998–2003.[1] For the 2003–04 season, the Rockets moved into their new arena, the Toyota Center, with a seating capacity of 18,500.[89] In the past fifteen years, the Rockets' attendance was at the lowest in 2002, when their attendance per game was only 11,737, second worst in the league.[111] However, the Rockets averaged 17,379 spectators in 2008, their best average attendance to date, which was the season of the famous 22-game winning streak.[112]

Uniforms

When the Rockets debuted in San Diego, their colors were green and gold. Road uniforms featured the city name, while the home uniforms feature the team name, both in a serifed block lettering. This was the only uniform design the Rockets would use throughout their years in San Diego. The Rockets' first logo is of a rocket streaking with a basketball and the team name surrounding it.

Upon moving to Houston in 1971, the Rockets replaced green with red. They kept the same design from their San Diego days, save for the change of color and city name. The logo used is of a player with a spinning basketball launching upward, with boosters on his back, leaving a trail of red and gold flames and the words "Houston Rockets" below it.

For the 1972–73 season, the Rockets introduced the famous "mustard and ketchup" logo, so dubbed by fans, featuring a gold basketball surrounded by two red trails, with "Houston" atop the first red trail and "Rockets" (all capitalized save for the lowercase 'E' and 'T') in black surrounding the basketball. The initial home uniforms, used until the 1975–76 season, features the city name, numbers and serifed player name in red with gold trim, while the away uniforms feature the city name (all capitalized except for the lower case 'T' and 'N'), numbers and serifed player name in gold with white trim.

In the 1976–77 season, the Rockets modified their uniforms, featuring a monotone look on the fonts and white lettering on the road uniforms. Also worth noting is the use of the font Cooper Black on the player's names. On the home shorts, the team logo is located on the right leg, while the away shorts feature the team name wordmark on the same location. With minor modifications in the number font, this version was used in all four of their NBA Finals appearances, including their 1994 and 1995 championships.

Following their 1995 championship triumph, the Rockets opted to modernize their look, in keeping with the cartoon-inspired imagery that other teams adopted during the 1990s. The logo is of a rocket painted with a shark head orbiting a basketball, with the word "Rockets" in a more LCD-inspired livery. Red was retained, but navy blue and silver were added. Both the home white and away navy uniforms featured gradient-fading pinstripes and futuristic number fonts, with side stripes of navy fading to red. This was used until the 2002–03 season.

Their current logos and uniforms were introduced in the 2003–04 season, featuring lettering those with substantial life experience see as a brilliant lift of 1930's Flash Gordon rocketry graphics. The logo is of a stylized 'R' surrounded by a red orbit streak. Red, silver and black were the colors used in the current design. Both the red away and the white home uniforms feature an updated number font, which was later simplified when Adidas moved to the Revolution 30 design in 2010. In 2009, the Rockets went back to its championship years by unveiling an alternate red uniform, featuring gold numbers and side stripes.

Honors and statistics

Individual honors

NBA MVP of the Year

NBA Finals MVP

NBA All-Star Game MVP

NBA Scoring Champions

NBA Defensive Player of the Year

NBA Rookie of the Year

NBA Most Improved Player

NBA Coach of the Year

NBA Executive of the Year

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

All-NBA First Team

All-NBA Second Team

All-NBA Third Team

NBA All-Defensive First Team

NBA All-Defensive Second Team 

Patrick Beverly

All-Star

NBA Rookie First Team

NBA Rookie Second Team

Statistics and records

Main article: Houston Rockets statistics and records

Franchise leaders

Bold denotes still active with team. Italics denotes still active but not with team.

Points scored (regular season) (as of the end of the 2013–14 season)[140]

Other Statistics (regular season) (as of the end of the 2013–14 season)[140]

Minutes Played

  1. Hakeem Olajuwon (42,844)
  2. Calvin Murphy (30,607)
  3. Rudy Tomjanovich (25,714)
  4. Robert Reid (21,718)
  5. Elvin Hayes (20,782)

Rebounds

  1. Hakeem Olajuwon (13,382)
  2. Elvin Hayes (6,974)
  3. Moses Malone (6,959)
  4. Rudy Tomjanovich (6,198)
  5. Otis Thorpe (5,010)

Assists

  1. Calvin Murphy (4,402)
  2. Allen Leavell (3,339)
  3. Hakeem Olajuwon (2,992)
  4. Mike Newlin (2,581)
  5. Kenny Smith (2,457)

Steals

  1. Hakeem Olajuwon (2,088)
  2. Calvin Murphy (1,165)
  3. Allen Leavell (929)
  4. Robert Reid (881)
  5. Steve Francis (619)

Blocks

  1. Hakeem Olajuwon (3,740)
  2. Yao Ming (920)
  3. Moses Malone (758)
  4. Ralph Sampson (585)
  5. Kelvin Cato (431)

Players

Current roster

For the complete list of Houston Rockets players see: Houston Rockets all-time roster
For the players drafted by Houston Rockets, see: List of Houston Rockets first and second round draft picks.
Houston Rockets roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
C 12 Adams, Steven 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 1993-07-20 Pittsburgh
G/F 9 Brooks, Dillon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1996-01-22 Oregon
C 3 Dante, N'Faly (TW) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) 2001-10-19 Oregon
F 17 Eason, Tari 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2001-05-10 LSU
G 4 Green, Jalen 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 2002-02-09 Prolific Prep (CA)
F 32 Green, Jeff 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1986-08-28 Georgetown
G 0 Holiday, Aaron 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-09-30 UCLA
C 2 Landale, Jock 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1995-10-25 Saint Mary's
F 58 McVeigh, Jack (TW) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1996-06-27 Nebraska
C 28 Şengün, Alperen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 243 lb (110 kg) 2002-07-25 Turkey
G 15 Sheppard, Reed 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2004-06-24 Kentucky
F 10 Smith, Jabari Jr. 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2003-05-13 Auburn
F 8 Tate, Jae'Sean 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1995-10-28 Ohio State
G/F 1 Thompson, Amen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2003-01-30 Pine Crest (FL)
G 5 VanVleet, Fred 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1994-02-25 Wichita State
F 7 Whitmore, Cam 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 2004-07-08 Villanova
G/F 19 Williams, Nate (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-02-12 Buffalo
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: December 11, 2024

Retained draft rights

The Rockets hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who isn't signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends.[141] This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

Draft Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Current team Note(s) Ref
2013 2 45 Marko Todorović C  Montenegro FC Barcelona (Spain) Acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers [142]
2012 2 48 Kostas Papanikolaou F  Greece FC Barcelona (Spain) Acquired from the New York Knicks (via Portland) [142]
2011 2 51 Jon Diebler G  United States Karşıyaka (Turkey) Acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers [143]
2009 2 34 Sergio Llull G  Spain Real Madrid (Spain) Acquired from the Denver Nuggets [144]
2008 2 54 Maarty Leunen F  United States Pallacanestro Cantù (Italy) [145]
2007 2 54 Brad Newley F  Australia Gran Canaria (Spain) [146]
2005 2 52 Axel Hervelle F  Belgium Bilbao Basket (Spain) Acquired from the Denver Nuggets [147]
1999 2 50 Venson Hamilton F/C  United States Renaissance de Berkane (Morocco) [148]

Notable former players

Retired numbers

File:Retired jerseys 1.jpg
Rockets retired jerseys hanging inside the Toyota Center.
Houston Rockets retired numbers
N° Player Position Tenure
22 Clyde Drexler G 1995–98 [149]
23 Calvin Murphy G 1970–83 [150]
24 Moses Malone C 1976–82 [151]
34 Hakeem Olajuwon C 1984–2001 [152]
45 Rudy Tomjanovich F 1970–81 1 [150]
CD 2 Carroll Dawson Assistant Coach,
General Manager		 1979–2007
  • 1 Also served as head coach from 1991 to 2003.
  • 2 As Dawson did not play for the Rockets, the team used his initials.[153]

Unassigned numbers

  • 11 - Yao Ming, C, 2002–11 (The number has not been issued since Yao announced his retirement on July 20, 2011 and will "probably" be retired, according to owner Leslie Alexander[154]).

Hall of Famers

Houston Rockets Hall of Famers
Player Elected
Rick Barry 1987 [155]
Elvin Hayes 1990 [156]
Calvin Murphy 1993 [157]
Moses Malone 2001 [158]
Clyde Drexler 2004 [159]
Charles Barkley 2006 [160]
Hakeem Olajuwon 2008 [161]
Scottie Pippen 2010
Ralph Sampson 2012

Management

General Managers

Owners

Coaches

Main article: List of Houston Rockets head coaches
# Name Term[b] Regular Season Playoffs Achievements
GC W L Win% GC W L Win%
San Diego Rockets
1 Jack McMahon[170] 1968–1970 190 61 129 .321 6 2 4 .333
2 Alex Hannum[19] 1970–1971 138 58 80 .420 — — — —
Houston Rockets
3 Tex Winter[20] 1971–1973 129 51 78 .395 — — — —
4 Johnny Egan[171] 1973–1976 281 129 152 .459 8 3 5 .375
5 Tom Nissalke[117] 1976–1979 246 124 122 .504 14 6 8 .429 1976–77 NBA Coach of the Year[172]
6 Del Harris[173] 1979–1983 328 141 187 .430 31 15 16 .484 1981 NBA Finals berth with 40-42 record
7 Bill Fitch[174] 1983–1988 410 216 194 .527 39 21 18 .538 One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[175]
8 Don Chaney[118] 1988–1992 298 164 134 .550 11 2 9 .182 1990–91 NBA Coach of the Year[172]
9 Rudy Tomjanovich[176] 1992–2003 900 503 397 .559 90 51 39 .567 2 NBA championships (1994, 1995)
10 Jeff Van Gundy[177] 2003–2007 328 182 146 .555 19 7 12 .368
11 Rick Adelman[178] 2007–2011 164 108 56 .659 19 9 10 .474 3rd longest winning streak in NBA history
12 Kevin McHale[179] 2011– 324 172 152 .531 12 4 8 .333

Mascots

The mascot of the Houston Rockets in the 1980s was called Booster. From 1993 to 1995, the mascot was Turbo, a costumed man that performed acrobatic dunks and other maneuvers.[180] In 1995, the Rockets debuted Clutch the Bear as a second mascot, a large teddy bear-like mascot that performs a variety of acts during the games. After eight years of serving as dual mascots, the performer playing Turbo retired, making Clutch the sole mascot for the team.[181]

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