The Houston Rockets is a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association. They have won the NBA Championships twice – the first time in 1994 and again in 1995.
Team Profile
The Houston Rockets, also known simply as Houston or the Rockets were established in 1967. They play in the National Basketball Association in the Western Conference and the Southwest Division.
Their current home arena is Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Their team colors are red, black, gray, anthracite, and white. They are affiliated with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA G League.
As of 2024, the team’s Head Coach is Ime Udoka.
History
In the 1967-68 season the Rockets traded with the Buffalo Braves to acquire Moses Malone who was the only player at that time to make it directly from the high school level to the professional level.
Moses then led the team to 49 games victory in the regular season which was the best record in the franchise history. The Rockets finished at the top of the central division and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in history, but later went down to the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2.
| Country |
United States
|
| City | Houston, Texas |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Ground | Toyota Center |
| Nickname | Rockets |
| Coach | Ime Udoka |
| Website | http://nba.com/rockets |
| Follow This Team | |
The team is owned by Tilman Fertitta and the General Manager is Rafael Stone while the Franchise President is Gretchen Sheirr.
In the 1980-81 season, the Rockets were transferred from the central division to the Midwest division of the Western Conference. The team had made it to the playoffs this time. They defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 2-1 and then went on to win against the San Antonio Spurs in the semi-finals.
The Rockets were the only team in history to make it to the finals after having the worst losing record at the start of the season. In the finals, the Rockets went down to the Boston Celtics.
In the following season, the Rockets improved their season by a 46-36 record but were eliminated out of the first round. Despite losing the finals Malone won the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
The 1993-94 season started with a bang for the Rockets. They won their first 15 games consecutively. The amazing team spirit and hard work took the Rockets to the NBA finals against the New York Knicks.
They defeated the Knicks in a series of seven games and achieved their first-ever NBA Championship title in the team’s history led by NBA Finals MVP – Hakeem Olajuwon.
The team was successful in defending their NBA title in the following season. Houston swept the series in four straight games.
The Rockets became the first team in NBA history to win the championship as a sixth seed. They also became only the second team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit without home-court advantage. In addition, the team became the first in NBA history to beat four 50-win teams in a single postseason en route to the championship.
More recently, the Rockets won three straight division titles from 2018 to 2020 with James Harden but were unable to reach the NBA Finals in any of those seasons.
Notable Players
Some of the most notable players to have played for the Rockets include Malone, Olajuwon, and Harden.
Ralph Sampson and Steve Francis were named NBA Rookies of the Year in their debut years while playing for the Rockets. In 2017, Erick Gordon was on the Rockets when he was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Other notable players who were on the Rockets roster at one point or another include Yao Ming, Jalen Green, Russell Westbrook, and [[Dwight Howard].
Notable Coaches
Coaches Tom Nissalke, Don Chaney, and Mike D’Antoni were named NBA Coaches of the Year while serving the Rockets.
Major Achievements
- 2 NBA Championships
- 4 Conference Titles
- 8 Division Titles
Latest Forum Posts
| Topic | Replies |
|---|---|
| mid-90s | 4 |
| Houston and Fantasy Basketball | 1 |
| Best Rockets of All Time | 1 |
| Visit the Houston Rockets forum | |