The Houston Rockets entered the
The Houston Rockets entered the NBA as an expansion team in
1967 along with the Seattle Supersonics. Their first draft pick - when they were
still playing in San Diego - was Pat Riley.
In the 1968 draft, the Rockets selected one of the greatest
players in league history: Elvin "Big E" Hayes; he would go on to score over
27,000 points and grab more than 16,000 rebounds in a 16 year career, 7 of which
were spent with the Rockets. Together with Calvin Murphy, Stu Lantz and Rudy
Tomjanovich, the "Big E" and the Rockets had little trouble scoring. Yet,
between 1968 and 1974, the Rockets had no winning seasons and made the playoffs
only once.
After Hayes's departure, Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich
took over offensively. In 1977, the Rockets acquired Moses Malone and he took
over as their second dominating big man after Elvin Hayes. In his 5 full season
in Houston, Moses scored over 2,000 points 4 times and had 4 seasons of 1,000
rebounds. In 1981, Malone led the Rockets to the NBA Finals against the Celtics,
where they lost in 6 games.
The Rockets struggled mightily in during the 1983 and 1984
seasons. One positive outcome was that they were able to draft their next
outstanding big men. First was 7'4 Ralph Sampson from the University of
Virginia, drafted by the Rockets first overall in the 1983 draft. Second was
Akeem (later Hakeem) Olajuwon, selected first in the 1984 draft out of the
University of Houston. Together, Sampson and Olajuwon would lead the Rockets to
their second NBA Finals appearance in 1986. They lost in six games to the Boston
Celtics of Larry Bird and Kevin McHale.
The next two trips the Rockets made to the NBA Finals would
end in victory. In 1994, the Rockets won in 7 games against Patrick Ewing's
Knicks. In 1995, the Rockets - with newly acquired Clyde Drexler - swept the
Orlando Magic of Shaquille O'Neal.
Some of the notable San Diego/Houston Rockets have been:
-
Charles Barkley (1997-2000) Hall of Famer
-
Jim Barnett (1968-1970)
-
Rick Barry (1979-1980) Hall of Famer
-
John Block (1968-1971)
-
Clyde Drexler (1995-98) Hall of Famer
-
Eric "Sleepy" Floyd (1988-1993)
-
Steve Francis (2000-04)
-
Elvin "Big E" Hayes (1969-1972, 1982-84) Hall of Famer
-
Don Kojis (1968-1970)
-
Stu Lantz (1969-1972)
-
Lewis Lloyd (1984-87, 1990)
-
John Lucas (1977-78, 1985-86, 1990)
-
Moses Malone (1977-1982) Hall of Famer
-
Vernon Maxwell (1990-95)
-
Tracy McGrady (2005)
-
Cuttino Mobley (1999-2004)
-
Calvin Murphy (1971-1983) Hall of Famer
-
Dikembe Mutombo (2006-)
-
Mike Newlin (1972-79)
-
Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon (1985-2001) Hall of Famer
-
Scottie Pippen (1999) Hall of Famer
-
Robert Reid (1978-1988)
-
Ralph Sampson (1984-87)
-
Kenny Smith (1991-96)
-
Otis Thorpe (1989-1994)
-
Rudy Tomjanovich (1971-1981)
-
Kevin Willis (1997-98)
-
Yao Ming (2003-)
The design of the Houston Rockets NBA fabric is composed of
black and red squares. Within the squares are jerseys, basketballs and the
Rockets' logo.
This Houston Rockets novelty fabric is licensed by the NBA
and is for individual consumption. Any other use of this NBA fabric is
prohibited and illegal. The Houston Rockets cotton fabric is not suitable for
children's sleepwear.