Houston Rockets

• 1. Founding And Relocation History

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  The San Diego Rockets debuted in the 1967, 68 season with a roster built from an expansion draft and college picks. Robert Breitbard paid $1.75 million to join the NBA as an expansion team for that inaugural year. The franchise played its first two games against the St. Louis Hawks, losing both contests before securing their first win three days later against the Seattle SuperSonics. Johnny Green recorded 30 points and 25 rebounds during that early victory. The team lost 67 games in their debut season, setting an NBA record for losses at the time. In 1968, the Rockets won a coin toss against the Baltimore Bullets to secure the first overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft. They selected Elvin Hayes from the University of Houston, who improved the team's record to 37 wins and 45 losses. This performance earned the franchise its first playoff appearance in 1969. Off the court, Breitbard faced serious financial losses due to tax-assessment issues plaguing the San Diego Sports Arena. He was also responsible for paying off the NBA expansion fee and construction-related bonds on the arena. On the 26th of January 1970, Breitbard held an emotional press conference announcing he had received an eviction notice for the arena. He stated that selling the team outside of San Diego was not his interest, yet private offers eventually forced his hand. On the 23rd of June 1971, the San Diego Rockets were sold to a Houston-based investment group for $5.6 million. The NBA hurriedly approved the sale because the franchise appeared on the verge of folding. News broke before coaches, players, or employees could be notified. Local officials in San Diego were caught by surprise as well.

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• 2. The Twin Towers Dynasty Era

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  In the 1984 NBA draft, the Rockets used their first overall pick to select Hakeem Olajuwon from the University of Houston. Paired with Ralph Sampson, they formed one of the tallest front courts in the NBA history. Nicknamed the Twin Towers, they led the team to the 1986 NBA Finals where Houston lost to the Boston Celtics. Sampson won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1984 but suffered chronic knee injuries that shortened his career. He retired in 1991 after signing a new contract and being traded to the Golden State Warriors just 18 months after the 1986 Finals appearance. Rudy Tomjanovich took over as head coach midway through the 1991, 92 season. Under his leadership, the Rockets dominated the 1993, 94 season, setting a then-franchise record 58 wins. They went to the 1994 NBA Finals and won the franchise's first championship against the New York Knicks. Olajuwon was awarded the Finals MVP after averaging 27 points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots per game. During the following season, reinforced by another All-Star, Clyde Drexler, the Rockets repeated as champions. They swept the Orlando Magic in four games to become the first team in NBA history to win the championship as a sixth seed. Olajuwon became only the second player after Michael Jordan to win the Finals MVP award two years in a row. On the floor of The Summit after capturing their second title, head coach Rudy Tomjanovich proclaimed, Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion! Leslie Alexander purchased the Rockets for $85 million on the 30th of July 1993.

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• 3. Analytics Revolution And Modern Play

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  Daryl Morey decided to start a revamp of the Rockets based on advanced statistical analytics similar to sabermetrics in baseball during the 2011 off-season. Kevin McHale was named head coach while the roster saw significant changes. After the 2012 NBA off-season, only four players remained from the previous year: Chandler Parsons, Greg Smith, Marcus Morris, and Patrick Patterson. James Harden arrived as a foundational player expected to be Houston's featured player. He caused an immediate impact with 37 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, four steals, and a block in the season opener against the Detroit Pistons. The Rockets became one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NBA, leading the league in scoring for the majority of the 2012, 13 season. In the 2016 off-season, Mike D'Antoni was named as the Rockets new head coach. Dwight Howard opted out of his contract final year becoming a free agent. Morey signed Nenê Hilario to support the roster defense alongside backup centers Clint Capela and Ryan Anderson. When the 2016, 17 season started, Harden finished second in MVP voting to Russell Westbrook. D'Antoni won the NBA Coach of the Year award that same season. Eric Gordon earned Sixth Man of the Year honors. On the 7th of April 2019, against the Phoenix Suns, Houston became the first team in NBA history to make 25 or more two-pointers and 25 or more three-pointers in the same game. They outscored their last four opponents by 117 points during that span. By the end of the 2019, 20 season, James Harden and Russell Westbrook scored a combined 61.5 points per game. This broke Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O Neal's previous record for the highest-scoring basketball duo since the ABA-NBA merger.

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• 4. Stadium Evolution And Attendance Trends

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  During the four years the Rockets were in San Diego, they played games in the San Diego Sports Arena with a seating capacity of 14,400. In their first season after moving to Houston, the team averaged less than 5,000 fans per game. In one game held in Waco, there were only 759 fans in attendance. Their first permanent arena in Houston was the 10,000 seat Hofheinz Pavilion on the campus of the University of Houston. They moved into this venue starting in their second season before occupying The Summit in 1975. The Summit could hold 16,611 spectators and served as home for the next 28 years. It was renamed the Compaq Center from 1998 to 2003. Following the 1994 title, the Rockets had a sellout streak of 176 consecutive home games including playoffs that lasted until 1999. For the 2003, 04 season, the Rockets moved into their new arena, Toyota Center, with a seating capacity of 18,500. During the 2007, 08 season where the team achieved a 22-game winning streak, they got their best numbers to date averaging 17,379 spectators. These figures were exceeded once James Harden joined the team in 2012. The Rockets averaged 18,123 spectators during the 2013, 14 season selling out 39 out of 41 home games. The 2014, 15 season saw even better numbers with 40 sellouts and an average of 18,230 tickets sold.

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• 5. Iconic Uniforms And Brand Identity

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  When the Rockets debuted in San Diego, their colors were green and gold. Road uniforms featured the city name while home uniforms featured the team name both in serifed block lettering. This was the only uniform design used throughout their years in San Diego. 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. For the 1972, 73 season, the Rockets introduced the famous ketchup and mustard logo featuring a gold basketball surrounded by two red trails. The initial home uniforms used until the 1975, 76 season featured the city name numbers and serifed player name in red with gold trim. In the 1976, 77 season, the Rockets modified their uniforms featuring a monotone look on Cooper Black fonts and white lettering on road uniforms. Following the 1995 title, the Rockets opted to modernize their look after a fan contest with over 5,000 entries. Missouri City artist Thomas Nash won the idea of a rocket orbiting a basketball which was then reworked by Houston designer Chris Hill. Red was retained but navy blue and silver became the uniform primary colors. Both home white and away navy uniforms featured gradient-fading pinstripes and futuristic number fonts. The Rockets released simplified logos and uniforms in the 2003, 04 season created by Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka in collaboration with Rafael Esquer. The logo is a stylized R in the shape of a rocket during takeoff surrounded by a red orbit streak. Julius Wiedemann wrote that their organic and collaborative design process produced the most innovative identity the NBA has seen in years.

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• 6. Legendary Players And Individual Honors

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  Moses Malone received the 1979 MVP Award while playing for the Rockets. He also earned the award again in 1982. Hakeem Olajuwon won the MVP in 1994 and the Defensive Player of the Year award in both 1993 and 1994. James Harden finished second in MVP voting to Russell Westbrook in 2016 before winning the award himself in 2018. Elvin Hayes led the team to scoring championships in 1969. Ralph Sampson won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1984. Steve Francis was named Co-Rookie of the Year in 2000. Eric Gordon won Sixth Man of the Year in 2017. Aaron Brooks earned Most Improved Player honors in 2010. Tom Nissalke coached the team to Coach of the Year status in 1977. Don Chaney won the same award in 1991. Mike D'Antoni took home the title in 2017. Ray Patterson was named Executive of the Year in 1977. Daryl Morey received the honor in 2018. Calvin Murphy won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1979. Dikembe Mutombo received the same award in 2009. Patrick Beverley won the Hustle Award in 2017. Hakeem Olajuwon made five All-Defensive First Team selections between 1987 and 1994. James Harden appeared on six All-NBA First Teams from 2014 through 2020.

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