Pedro Oliveira
Introducing the best Houston Rockets players in franchise history.
This was one of the franchises to join the NBA during expansion in 1967, originally located in San Diego and later moving to Houston in 1071, which would become their permanent home. The Rockets were characterized in their early history by having many big names wearing their uniform, but not having the greatest success in either the regular season or the playoffs.
Fortunately, this would change as the years went by, and so we bring you the 5 most Houston Rockets players in the history of the organization.
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is one of the most iconic and well-known players within the franchise, despite having a very brief NBA career. He left his mark in NBA history as one of the tallest players in league, with 2.29 meters, to succeed individually and collectively.
Selected as the first overall pick of the 2022 draft, he was an All-Star in every season he played in his career (eight in total), averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 486 games, and he has a 52.4% efficiency from the field, adding to his individual achievements, five All-NBA quintets.
Yao ranks, within the Houston organization, as the second player with the most blocks in the team’s history (920), sixth in rebounds (4494) and seventh in points (9247). Together with Tracy McGrady, they formed one of the most promising and entertaining duos in the NBA during the 2000s, but unfortunately, they could not materialize their talent because of multiple injuries suffered by both. In the case of Yao Ming, those were multiple injuries in his foot and his ankles.
The center retired in the 2010 season, after suffering a third fracture in his left foot that endangered his long-term physical integrity. Still, his legacy as one of the Rockets’ most popular and beloved players never left the Rockets.
Elvin Hayes
Hayes was selected in the 1968 draft as the first overall pick in the draft, and he was immediately the franchise player for the San Diego Rockets. During his first four professional years, he averaged 27.4 points, 16.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Although, he failed to turn San Diego into a successful team, having a negative record in all of his campaign.
However, Hayes was one of the most talented players in Houston’s history and his numbers continue to place him among the franchise’s all-time leaders. He ranked in second place in rebounds (6974) and fifth place in points (11762). He also added individual accolades such as four All-Star Games, a scoring title and a rebounding title.
He would play seven seasons in total, finishing his career with the Houston organization with three more seasons from 1981 until his retirement in 1984.
James Harden
James Harden is the most recent legend to wear a Rockets uniform, and he is arguably the most important player in Rockets history in the 21st century. The shooting guard came to the franchise from the Oklahoma City Thunder team in a trade that sent Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and two first-round picks from Houston to OKC.
Harden would perform in the Western Conference franchise as one of the best players on the planet, averaging, in his ninth campaign, 29.6 points, 6 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.8 three-pointers in 36.2% of effectiveness through 621 games with the red and white jersey. In addition, he won an MVP award, 8 All-Star Game selections, 7 All-NBA quintets, 3 scoring titles and one assists title.
In turn, he turned the Rockets back into strong contenders, having a positive record in all his time with the team, and reaching two conference finals, where they were defeated both times by the Golden State Warriors. Harden leads the franchise in historical marks such as most triple-doubles (46), three-pointers (2029) and assists (4796), and he is also the second highest scorer with 18365 points.
Moses Malone
Considered one of the most underrated players in basketball history, the intern began his career in the ABA, but once it unified with the NBA, his best years of individual performance came wearing the uniform of the Houston Rockets, with whom he spent six seasons in his 21-year long career.
Averaging 23.9 points, 14.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 466 games played, Malone earned two MVP awards, five All-Star Game selections, four All-NBA quintets, one defensive quintet, three rebounding titles and led the organization to its first NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics.
Malone ranks third in Houston’s all-time rankings in blocks (758), third in rebounds (6959) and sixth in points (11119).
Hakeem Olajuwon
No player has been more important to the Houston franchise than the Nigerian-born center, Hakeem Olajuwon, taking him in with the first overall pick in the 1984 draft and after another season full of failures. The 6-foot-6 center’s impact was immediate, leading the franchise, along with Ralph Sampson, to its second NBA Finals, where they were defeated again by Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics in six games for the 1986 campaign.
With a constant improvement in his performance, he became one of the best players on the planet. Olajuwon would become a born leader for the Rockets team, and after several years of inconsistency and disappointment, he would return the team to the NBA Finals in consecutive years (1994 and 1995), winning both games against Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks and Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway’s Orlando Magic, being the MVP in both series.
He is the only player in NBA history to win an MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in a single season. He was the first foreign MVP in the league’s history, and he was the first foreign starter in the All-Star Game. He won one MVP award, 12 All-Star Game selections, 12 All-NBA quintets, nine defensive quintets, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, three blocking titles and two rebounding titles throughout his 18-year career.
He is the all-time leader in blocks in the entire NBA with 3740, and leads the Rockets in almost every statistical category within the franchise: points (26511), steals (2088), rebounds (13382), games played (1177) and many more. He finished his career averaging 22.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.2 blocks per game, making him one of the best players to ever step on the court.
