- 1971
- 1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 2003
-
Heading to Houston
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. Because of the low performance and attendance, Breitbard looked to sell the team, and in 1971, Texas Sports Investments, which was led by real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg, ... -
New Owner Leslie Alexander
Alexander bought the Rockets in July 1993 for $85 million. In his first two seasons as the owner (1993 – 1994 and 1994 – 1995), the Rockets won back to back World Championships anchored by Hall of Fame Hakeem Olajuwon. The Rockets have the 2nd highest win percentage in the NBA across Alexander’s reign as the owner (#1 Spurs). In ... -
NBA Finals Winner 1994
NBA Finals – 1994 The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1993 – 1994 National Basketball Association season, featuring the Western Conference’s Houston Rockets defeating the Eastern Conference’s New York Knicks. This matchup was Hakeem Olajuwon’s second NBA Finals series appearance, his other being in 1986, where Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets ... -
NBA Finals Winner 1995
NBA Finals – 1995 The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1994 – 1995 NBA season. The series pitted the Orlando Magic against the Houston Rockets. The pre-series hype and build-up of the Finals were centered on the meeting of the two centers Shaquille O’Neal of the Magic and Hakeem Olajuwon of the Rockets. Going into the ... -
Toyota Center Opens
Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in downtown Houston, Texas. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander first began to request a new arena in 1995 and attempted to release the Rockets from their lease at The Summit, which ran ...
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member club of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. The Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles. The team was established as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego, in 1967. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston.
Established
1967
City
San Diego – Houston
League History
1967 – Present / National Basketball Association
Team History
1971 – Present / Houston Rockets
1967 – 1971 / San Diego Rockets
Nickname
Rockets – The San Diego franchise nickname became the “Rockets”which used the name because it was a “city in motion” and due to the local development (General Dynamics) of the Liquid-fuel Atlas missile and booster rocket program. San Diego was the home to many space-age manufacturers. When the team eventually moved to Houston, the name still fit, given Houston’s association with NASA.
Championship
NBA Championships 2
1995, 1994
Arena
2003 – Present / Toyota Center
1975 – 2003 / The Summit
1971 – 1975 / Hofheinz Pavilion
*San Diego*
1967 – 1971 / San Diego Sports Arena
Owner
2017 – Present / Tilman Fertitta
1993 – 2017 / Leslie Alexander
1982 – 1993 / Charlie Thomas
1980 – 1982 / Gavin Maloof
1979 – 1980 / George J. Maloof, Sr.
1976 – 1979 / Kenneth Schnitzer
1975 – 1976 / James Talcott Incorporated
1973 – 1975 / Irvin Kaplan
1971 – 1973 / Billy Goldberg, Wayne Duddlesten, Mickey Herskowitz
1967 – 1971 / Robert Breitbard
Retired Number
11 / Yao Ming
22 / Clyde Drexler
23 / Calvin Murphy
24 / Moses Malone
34 / Hakeem Olajuwon
45 / Rudy Tomjanovich
CD / Carroll Dawson
*Blue is this team’s history