The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. They compete in the National Basketball Association as a member team 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 in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego. In 1971, the Rockets moved to Houston.
The Rockets won only 15 games in their debut season as a franchise in 1967. In the 1968 NBA draft, the Rockets were awarded the first overall pick and selected power forward Elvin Hayes, who would lead the team to its first playoff appearance in his rookie season. The Rockets did not finish a season with a winning record for almost a decade until the 1976–77 season, when they traded for All-Star center Moses Malone. Malone went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player award twice while playing with the Rockets and led Houston to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year with the team. During the 1980–81 season, the Rockets finished the regular season with a 40–42 record.
Southwest Division
Location:
San Diego
Arena/Stadium:
Toyota Center
Owners:
Tilman Fertitta
Head Coach:
Mike D'Antoni
Mascot:
Clutch
Championship years:
1995 and 1994
Small forward and Shooting guard
Small forward and Power forward
Point guard and Shooting guard
Small forward and Shooting guard
Small forward and Shooting guard
Small forward and Shooting guard
Small forward and Power forward
Point guard and Shooting guard