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Founded as the San Diego Rockets in 1967, the franchise later moved to Houston in 1971 and were renamed as the Houston Rockets. They struggled a lot in the initial years and did not finish a season with a winning record until the 1976–77 season.
The Rockets won two back to back NBA Championships in 1994 and 1995 (their most successful period), but have not won the title ever since. This season looks promising for the current Rockets team.
The Houston Rockets are one of the most popular teams in the NBA today, consisting of stars like James Harden and Chris Paul. They are always expected to qualify for the playoffs and is one of the most consistent team presently. Last season, they went to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the star-studded Golden State Warriors.
In this list, we will take a look at the 5 Best Rockets players since the 2000s.
#5 Steve Francis
Francis played at the point guard position for the Rockets. Known for his scoring and playmaking abilities, Steve went on to become a key player for the team and was selected as an All-Star three times (2002-04).
During his debut season with the Rockets, he won the Rookie of the Year award (shared with Elton Brand) and finished runner-up to Vince Carter in the Slam Dunk contest. The Rockets made the playoffs for the first time since 1999 in his third season but lost to the strong Los Angeles Lakers team.
During his first run with the franchise between 1999-2004, Francis averaged 19.3 points, 6.4 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.63 steals in 374 games. He left the Rockets after the 2003-04 season but returned three years later and finished his NBA career with the team.
#4 Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard spent three seasons with the Rockets. Considered as a great player on both ends of the court, Dwight won the NBA Defensive Player award on three occasions (2009-11) and is also regarded as a phenomenal rebounder of the ball - he led the NBA in rebounding from 2007 to 2010, and again from 2012 to 2013 (he was also the blocks leader for two years straight).
During his stint with the Rockets, the 8-time NBA All-Star Howard formed a strong duo with James Harden. He led the team to NBA playoffs but lost in the first round. In his second season, the Rockets clinched their first division title in over 20 years and made it to the Western Conference Finals(but could not get past the Warriors).
Howard played 183 games for the Rockets and averaged 16 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
#3 Tracy McGrady
NBA Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star (2001-07), a two time NBA scoring champion (2003,2004) and was also selected as the Most Improved Player (in 2001).
McGrady joined the Rockets and Yao Ming in 2004 and turned the team into a strong contender for the title. He led the team to a 22 game win streak in the 2007-08 season but could not get past the first round (playoff), despite giving his best.
During his time with the Rockets, he played 303 games and averaged 22.7 points, 5.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds per game.
McGrady performed well in big games and is often considered as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time. Jeff Van Gundy (his coach at the Houston Rockets) said:
"He's a Hall of Fame player, a great, great player. Unfortunately injuries robbed him of that greatness prematurely, when you have injuries and take prime years off the career, it's hard to rectify what you could have done with those years."
#2 Yao Ming
The first overall pick of 2002 NBA Draft, Yao Ming spent his entire NBA career with the Houston Rockets (2002-11). Yao became the focus of the NBA's efforts to popularize the league around the world.
Yao Ming finished his debut season scoring 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team. He made the NBA All-Star team, beating Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal in fan voting for the best center.
During his career, Ming played 486 games for the Rockets and led them to playoffs 4 times. He averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 assists per game and was voted NBA All-Star 8 times. The 7 ft 6 in legend was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 along with Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson. The Houston franchise retired his no.11 jersey.
#1 James Harden
The reigning NBA MVP James Harden plays as a guard for the Houston Rockets. He was traded to the Houston Rockets prior to the 2012-13 NBA season. James Harden is considered as one of the most incredible scorers in the NBA today. His ability to score high points often helps his team win crucial matches
Harden is regarded as the most versatile player, he won the scoring title last year, was assists leader in 2017 and was voted as the sixth man of the year in 2012.
The 7-time NBA All-Star has led Houston to the Play-offs 6 times straight. With James, the Rockets won their first division title in 21 years and made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1997.
With the Rockets Harden averages 27.8 points, 7.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds per game. This season he could retain his MVP award, so far he has scored 35.9 points, gave 7.6 assists and made 6.4 rebounds per game. The addition of 'The Beard' has turned the Houston team into a strong title contender.
