Houston Rockets are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Rockets compete in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays in the Toyota Center in Houston.
The team entered the NBA for the 1967-1968 season as the San Diego Rockets. After playing in San Diego for four seasons, the Rockets moved to Houston for the 1971-1972 season. The Rockets had their first winning season and won their first division championship in 1976-1977, led by forward Rudy Tomjanovich, center Moses Malone, and guard Calvin Murphy. The team won its next division championship in 1985-1986. The stars of that team were center Hakeem Olajuwon and forward Ralph Sampson. Olajuwon became one of the top centers in the NBA during the late 1980’s and 1990’s. He led the Rockets to the NBA finals in 1985-1986 and consecutive NBA championships in 1993-1994 and 1994-1995. Rudy Tomjanovich coached the championship teams. Other Rockets stars of the 1990’s included guard Clyde Drexler, guard Kenny Smith, and forward Otis Thorpe.
In 2002, Houston selected Yao Ming, a 7-foot 5-inch (226-centimeter) center from China, as the first selection in the NBA draft. In his rookie year, Yao Ming rapidly became one of the most exciting players in the NBA. In the 2003-2004 season, Yao Ming and guard Steve Francis led Houston to its first playoff appearance since 1998-1999. In 2004, the Rockets traded Francis to the Orlando Magic for high-scoring guard Tracy McGrady. During the 2007-2008 season, the Rockets won 22 consecutive games, one of the longest winning streaks in NBA history. The Los Angeles Lakers won 33 straight games during the 1971-1972 season. Houston, led by star guard James Harden, compiled the best record in the NBA for the 2017-2018 regular season, winning 65 games and losing 17. In the playoffs, the Rockets lost in the conference finals to the Golden State Warriors.
