Sports
The Best Houston Rockets of All Time
List Rules
Please rank the players based only on their time with the Rockets
Who are the best Houston Rockets of all time? For much of its history, the Houston Rockets have been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA. The team has had few poor seasons and they have, it's been to the Rockets benefit. The few times that Houston has had the number one draft pick, the team has struck gold landing some of the greatest players in team history. Few, if any, basketball experts would dispute that Elvin Hayes, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming are among the best centers ever. All of have played center for Houston and all were drafted with the top overall pick in the NBA Draft. Though he wasn't drafted by Houston, Moses Malone is another great big man who has played for the Rockets.
While the Rockets have a rich history with big men, even having some of the best players ever on its roster, that doesn't mean the team has neglected other positions. Calvin Murphy is one of the best free shooting guards ever and the team's acquisition of James Harden made the Rockets one of the most dangerous in the league. Nowadays, the Rockets are in rebuild mode with young NBA players like Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, and Alperen Sengun hoping to change the math on the franchise's fortunes.
Vote up the best Houston Rockets ever, or re-rank this list of the greatest Houston Rockets of all time with who you think should be at the top.
Ranked by
- 1CenterHakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born January 21, 1963) is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association ...more
- 2Shooting guardJames Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the NBA's most ...more
- 3Shooting guardClyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who is the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 ...more
- 4CenterYao Ming (born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and retired professional basketball player who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the ...more
- 5CenterMoses Eugene Malone (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) ...more
- 6Shooting guard, Small forwardTracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He is best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played as both ...more
- 7CenterClint N'Dumba-Capela (born May 18, 1994) is a Swiss professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). On June 26, 2014, Capela was selected with the ...more
- 8Point guardChristopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has won the NBA Rookie of the Year ...more
- 9Point guardCalvin Jerome Murphy (born May 9, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player who played as a guard for the NBA's San Diego/Houston Rockets from 1970 to 1983, and is a current member ...more
- 10Small forwardAnthony Leon "P. J." Tucker Jr. (born May 5, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA Championship ...more
- 11Power forward, CenterElvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945) is an American retired professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary ...more
- 12Small forward, Power forwardRobert Keith Horry (born August 25, 1970) is an American retired basketball player and current sports commentator. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning seven ...more
- 13Shooting guardEric Ambrose Gordon Jr. (born December 25, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named "Mr. ...more
- 14Point guardKenny "the Jet" Smith (born March 8, 1965) is an American sports commentator and former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1987 to ...more
- 15CenterRalph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American retired basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of ...more
- 16Shooting guardVernon Maxwell (born September 12, 1965) is an American retired professional basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for thirteen seasons during the ...more
- 17Power forwardRudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American retired basketball player and coach who lead the Houston Rockets to two consecutive NBA championships. He was an All-Star forward for ...more
- 18CenterDikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (born June 25, 1966) is a Congolese American retired professional basketball player. Mutombo played 18 seasons in the National Basketball ...more
- 19Point guard, Shooting guardSteven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft, and was named the NBA Rookie ...more
- 20Power forward, CenterOtis Henry Thorpe (born August 5, 1962) is an American retired professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an NBA All-Star in 1992 ...more
- 21Point guardSamuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is a former professional basketball player and current assistant coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. Drafted 24th overall in the 1993 NBA draft out of ...more
- 22Shooting guard, Small forwardMario Antoine Elie (born November 26, 1963) is an American basketball coach and former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Elie grew up in New York City and played college ...more
- 23Power forwardCharles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American retired professional basketball player who is currently an analyst on Inside the NBA. Nicknamed Chuck, Sir Charles, Street Beef, and The ...more
- 24Shooting guard, Small forwardGerald Green (born January 26, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the ...more
- 25Shooting guard, Small forwardShane Courtney Battier (born September 9, 1978) is an American retired professional basketball player who played for various teams of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also been a ...more
