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Lists that rank the team's greatest players and coaches, now and throughout history. 

Basketball

Big fan of Houston basketball? Then check out this list of Houston Rockets small forwards with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes almost every small forward from throughout Houston Rockets history, including current small forwards and past ones. Featuring some of the&nbsp;greatest NBA small forwards of all time,&nbsp;the best Rockets&nbsp;SFs include Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Horry, Shane Battier, and Tracy McGrady.In the 2017-18 NBA season, the current Houston Rockets starting SFs and backup SFs are Trevor Ariza, P. J. Tucker, and Troy Williams.&nbsp; Who are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-10-small-forwards?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best small forwards</a> in Houston Rockets history? Here is every player who has ever held the position of Houston Rockets&nbsp;small forward.

Big fan of Houston basketball? Then check out this list of Houston Rockets shooting guards with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes almost every shooting guard from throughout <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-houston-rockets-centers/ranker-nba?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Houston Rockets history</a>, including current shooting guards and past ones. Featuring some of the&nbsp;greatest NBA shooting guards of all time,&nbsp;the best Rockets&nbsp;SGs include Clyde Drexler, Tracy McGrady, Cuttino Mobley, and Kevin Martin.In the 2017-18 NBA season, the current Houston Rockets starting SGs and backup SGs are Eric Gordon.&nbsp; Who are the best shooting guards in Houston Rockets history? Here is every player who has ever held the position of Houston Rockets&nbsp;shooting guard.

Patrick Beverley

A list of 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&#39;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 <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-centers-of-all-time">best centers ever</a>. All of have played center for Houston and all were drafted with the top overall pick in the NBA Draft. Though he wasn&#39;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 <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-top-nba-players-of-all-time">best players ever</a> on its roster, that doesn&#39;t mean the team has neglected other positions. Calvin Murphy is one of the best free shooting guards ever and&nbsp;the team&#39;s acquisition of James Harden made the Rockets one of the most dangerous in the league. Harden is considered one of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-10-current-nba-players">best current players in the NBA</a>.

Nowadays, he is&nbsp;known to the masses as an announcer, but Kenny Smith&#39;s clutch shooting in the 1995 NBA Finals is one of the greatest in Rockets history and helped them win a&nbsp;second consecutive championship.

This is a list of the best Houston Rockets ever. If you see someone who is missing, feel free to add him. Vote or rerank this list of the greatest Houston Rockets of all time with&nbsp;who you think should be at the top.&nbsp;

Big fan of Houston basketball? Then check out this list of Houston Rockets power forwards with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes almost every power forward from throughout <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-houston-rockets-centers/ranker-nba?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Houston Rockets history</a>, including current power forwards and past ones. Featuring some of the&nbsp;greatest <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-nba-power-forwards/ranker-nba?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">NBA power forwards</a> of all time,&nbsp;the best Rockets&nbsp;PFs include Ralph Sampson, Rudy Tomjanovich, Charles Barkley, and Otis Thorpe.In the 2017-18 NBA season, the current Houston Rockets starting PFs and backup PFs are Ryan Anderson, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Chinanu Onuaku.&nbsp; Who are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-power-forwards-in-nba-history?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best power forwards</a> in Houston Rockets history? Here is every player who has ever held the position of Houston Rockets&nbsp;power forward.

Big fan of Houston basketball? Then check out this list of Houston Rockets centers with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes almost every center from throughout Houston Rockets history, including current centers and past ones. Featuring some of the&nbsp;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-centers-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">greatest NBA centers</a> of all time,&nbsp;the best Rockets&nbsp;Cs include Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone,&nbsp;Yao Ming,&nbsp;and Dikembe Mutumbo. Of course, we can't forget greats like Kevin Kunnert&nbsp;or Elvin Hayes, but you'll find them all below.&nbsp;In the 2017-18 NBA season, the current Houston Rockets starting Cs and backup Cs are Clint Capela, Nene Hilario, and Chinanu Onuaku.&nbsp; Who are the best centers in Houston Rockets history? Here is every player who has ever held the position of Houston Rockets&nbsp;center.

In their time as an NBA franchise, the Houston Rockets Coaches of All Time have gone through many different head coaches, all with different personalities and coaching styles. With that said, who is the best Houston Rockets Coaches of All Time coach of all time? We want to hear your thoughts, which is why we created this poll of the top Houston Rockets Coaches of All Time head coaches. Rudy Tomjanovich is the only Rockets head coach to win an NBA Finals.&nbsp;Tomjanovich would win it in back-to-back seasons in 1994 and 1995. Tom Nissalke was the first Rockets head coach to win <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/2019-nba-coach-of-the-year-predictions/pedro-cerrano?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">NBA Coach of the Year</a>.&nbsp;Nissalke would win the coveted award in 1977, his first season as coach of the team. If you love basketball and the Houston Rockets Coaches of All Time, then help us decide who the best Houston Rockets Coaches of All Time coach is by voting up your top picks. You don't have to vote for the winningest Houston Rockets Coaches of All Time coach, but it's hard to argue against solid numbers.

These <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-houston-rockets-of-all-time/ranker-nba?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Houston Rockets players</a> have all had their numbers retired. After making a big impact while playing for the team, players such as Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon had their jerseys retired. But not every player in the NBA gets their number retired, it is an honor bestowed upon the best players of a franchise. Which of these athletes are the greatest Houston Rockets players? This list is only for Houston Rockets players with retired jerseys. Coaches and managers have had their numbers retired as well but we&#39;re here to determine the best Houston Rockets players that have had their number retired for all time.

Although these are undoubtedly great players, not all of them have been voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame despite having their numbers honored. The Houston Rockets players that have been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame are noted below. Vote up the Houston Rockets players with retired numbers that you think made the biggest contribution to the team.

&nbsp;Big fan of Houston basketball? Then check out this list of Houston Rockets point guards with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes every point guard&nbsp;throughout <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-houston-rockets-centers/ranker-nba?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Houston Rockets history</a>, including current point guards and past ones. Featuring some of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-point-guards-in-nba-history" target="_blank">greatest NBA point guards</a> of all time,&nbsp;the best Rockets&nbsp;PGs include John Lucas II, Steve Franics, Kenny Smith, and Allen Leavell.In the 2017-18 NBA season, the current Houston Rockets starting PGs and backup PGs are Chris Paul, Bobby Brown, Isaiah Canaan, Demetrius Jordan, and Briante Weber.&nbsp;Who are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-point-guards-in-nba-history?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best point guards</a> in Houston Rockets history? Here is every player who has ever held the position of Houston Rockets&nbsp;point guard.&nbsp;

Houston Rockets

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The 25+ Best Houston Rockets Point Guards of All Time, Ranked

The Best Houston Rockets Point Guards of All Time

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Chris Paul

Christopher 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 Award, an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, two Olympic gold medals, and led the NBA in assists four times and steals a record six times. He has also been selected to ten NBA All-Star teams, nine All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams.

Calvin Murphy

Calvin 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 of the Houston Rockets' AT&T Sportsnet TV broadcast team. Standing at a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m), Murphy has the distinction of being the shortest NBA player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and to play in an NBA All-Star Game (the latter since tied by Isaiah Thomas in 2016).

Steve Francis

Steven 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 of the Year in his first season. He was a three-time NBA All-Star while playing for the Houston Rockets. Francis also played for the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, finishing his career with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was known for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks. He was given the nickname The Franchise.

James Harden

James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the NBA's most prolific scorers and earned recognition as the best shooting guard in the NBA, as well as one of the top overall players in the league.[3] He played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils, where he was named a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2009. Harden was selected with the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2012, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the Thunder and helped the team reach the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in five games.

Sam Cassell

Samuel 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 Florida State University, Cassell played for eight different teams during his 15-year career. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game and All-NBA Team once, both in the 2003–04 season. He played the point guard position.
In his first two seasons, he helped the Houston Rockets win back to back championships and won a third with the Boston Celtics in 2008, his last season. He also helped the Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves reach the Conference Finals of the playoffs in 2001 and 2004 respectively, the latter's first-ever in franchise history, and helped the Los Angeles Clippers to their first-ever playoff series victory in 2006. Known for his mid-range jumpshot, Cassell often made clutch baskets late in the fourth quarter to help his team win games.

Vernon Maxwell

Vernon 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 late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.  Maxwell played college basketball for the University of Florida, and led the Florida Gators to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.  He was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft and was immediately traded to the San Antonio Spurs. His longest and most successful NBA tenure was with the Houston Rockets. The nickname "Mad Max" was bestowed upon Maxwell by color commentators for his clutch three-point shooting, which reached its pinnacle in the deciding game of the 1994 NBA Finals between Houston and New York. Maxwell is among just nine players in NBA history to amass 30 points in a single quarter, accomplishing that feat en route to a 51-point outing on January 26, 1991, against Cleveland.

Kenny Smith

Kenny "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 1997 as a member of the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets. He won two NBA championships with Houston.
Smith played college basketball with the North Carolina Tar Heels, earning consensus first-team All-American honors as a senior in 1987. He was selected by Sacramento in the first round of the 1987 NBA draft with the sixth overall pick, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team with the Kings. After retiring from playing, Smith became a basketball commentator, and has won several Emmys for his work on Inside the NBA on TNT. He also works as an analyst for CBS/Turner during the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

Kyle Lowry

Kyle Terrell Lowry (born March 25, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). With the Raptors, he has been a five-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2016. Lowry won an NBA championship with Toronto in 2019, their first title in franchise history. He was a member of the U.S. national team that won a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Lowry played two seasons of college basketball with the Villanova Wildcats before he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft with the 24th overall pick. He began his NBA career with Memphis and the Houston Rockets before being traded to Toronto. In his second season with the Raptors, he helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in seven years and win an Atlantic Division title during the 2013–14 season. In 2015–16, he led the Raptors to 56 wins in what was then the highest win total in franchise history, as well as helped the team make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time.

Sleepy Floyd

Eric Augustus "Sleepy" Floyd (born March 6, 1960) is an American retired professional basketball player.

Patrick Beverley (born July 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a player for the Los Angeles Clippers. He played college basketball for Arkansas before spending three and half seasons overseas in Ukraine, Greece and Russia. In January 2013, he joined the Houston Rockets and quickly cemented himself as the team's starting point guard. In June 2017, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Aaron Brooks

Aaron Jamal Brooks (born January 14, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). He was selected 26th overall in the 2007 NBA draft. He won the NBA Most Improved Player Award for the 2009–10 season.

Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Shu-How Lin (born August 23, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He unexpectedly led a winning turnaround with the New York Knicks in 2012, which generated a global craze known as "Linsanity". Lin is the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, and one of the few Asian Americans to play in the league. He is also known for his public expression of Christianity.
Lin grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and earned Northern California Player of the Year honors as a senior in high school. After receiving no athletic scholarship offers, he attended Harvard University, where he was a three-time all-conference player in the Ivy League. Undrafted out of college, Lin reached a partially guaranteed contract deal in 2010 with his hometown Golden State Warriors. He seldom played in his rookie season and was assigned to the NBA Development League (D-League) three times. He was waived by the Warriors and the Houston Rockets the following preseason before joining the New York Knicks early in the 2011–12 season.
In New York, Lin continued to be played sparingly and again spent time in the D-League. In February 2012, he led a winning streak by New York and was promoted to the starting lineup. In 2012, Lin signed a three-year contract with the Rockets, for whom he played two seasons. He was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He played one season with the Lakers before signing with the Charlotte Hornets. He signed with the Brooklyn Nets the following season. Limited to playing in only 37 games over two seasons due to injuries, Lin was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 2018 before joining the Toronto Raptors in 2019, where he became the first Asian American to win an NBA title.

Goran Dragić

Goran Dragić (born 6 May 1986) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays at both the point guard and shooting guard positions. He played professional basketball in Slovenia and Spain before entering the NBA in 2008. Dragić has played for the Phoenix Suns twice, the Houston Rockets, and the Heat. He was an All-NBA Third Team selection and the NBA Most Improved Player with the Suns in 2014. He was named an NBA All-Star for the first time in 2018 with Miami. He led the Slovenian national team to its first EuroBasket title in 2017, while setting an all-time record for most points by a player in the final, also being named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

John Harding Lucas II

John Harding Lucas II (born October 31, 1953) is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. He currently works as the player development coach of the Houston Rockets. He played basketball and tennis at the University of Maryland, College Park and was an All American in both.

Rafer Alston

Rafer Jamel Alston (born July 24, 1976), also known as Skip to my Lou, is an American retired professional basketball player. He played for six NBA teams throughout his career.

Allen Leavell

Allen Frazier Leavell (born May 27, 1957) is a retired American professional basketball player from Muncie, Indiana.

Avery Johnson

Avery DeWitt Johnson (born March 25, 1965) is an American basketball coach who is the former head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team.
Johnson spent 16 years in the National Basketball Association as a player, and subsequently served as the head coach of two NBA teams: the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. He led the Mavericks to their first NBA Finals appearance and to three consecutive 50+ win seasons. During his playing days, Johnson was known as the "Little General" for his small stature (by NBA standards), his leadership skills as a point guard (floor general), and his close friendship with former San Antonio Spurs teammate David Robinson - himself nicknamed "The Admiral" based on his tenure at the Naval Academy.

Jimmy Walker

James, Jim(mie), or Jimmy Walker may refer to:

Mike Dunleavy, Sr.

Michael Joseph Dunleavy Sr. (born March 21, 1954) is an American retired professional basketball player, head coach, and former general manager of the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers. He was most recently the head coach of the Tulane University men's basketball team. Dunleavy is the father of former professional basketball player Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Lionel Hollins

Lionel Eugene Hollins (born October 19, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Slick Watts

Donald Earl "Slick" Watts (born July 22, 1951) is an American former basketball player.Watts was not selected by any team in the 1973 NBA draft, but his coach at Xavier University of Louisiana was a cousin of Bill Russell, who was the coach and general manager for the Seattle SuperSonics. Russell gave Watts a tryout, and he signed with the SuperSonics as a free agent. After making the roster for the 1973–74 season as a reserve, he played more frequently the following season and became a starter for the 1975–76 season. That season, he led the NBA in total assists, assists per game, total steals, steals per game, and made NBA All-Defense First-Team. He was the first player to lead the league in assists and steals in the same season.In 1976, Watts also received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his outstanding service to the community.Watts' career declined after 1976, however, and he retired from the league after six seasons, due to injury. He played 4½ years with the Sonics, half a season with the New Orleans Jazz, and one season with the Houston Rockets.He picked up the nickname "Slick" because he was one of the first players to shave his head, unusual at the time. He was also known for wearing his headband off-center.After his playing career, Watts became a physical education teacher at Dearborn Park elementary school and a basketball coach at Franklin High School in the Seattle area and took up tennis. In 2001, Watts spent 22 days in a hospital with sarcoidosis, which caused his weight to drop by almost 50 pounds before his condition improved. He ended his post-basketball career teaching physical education for nearly 20 years at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary in Seattle before retiring in 2017.

Phil Ford

Phil Jackson Ford Jr. (born February 9, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He graduated from Rocky Mount Senior High School in 1974, and had an All-American college career at North Carolina.

Larry Siegfried

Larry E. Siegfried (May 22, 1939 – October 14, 2010) was an American National Basketball Association player.

Dave Wohl

David Bruce Wohl (born November 2, 1949) is an American former basketball player and coach, and the former general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers.  A 6'2" guard who grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey and played collegiately at the University of Pennsylvania, Wohl was selected in the 3rd round of the 1971 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.  He played for six different teams over a seven-year career, including the 76ers, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Buffalo Braves, the Houston Rockets and the New York/New Jersey Nets.
Wohl would later coach the Nets for over two seasons, from 1985 to 1987.  In addition, he has been an assistant coach for several teams. He was also the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Miami Heat from 1995 to 1997. From 2004 to 2007, Wohl was an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics. From 2007 to 2009 he was the team's Assistant General Manager. He was an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009 to 2011.On June 16, 2014, Wohl became general manager of the Clippers.  The move reunited him with Clippers head coach Doc Rivers; Wohl was an assistant on Rivers' staff in Orlando and Boston.  Although Wohl has the title of general manager, he served mostly in an advisory role to Rivers, who as President of Basketball Operations had the final say on all basketball matters.
In the 2016 NBA Draft, Wohl's draft selections included Forward Brice Johnson in the first round and both Diamond Stone and David Michineau in the 2nd round. Guard David Michineau was not signed for the 2016–17 NBA season following a sub-par NBA Summer League performance with the team in Orlando.
On August 24, 2017, Wohl was replaced by Oklahoma City Thunder assistant general manager Michael Winger.

Stu Lantz

Stuart Burrell Lantz (born July 13, 1946) is an American former basketball player who is a television commentator for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Spectrum SportsNet. He has been the Lakers' color commentator since 1987, sharing the microphone with Chick Hearn, Paul Sunderland, Joel Meyers and now Bill Macdonald.  Lantz has won numerous awards for his work along the way. The Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association has named Lantz best radio commentator in six of the last seven years.
Lantz played in the National Basketball Association from 1968 until 1976. He was drafted by the San Diego Rockets in the third round (1st Pick, 23rd Overall) of the 1968 NBA draft and by the Oakland Oaks in the 1968 ABA Draft after attending the University of Nebraska.

&nbsp;Big fan of Houston basketball? Then check out this list of Houston Rockets point guards with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes ...