Major honours
Founded in San Diego in 1967 and relocated to Houston in 1971, the Rockets' history was built on two first-overall picks: Ralph Sampson in 1983 and Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. Olajuwon led back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, winning Finals MVP both times, and in 1994 he became the only player ever to win regular-season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. The 1995 title defense was even more dramatic — Houston entered the playoffs as a 6-seed, beat four straight 55-win teams, and swept Orlando in the Finals. In 2002, Houston drafted Yao Ming first overall, opening the door to the Chinese market. The Rockets of the 2010s changed the league in a different way — under general manager Daryl Morey and James Harden, the team effectively abandoned mid-range shots and built its offense around the rim, the three-point line and free throws, finishing the 2017-18 season atop the league at 65-17.
Record comparison
Bars are scaled to the strongest team in this list.
Club legends
Rivalry
Houston met the Utah Jazz in the playoffs four times in the mid-1990s, and the Golden State Warriors repeatedly blocked the path in the 2010s. Missing 27 straight three-pointers in Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference finals remains the defining image of that rivalry.