Founded in 1967 and joining the NBA for the 1967-68 season, the Houston Rockets are a professional basketball team that belongs to Houston, Texas, USA, part of the Southwest Division of the NBA's Western Conference. The Rockets are a team with a tradition of tall centers, from early Moses Malone and Ralph Sampson to Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming, the first draft pick from China in 2002. The Rockets have emerged as many superstars in the 56-year history of the NBA, so what are the top 10 stars in the history of the NBA Houston Rockets?
No.1 Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon, nicknamed "Big Dream", was born on January 21, 1963 and played center. On November 9, 2002, Hakeem Olajuwon officially announced his retirement, and the Rockets retired his No. 34 jersey on that day.
Hakeem Olajuwon NBA career stats and honors.
Career average: 21.8 points 11.1 boards 2.47 assists
Career Honors: Player of the Week x 12, Player of the Month x 6, Rookie of the Month x 3, MVP x 1, FMVP x 2, Championships x 2, Rebound King x 2, Cap King x 3, All-Star x 12, First Team x 6, Second Team x 3, Third Team x 3, DPOY x 2, First Defense x 5, Second Defense x 4, Rookie First Team x 1
No.2 James Harden
James Harden was born on August 26, 1989 and currently plays for the 76ers. Harden was drafted by the Thunder in the first round, No. 3 in 2009 to enter the NBA, has played for the Thunder, Rockets, Nets and 76ers, 2012, James Harden with the U.S. men's basketball team won the gold medal in the London Olympics, 2014 with the U.S. team won the championship of the World Cup of basketball in Spain.
James Harden NBA career stats and honors.
Career average: 25.2 points 5.3 boards 6.31 assists
Career honors: Player of the Week x 24, Player of the Month x 9, MVP x 1, Scoring King x 3, Assist King x 1, All-Star x 8, First Team x 5, Third Team x 1, Best Sixth Man x 1, Rookie Second Team x 1
No.3 Moses Malone
Moses Malone (Moses Malone) was born on March 23, 1955 - September 13, 2015 and played as a center. He played for the Braves (now Clippers), Rockets, 76ers, Bullets (now Wizards), Hawks and Spurs before retiring in 1995, ending a 21-year career.
Moses Malone NBA career stats and honors.
Career average: 20.6 points 12.2 boards 1.35 assists
Career honors: Player of the Week x 7, Player of the Month x 4, MVP x 3, FMVP x 1, championship x 1, rebounding king x 6, All-Star x 12, first-team x 4, second-team x 4, first defense x 1, second defense x 1
No.4 Elvin Hayes
Elvin Hayes, nicknamed "Big E", was born on November 17, 1945, and played as a center/power forward. He was drafted by the San Diego Rockets (now the Houston Rockets) in the 1st round of the 1968 NBA Draft as the first overall pick, traded to the Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) in 1972, and rejoined the Houston Rockets for the 1981-82 season. In his 16-year NBA career, Hayes played in 1303 games, accumulating 50,000 minutes, and did not play in only nine games, known as the entire 70s NBA "iron man".
