Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are a franchise defined by dominant big men and bold, analytics-driven basketball. From Hakeem Olajuwon's back-to-back title runs to the pace-and-space, three-point-heavy era under James Harden, the Rockets have consistently pushed the sport forward stylistically. Houston's fan base expects star power and an aggressive, modern brand of basketball night after night.

Founded in 1967 and relocated from San Diego to Houston in 1971, the Rockets built their first golden era around Moses Malone in the late 1970s and early 1980s before reaching greater heights with Hakeem Olajuwon, who led the team to back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. The Rockets later became a trailblazer in analytics-driven roster building and offensive strategy during the Daryl Morey and James Harden era in the 2010s. The franchise's two titles remain a high point in franchise history, and Houston has developed a reputation for producing some of the NBA's most dominant individual scorers.