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Countdown 122: Top 10 Houston Rockets of All Time

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Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA, Yao Ming (2311334196), CC BY-SA 2.0

Who are the top Houston Rockets of all time?  Here is our top 10 countdown:

10. Clyde Drexler: though he only spent the last three-and-half seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Rockets, Drexler was the missing piece for the team’s second title run in 1994-1995 and averaged 19.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game during his time in Houston with a pair of All-Star selections.

9. Rudy Tomjanovich: before leading Houston to back-to-back titles as a coach, Tomjanovich spent his entire 11-year playing career with the Rockets and earned five All-Star selections.

8. Ralph Sampson: forming a “Twin Towers” with Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1980s, Sampson was dominant in his four-and-half seasons in Houston before injuries took their toll – the 1983-1984 Rookie of the Year, a 4x All-Star, and a 1x All-NBA selection, he averaged a double-double with the Rockets (19.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game).

7. Calvin Murphy: despite standing just 5’9″, Murphy was one of the best free throw shooters ever (89.2%) and averaged 17.9 points per game during his 13-year NBA career (spent entirely with the Rockets franchise in San Diego and Houston), including a career-high 25.6 points per game in 1977-1978, en route to the Hall of Fame.

6. Elvin Hayes: a 20-and-10 player for his career, Hayes spent seven seasons total with the Rockets in both San Diego and Houston (four at the start and three at the end of his career), making four All-Star Teams and winning the scoring title in his rookie year.

5. Yao Ming: the top overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, Yao was an 8x All-Star (i.e. every season of his career, buoyed by the voting of an entire nation) and 5x All-NBA selection who averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during his Hall of Fame career.

4. Tracy McGrady: though he was plagued by injuries later in his career, McGrady was brilliant at his peak, averaging 22.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game during his five-and-half years in Houston with three All-Star and All-NBA nods.

3. Moses Malone: one of the original preps-to-pros players in the 1970s, Malone was a Rocket for six seasons early in his career – with 24.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game in Houston, he was a 5x All-Star and 4x All-NBA selection who won three rebounding titles and took home MVP honors in 1978-1979.

2. James Harden: arguably the best offensive player of his era, Harden was originally an elite sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but truly blossomed after being traded to the Rockets – as the lynchpin of the team’s offense for eight-and-half years, he won three straight scoring titles along with an assists crown while being an All-Star and All-NBA selection year in and year out.

1. Hakeem Olajuwon: an MVP and 2x Defensive Player of the Year, among countless other accolades, Olajuwon was arguably the best player in the NBA during Michael Jordan’s retirement in the mid-1990s, winning back-to-back championships with Finals MVP both times; moreover, he is the only player in NBA history to win regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, an NBA title, and Finals MVP in the same season (1994).

Agree/Disagree?  As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.

Note: This list includes players who played for the San Diego Rockets.

Note: All statistics as of time of publication.

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