Since the turn of the century, the Houston Rockets have gone through many phases of an NBA team, but for the most part, have remained competitive for the last 25 years. Since the 1999-00 season, they’ve made the postseason 14 times, have six Western Conference Semifinals appearances, and two Conference Finals appearances.
Through those years, naturally, the Rockets have had superstars come and go. Some tenures are remembered with grace despite a lack of success, such as Tracy McGrady or James Harden. Others, not so much (Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard).
However, what cannot be denied is that Houston has been a destination for some of the game’s greatest players, especially over the last 25 years.
The Athletic’s NBA Staff recently ranked the top 25 players of the 21st century, when counting the teams each player was on during their career, one of the teams featured most was the Rockets. Six of the 25 players played in Houston at some point.
The highest-ranked Rocket is the most recent: Kevin Durant (No. 6). The 37-year-old is in what could be the final chapter of his career, but he’s still going on. Durant is averaging 24.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists on impressive shooting splits, still showing that he’s arguably the most talented scorer ever.
After Durant comes Chris Paul (No. 13). The point guard is also still playing at 40 years old, and with Houston, he was a memorable talent. Paul helped the Rockets nearly defeat the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference Finals, and averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game in his two seasons with Houston.
The spot after Paul is his former running mate and arguably the greatest Rockets scorer ever. James Harden (No. 14) was an MVP and multi-time All-Star in Houston, carrying the franchise for nearly nine seasons.
Although his tenure ended in drama with a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, Harden’s talent cannot be denied, averaging 29.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Now, he and Paul are teammates once again, this time with the LA Clippers.
After Durant, Paul, and Harden come less memorable names. Russell Westbrook (No. 16) was extremely productive in Houston, but he only played a total of 65 games with the team during the 2019-20 season.
Then there are names many Rockets fans would like to forget. Dwight Howard (No. 18) spent three seasons with the team, and while his stats weren’t bad and he made an All-Star team, his time in Houston was marred by drama with Harden.
Carmelo Anthony (No. 24) is one of the game’s greatest bucket-getters and an NBA fan-favorite. However, Rockets fans will gloss over his time with their team, as he played just 10 games in Houston and struggled to fit in with Harden and Paul.