{"id":119640,"date":"2025-06-23T23:57:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T23:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/119640\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T23:57:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T23:57:14","slug":"rockets-to-host-2025-nba-draft-experience-at-toyota-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/119640\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets to host 2025 NBA draft experience at Toyota Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though they are reportedly without a draft pick<\/a>, the Rockets will still hold their 2025 NBA draft experience inside Houston\u2019s home arena of Toyota Center. The draft starts at 7:00 p.m. Central on Wednesday night, with the event opening up a few hours before.<\/p>\n

Technically, the Rockets still own the No. 10 pick in the June 25 first round and the No. 59 selection in the June 26 second round. However, both will be traded after the draft to Phoenix as part of the blockbuster trade<\/a> bringing Suns star Kevin Durant to Houston.<\/p>\n

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That deal cannot be finalized until July 6<\/a>, since the Rockets will need Jalen Green to be on his higher 2025-26 salary in order for the deal to work, financially. So, because of that distinction, the Rockets will still technically make both of their 2025 draft selections \u2014 though Phoenix will be telling them who to select. The top-10 pick will presumably go across the draft stage at Brooklyn\u2019s Barclays Center while wearing a Rockets hat.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, considering the enthusiasm from local fans, the Rockets are going forward with their plans for Wednesday\u2019s first round. From the team\u2019s press release:<\/p>\n

Rockets legends Steve Francis, Moochie Norris, and Rudy Tomjanovich will all be in attendance signing autographs, taking pictures and mingling with guests throughout the night. There will be activities for all ages to enjoy, including open play on three half-sized basketball courts on the main Toyota Center floor from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central.<\/p>\n

In addition to entertainment on the main court, fans can take photos with the 1994-1995 NBA championship trophies. Meanwhile, the Rockets SkyCourt will be open to kids while featuring balloon twisters, face painters, inflatables, photo booths, and more. Food and beverage specials, along with other interactive activities, will be available throughout the main concourse. These activities will include chances to win autographed items, tickets, and other prizes.<\/p>\n

The event will include appearances from SportsTalk 790\u2019s Matt Thomas, along with Space City Home Network talent Craig Ackerman, Ryan Hollins, Calvin Murphy, and Vanessa Richardson. Rockets in-arena co-host Kiotti will serve as the emcee, with entertainment featuring performances by Clutch City Dancers, Clutch the Bear, Rockets DJ Palmo, and the team\u2019s Launch Crew.<\/p>\n

All guests will receive the opportunity to purchase the official 2025 NBA draft cap and browse the official team shop. The team will also unveil a brand-new collaboration with Houston-based artist Donkeeboy, which will feature exclusive hats and t-shirts.<\/p>\n

Tickets for this event ($1 each) are available at\u00a0Rockets.com<\/a>, and guests may park for free on the fourth through seventh levels of the Toyota Tundra Garage (located adjacent to Toyota Center).<\/p>\n

In theory, it\u2019s still possible that Houston could trade back into the 2025 draft. However, the team\u2019s current focus seems to be on putting together a championship-level roster<\/a> around Durant, which typically includes an emphasis on veteran players and not rookies.<\/p>\n

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Because Durant isn\u2019t yet an official member of the Rockets, the team can\u2019t officially reference him at Wednesday\u2019s event. However, it\u2019s safe to say that he\u2019ll be alluded to frequently, and he\u2019ll undoubtedly be the leading topic of discussion among excited fans in attendance.<\/p>\n

More: With Kevin Durant in fold, Rockets\u2019 odds surge for 2026 NBA Finals<\/a><\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets to host 2025 NBA draft experience at Toyota Center<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even though they are reportedly without a draft pick, the Rockets will still hold their 2025 NBA draft…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119641,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3794],"tags":[30,7,670,3467,292,194,4066,861,938,6,211,3712,604,23651],"class_list":{"0":"post-119640","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston-rockets","8":"tag-2025-nba-draft","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-brooklyn","11":"tag-draft-pick","12":"tag-houston","13":"tag-houston-rockets","14":"tag-houstonrockets","15":"tag-jalen-green","16":"tag-kevin-durant","17":"tag-nba","18":"tag-rockets","19":"tag-ryan-hollins","20":"tag-suns","21":"tag-toyota-center"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114735392073509994","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}