Events in Sport
- 1975-11-02 First sports event at The Summit arena in Houston - NBA's Houston Rockets beat Milwaukee Bucks, 104-89; future Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich top scores with 24 points
Barry 1st 3-Pointers
1980-02-09 Rick Barry of the Houston Rockets is the 1st in NBA history to score eight 3-pointers in a game
- 1981-03-01 Houston Rockets guard Calvin Murphy misses a free throw in a 102-86 loss in San Antonio, ending his NBA record consecutive free throw streak at 78
- 1981-05-14 35th NBA Championship: Bost Celtics beat Houston Rockets, 4 games to 2
- 1983-01-23 Portland Trail Blazers score all 17 points in overtime to beat the Houston Rockets 113-96
- 1985-02-10 35th NBA All-Star Game, Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis: West beats East, 140-129; MVP: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets, C
Houston Rockets' Streak
1993-12-02 Houston Rockets score a 94-85 win over the Knicks at New York’s Madison Square Garden, recording their 15th straight win to start the season; tie Washington Capitols' all-time NBA record 1948-49; streak ends next game
- 1994-06-22 48th NBA Championship: Houston Rockets beat NY Knicks, 4 games to 3
- 1995-01-07 Larry Brown posts his 500th career NBA coaching victory, following the Indiana Pacers' 88-83 road win at the Houston Rockets
NBA Trade
1995-02-14 Portland Trail Blazers trade Clyde Drexler to the Houston Rockets, who end up winning the 1995 NBA Championship
- 1995-06-14 49th NBA Championship: Houston Rockets sweep Orlando Magic in 4 games
- 1997-10-23 Les Alexander, owner of Houston Rockets buys NHL's Edmonton Oilers
Sports History
1998-01-10 Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan wins his 600th NBA game with a 111-84 victory at the Houston Rockets
NBA Trade
1999-10-01 In a blockbuster NBA trade, the Houston Rockets move All Star forward Scottie Pippen to Portland Trail Blazers for Kelvin Cato, Stacey Augmon, Walt Williams, Carlos Rogers, Ed Gray and Brian Shaw
- 2001-01-11 New York Knicks hold an opponent under 100 points for NBA-record 29th straight game in a 76-75 loss to the Houston Rockets; streak snaps 46-year-old NBA record of 28 straight set by the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1954-55
- 2002-06-26 NBA Draft: Shanghai Sharks (China) center Yao Ming first pick by Houston Rockets
- 2018-12-19 Houston Rockets set NBA single-game record with 26 three-pointers in 136-118 victory over Washington Wizards; 8 players hit from deep as Rockets shoot 26-of-55 (47.3%); James Harden leads charge, shooting 6-of-11 on 3s
- 2019-03-19 Houston Rockets guard James Harden becomes first player in NBA history to score at least 30 points against all 29 opponents in a single season with 31 in a 121-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks
NBA Record
2019-04-07 Retiring NBA legends Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) and Dwyane Wade (Miami) play their final home games, both victories; Magic Johnson sensationally quits as LA Lakers president of basketball operations; Houston Rockets convert NBA record 27 three-point field goals in 149-113 win over Phoenix
- 2024-01-15 Joel Embiid ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record with his 16th straight game with 30 or more points and 10-plus rebounds in a win over the Houston Rockets
Birthdays in Sport
- 1932-05-19 Bill Fitch, American Basketball HOF coach (NBA C'ship 1981, Boston Celtics; NBA Coach of the Year 1976, 80; NBA All-Star coach 1982; Cleveland Cavaliers; NJ Nets, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers), born in Davenport, Iowa (d. 2022)
- 1939-01-31 Johnny Egan, American basketball point guard (Detroit Pistons, NY Knicks, Baltimore Bullets, LA Lakers, SD/Houston Rockets) and coach (Houston Rockets 1973-76), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2022)
- 1946-03-22 Don Chaney, NBA player (Houston Rockets)/coach (Detroit Pistons)
- 1951-05-08 Mike D'Antoni, American basketball coach (NBA Coach of the Year 2005, 17; Houston Rockets; LA Lakers, NY Knicks, Phoenix Suns), born in Mullens, West Virginia
Moses Malone (1955-2015)
1955-03-23 Basketball Hall of Fame center (NBA MVP 1979, 82-83; NBA Finals MVP 1983; 12 x NBA All Star; Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers), born in Petersburg, Virginia,
- 1955-11-21 Cedric Maxwell, American basketball small forward (NBA C'ship 1981 [MVP], 84 Boston Celtics; LA Clippers, Houston Rockets), born in Kinston, North Carolina
- 1957-12-19 Kevin McHale, American Basketball HOF forward (NBA C'ship 1981, 84, 86; 7 × NBA All-Star; Boston Celtics) and coach (Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets), born in Hibbing, Minnesota
- 1959-05-01 Eddie Johnson, American basketball guard/forward (NBA Sixth Man of the Year 1989; Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1960-03-06 (Eric) "Sleepy" Floyd, American NBA guard, 1985-92 (All-Star; Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and 2 other teams), born in Gastonia, North Carolina
- 1960-07-07 Ralph Sampson, American College/Basketball HOF center (NBA All-Star 1984–87; Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets), born in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Clyde Drexler (61 years old)
1962-06-22 NBA guard, 1983-98, 10X All-Star (Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Olympic gold, 1992), and broadcaster, born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1962-08-05 Otis Thorpe, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1992, NBA C'ship 1994 Houston Rockets), born in Boynton Beach Florida
- 1962-09-06 Kevin Willis, American basketball center (NBA C'ship 2003 SA Spurs; NBA All-Star 1992 Atlanta Hawks; one of 15 players 16,000+ career points & 11,000+ rebounds), born in Los Angeles, California
Hakeem Olajuwon (61 years old)
1963-01-21 Nigerian-American NBA center, 1984-2002 (Houston Rockets, Olympic gold 1996), born in Lagos, Nigeria
- 1963-11-26 Mario Elie, American NBA forward and guard (Houston Rockets), born in New York City
- 1965-03-08 Kenny Smith, NBA guard (Houston Rockets)
- 1965-04-25 Mark Bryant, American NBA forward and center (Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets), born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey
- 1967-06-02 Kenny Atkinson, American basketball head coach (Brooklyn Nets 2016-19; Director Player Development, Houston Rockets 2007–08), born in Huntington, New York
- 1967-06-05 Matt Bullard, NBA forward, 1990-2002 (Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets), born in Des Moines, Iowa
- 1967-10-27 Jaren Jackson, American NBA guard & forward (Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1967-12-14 Eldridge Recasner, American NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1969-11-18 Sam Cassell, American NBA guard (NJ Nets, Houston Rockets), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- 1970-05-26 Sam Mack, NBA forward/guard (Houston Rockets, Vancouver Grizzlies)
- 1970-08-25 Robert Horry, NBA forward (LA Lakers, Houston Rockets)
- 1973-09-24 Rodrick Rhodes, American NBA basketball forward, 1997-2003 (Houston Rockets and 2 other teams), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- 1974-01-31 Othella Harrington, American basketball forward (Houston Rockets), born in Jackson, Mississippi
- 1979-05-24 Tracy McGrady, American Basketball Hall of Fame forward (NBA All-Star 2001–07; NBA scoring champion 2003, 04; Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets), born in Bartow, Florida
- 1982-09-13 Nenê, Brazilian basketball player (Houston Rockets), born in São Carlos, Brazil
- 1985-05-05 P. J. Tucker, American basketball player (Houston Rockets), born in Raleigh, North Carolina
- 1985-05-06 Chris Paul, American basketball point guard (9-time NBA All Star), born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- 1986-01-26 Gerald Green, American basketball guard (NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion 2007, Minnesota Timberwolves; Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets), born in Houston, Texas
- 1988-11-12 Russell Westbrook, American basketball guard (NBA MVP 2017; NBA All-Star Game MVP 2015, 16; OKC Thunder, Houston Rockets, LA Lakers, LA Clippers), born in Long Beach, California
- 1988-12-25 Eric Gordon, American basketball guard (NBA 6th Man of the Year, NBA 3-Point Contest champion 2017; Houston Rockets), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
- 1989-08-26 James Harden, American basketball guard (NBA MVP 2018; NBA All-Star 2013–19; Houston Rockets), born in Los Angeles, California
Weddings in Sport
- 2007-08-06 NBA Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (27) weds Chinese women's national basketball team member Ye Li (26) at the Pudong Shangri-La hotel in Shanghai
Deaths in Sport
Moses Malone (1955-2015)
2015-09-13 Basketball Hall of Fame center (NBA MVP 1979, 82-83; NBA Finals MVP 1983; 12 x NBA All Star; Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers), dies of heart disease at 60
- 2022-02-02 Bill Fitch, American Basketball HOF coach (NBA C'ship 1981, Boston Celtics; NBA Coach of the Year 1976, 80; NBA All-Star coach 1982; Cleveland Cavaliers; NJ Nets, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers), dies at 89
- 2022-07-21 Johnny Egan, American basketball point guard (Detroit Pistons, NY Knicks, Baltimore Bullets, LA Lakers, SD/Houston Rockets) and coach (Houston Rockets 1973-76), dies after a fall at 83