The Fadeaway World series on why certain NBA teams moved to a different city is back again. We’ve already covered the San Diego Clippers moving to Los Angeles, as well as the Lakers’ move from Minneapolis to LA.
Our series has also covered the Pistons’ move from Fort Wayne to Detroit and the St. Louis Hawks moving to Atlanta. The next franchise we’ll be discussing is the San Diego Rockets and their move to Houston.
The San Diego Rockets Move To Houston
The Rockets franchise was founded in 1967 in San Diego, California. The way the franchise came to be was because then NBA commissioner, J. Walter Kennedy, noticed the success of the San Diego Gulls, a team from the Western Hockey League.
The NBA wanted more teams out in the West, and they believed the San Diego market would be the perfect place for a professional basketball team. Kennedy invited Robert Breitbard, who was the owner of the San Diego Gulls, to make a bid for a basketball team.
Breitbard paid $1.75 million, and the San Diego Rockets joined the NBA. The name “Rockets” was chosen because of San Diego’s growth of space-age industries.
Despite the outlook of winning over fans in the area, the team struggled to attract an audience. The team picked a future NBA coaching and team president legend, Pat Riley.
Despite having Riley on the roster, the team struggled to be remotely competitive. In their first season, the San Diego Rockets finished with a 15-67 record. Their 67 losses were the worst in NBA history until the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers lost 73 games.
The Rockets would last only four seasons in San Diego, where they finished with a losing record every year. San Diego’s most wins came in the 1970-71 season when they won 40 games.
The only season the San Diego Rockets made the playoffs was in the 1968-69 season when the team finished with a 37-45 record. This season, the Rockets drafted future Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes, who led the league in scoring as a rookie, averaging 28.4 points while adding 17.1 rebounds per game.
Despite the play of Hayes, attendance at the Rockets’ games was ranked toward the bottom of the league. This led Breitbard to sell his franchise to real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg.
The group bought the Rockets for $5.6 million, and they moved the franchise to Houston in 1971. In Houston, the Rockets would win two titles, in 1994 and 1995, and showcase some of the best talents the NBA has ever seen in Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, and James Harden.
The Houston Rockets may be struggling this year, but they have a lot of young talent on the team that should continue to develop in the next few years. Even the rumors of James Harden coming back could change their fortune, but only time will tell if that happens.
One thing we know will stay true is the franchise staying in Houston. They have a strong fan base, and that will likely never change.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
