Houston Rockets

Founded: 1967
Team Owner: Leslie Alexander
Head Coach: Kevin McHale
Team Icon: Hakeem Olajuwon
Overall Record: 1955-1851
D-League Affiliate: Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Championships: 1994, 1995
Arena: Toyota Center
Arena Capacity: 18,023
Arena Co-Tenants: Houston Aeros (AHL)
City: Houston, TX
Website: www.rockets.com

This team started in San Diego and was labeled the Rockets thanks to a name-the-team contest prior to their inaugural season of 1967. The Rockets name was chosen to pay homage to the space industry that was booming in San Diego at the time.

Just a few years after its inception, the team moved to Houston in 1971 and chose to keep the Rockets name. Fortunately for all of this the name makes sense in Houston as well since there is a NASA space center located in Houston.