The 1983–84 Houston Rockets season featured the
NBA debut of
Ralph Sampson
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...
, whom the Rockets had selected as the first pick of the
1983 NBA draft. Under head coach
Bill Fitch
William Charles Fitch (May 19, 1932 – February 2, 2022) was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He developed multiple teams into playoff contenders and won an NBA championship with the Bost ...
, the team finished with a 29–53 record, although Sampson won the
NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
The team has been cited as an example of a "
tanking", by deciding to play more more bench players after starting the season with a 20–26 record, in order to fall in the standings and get higher in the draft order for the following season.
The Rockets finished last in the
Western Conference and later won a coin flip that gave them the first section in the
1984 NBA draft, with which they selected
Akeem Olajuwon.
Draft picks
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Player statistics
Season
Awards and records
Awards
* Ralph Sampson
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...
, NBA Rookie of the Year Award
* Ralph Sampson
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...
, All-NBA Second Team
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sele ...
* Ralph Sampson
Ralph Lee Sampson Jr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A phenom, three-time college national player of the year, and first overall selec ...
, NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for player ...
1st Team
Records
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Additions
Subtractions
See also
*1983–84 NBA season
The 1983–84 NBA season was the 38th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 for the second time since 1969 in the NBA Fi ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1983-84 Houston Rockets season
Houston Rockets seasons
Hou