The
2002–03 NBA season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.
Notable occurrences
*The Hornets relocate from Ch ...
was the Rockets' 36th season in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
, and 32nd season in the city of
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
. This was their final season playing at the
Compaq Center. The Rockets won the Draft Lottery, where they selected 7'6" Chinese sensation
Yao Ming
Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...
with the first overall pick in the
2002 NBA draft
The 2002 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2002, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, ...
. In December, the Rockets acquired
James Posey from the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...
in a three-team trade, which sent
Kenny Thomas to the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...
.
The Rockets got off to a 9–6 start, and played .500 basketball for the remainder of the season, holding a 26–22 record at the All-Star break. With Yao teamed up with captain
Steve Francis
Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft and was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year (along with Elton Brand) in his fi ...
, they gelled their first season together, being named as starters for the
2003 NBA All-Star Game. On January 17, 2003, Francis gained national media attention, scoring a career-high 44 points in a home game against the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
. The Rockets finished the season fifth in the Midwest Division with a 43–39 record without clinching a
playoff
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
spot,
finishing just one game behind the 8th-seeded
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...
, although they improved on last season, where they won just 28 games. Yao averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and finished in second place in
Rookie of the Year voting, while Francis averaged 21.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and
Cuttino Mobley provided the team with 17.5 points per game. In addition,
Glen Rice contributed 9.0 points per game, while second-year forward
Eddie Griffin provided with 8.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, and
Maurice Taylor
Maurice De Shawn Taylor (born October 30, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He played power forward and center positions. Originally from Detroit, Taylor played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines and was ...
averaged 8.4 points per game off the bench.
This season was also head coach
Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He won two NBA Championships with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995) and coached Team USA to the gold medal in men's basketball at the ...
's last as he would step down following the season due to health issues, though he would return in 2004 to coach the Lakers. Also following the season, Posey signed as a free agent with the
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...
, while Griffin was released to free agency, and Rice was traded to the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
,
but was released and signed with the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
.
Offseason
Draft picks
Roster
Note
Bold = All-Star selection
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Player statistics
Regular season
Awards and records
Awards
*
Yao Ming
Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...
,
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 play ...
1st Team
Records
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Additions
Subtractions
See also
*
2002–03 NBA season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the 2003 NBA Finals.
Notable occurrences
*The Hornets relocate from Ch ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2002-03 Houston Rockets season
Houston Rockets seasons
2002 in sports in Texas
2003 in sports in Texas
2002 in Houston
2003 in Houston