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. This would be Michael Jordan's last season in the NBA. ...

was the Rockets' 36th season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

, and 32nd season in the city of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. 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 (; 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 Basketball Associat ...

with the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. In December, the Rockets acquired

James Posey James Mikely Mantell Posey Jr. (born January 13, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played the small forward pos ...

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 league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

in a three-team trade, which sent Kenny Thomas to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known 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 league's Eas ...

. 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 The 2003 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 9, 2003 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Hawks. This game was the 52nd edition of the North American National Basketball Association (NB ...

. 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 league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. 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. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

, 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 Cuttino Rashawn Mobley (born September 1, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association from 1998 to 2008. He played college basketball for the Rhode Island Rams, earning conference p ...

provided the team with 17.5 points per game. In addition,

Glen Rice Glen Anthony Rice Sr. (born May 28, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a small forward, Rice was a three-time NBA All-Star and made 1,559 three-point field goal ...

contributed 9.0 points per game, while second-year forward

Eddie Griffin Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom ''Malcolm & Eddie'', the title character in the 2002 comedy film ''Undercover Brother'', and Tiberius Jeffe ...

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 at Michigan and was selected by the L ...

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 who is a consultant for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His professional playing career, whic ...

'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 league's Western Conference ...

, 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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, but was released and signed with the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

Offseason

Draft picks

Roster

Note

Bold = All-Star selection

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Legend

Season

Awards and records

Awards

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 playe ...

Offseason

Draft picks

Roster

Note

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Legend

Season

Awards and records

Awards

Records

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

See also

References