The

1999–2000 NBA season The 1999–2000 NBA season was the 54th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA championship, beating the Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2 in the 2000 NBA Finals. This would also be C ...

was the Rockets' 33rd season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

, and 29th season in the city of

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

. This season is notable for the Rockets acquiring top draft pick

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 ...

from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...

in a trade from the

Vancouver Grizzlies The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along w ...

; the Grizzlies had drafted Francis with the second overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, but he refused to play for them. During the off-season, the Rockets acquired

Walt Williams Walter Ander "The Wizard" Williams (born April 16, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. A sharpshooting 6'8" forward/guard, Williams attended school at the University of Maryland from 1988 to 1992, and is credited by many ...

, Kelvin Cato and Carlos Rogers from the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, and signed free agent Shandon Anderson. The Rockets got off to a bad start losing ten of their first twelve games, but later won six straight games in January, but then lost eight straight in March.

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets a ...

only played just 44 games due to a hernia injury, and breathing problems, averaging just 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. The Rockets won seven of their final ten games in April, and finished sixth in the Midwest Division with a record of 34–48, failing to qualify for the

playoffs 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 eit ...

, which was the first time they missed the postseason since the 1991–92 season. Francis averaged 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game, as he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and shared Rookie of the Year honors with

Elton Brand Elton Tyron Brand (born March 11, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player and the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball for Duke, he was selecte ...

of the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

. He also participated in the Rookie-Sophomore Game, and the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. Francis finished second in the Slam Dunk Contest to

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played po ...

of the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Atlantic Division (NBA) ...

. In addition, second-year guard

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 ...

played a sixth man role, averaging 15.8 points per game off the bench, while Anderson provided the team with 12.3 points per game, Williams contributed 10.9 points per game, and Cato provided with 8.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Off the bench, first round draft pick Kenny Thomas averaged 8.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and Rogers contributed 8.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Mobley also finished in second place in

Sixth Man of the Year The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substitu ...

voting. After he already announced in the off-season that the upcoming season would be his last,

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Nati ...

suffered a knee injury during a game against his former team, 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 Ea ...

on December 8, 1999, after attempting to block a shot on 76ers' forward

Tyrone Hill Tyrone Hill (born March 19, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Atlanta Hawks. Hill spent four years playing collegiately at Xavier University, in his la ...

. The injury forced an early end to his career. However, Barkley would return on April 19, 2000 against the Vancouver Grizzlies, his final NBA game. He came off the bench and scored on a put-back, scoring his final career points, after which he received a standing ovation. After the game, Barkley retired, ending his 16-year NBA career. He averaged 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in 20 games this season.

Off-season

Draft picks

Roster

Roster Notes

* Center

holds both American and Nigerian citizenship.

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Player statistics

NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Awards and records

NBA Rookie of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Go ...

* Steve Francis,

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 players ...

1st Team

Transactions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1999-2000 Houston Rockets Season Houston Rockets seasons