Editing Houston Rockets (section)

===1967–1971: San Diego Rockets===
[[File:Elvin Hayes 1969.jpg|left|upright|thumb|[[Elvin Hayes]] was selected first overall by the San Diego Rockets in the [[1968 NBA draft]]]]
The Rockets were founded in 1967 in [[San Diego]] by [[Bob Breitbard|Robert Breitbard]], who paid an entry fee of US$1.75&nbsp;million to join the NBA as an expansion team for the [[1967–68 NBA season|1967–68 season]].<ref name="chronhistory">{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/life/article/Owners-fans-waited-years-before-Rockets-took-off-2045395.php|title=Owners, fans waited years before Rockets took off|work=Houston Chronicle|date=September 20, 2001|access-date=May 13, 2008}}</ref><ref name=uniforms>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/history/uniforms_rockets.html |title=Going Retro: Houston Rockets |work=NBA.com |access-date=May 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119064025/http://www.nba.com/history/uniforms_rockets.html |archive-date=November 19, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The NBA wanted to add more teams in the [[Western United States]] and chose San Diego based on the city's strong economic and population growth, along with the local success of an [[ice hockey]] team owned by Breitbard, the [[San Diego Gulls (1966–74)|San Diego Gulls]] of the [[Western Hockey League (1952–1974)|Western Hockey League]]. The [[San Diego International Sports Center]], which opened the previous year and was also owned by Breitbard, would serve as home to the new franchise. A local contest to name the franchise chose the name "Rockets",<ref>AP report in ''Fort Myers (FL) News-Press'', April 28, 1967, p.D-1</ref> as it paid homage to San Diego's theme of "a city in motion" and the local arm of [[General Dynamics]] developing the [[SM-65 Atlas|Atlas missile and booster rocket program]].<ref name="chronhistory"/><ref name=breitbard>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YcoExgitXTYC&pg=PA70|title=Bob Breitbard: San Diego's Sports Keeper|first=Dan|last=Fulop|pages=68–70|publisher=Author House|year=2012|isbn=978-1-4772-4396-1}}</ref>

Breitbard brought in [[Jack McMahon]], then-coach of the [[Cincinnati Royals]], to serve as the Rockets' coach and general manager.<ref name="breitbard" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/mcmahja01c.html |title=Jack McMahon |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=May 13, 2008}}</ref> The team, which would join the league along with the [[Seattle SuperSonics]], then built its roster with both veteran players at an [[1967 NBA Expansion Draft|expansion draft]], and college players from the [[1967 NBA draft]], where San Diego's first ever draft pick was [[Pat Riley]].<ref name="breitbard" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nba.com/encyclopedia/hof_2008.html |title=NBA Hall of Fame 2008 |date=April 7, 2008 |work=NBA.com |access-date=May 13, 2008}}</ref> In their first two games of the season, the Rockets were up against the [[St. Louis Hawks]], and lost both of those games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/196710140SDR.html|title=St.Louis Hawks at San Diego Rockets Box Score, October 14, 1967|publisher=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/196710170SDR.html|title=St. Louis Hawks at San Diego Rockets Box Score, October 17, 1967|publisher=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref> Their first win in franchise history came the very next game which occurred three days after against the SuperSonics. The Rockets won on the road, 121–114. [[Johnny Green (basketball)|Johnny Green]] recorded 30 points and 25 rebounds for the Rockets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/196710200SEA.html|title=San Diego Rockets at Seattle SuperSonics Box Score, October 20, 1967|publisher=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref> The following game, the SuperSonics held a 15-point lead for most of the first half, before the Rockets mounted a comeback to force overtime. The SuperSonics eventually pulled away and won the game, 117–110, though [[Art Williams]] recorded the first ever triple-double in franchise history, as he recorded 17 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists for the Rockets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/196710210SDR.html|title=Seattle SuperSonics at San Diego Rockets Box Score, October 21, 1967|publisher=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=July 30, 2019}}</ref> The expansion Rockets ultimately lost 67 games in their inaugural season,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SDR/1968.html |title=1967–68 San Diego Rockets |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=May 13, 2008}}</ref> which was an NBA record for losses in a season at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/03/25/a-roundup-of-the-sports-information-of-the-week/ |title=A Roundup Of The Sports Information Of The Week |date=March 25, 1968 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=May 13, 2008|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030120106/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1080988/index.htm|archive-date=October 30, 2013}}</ref>

In 1968, after the Rockets won a coin toss against the [[Baltimore Bullets (1963–73)|Baltimore Bullets]] to determine who would have the first overall pick in the [[1968 NBA draft]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Kalb |first=Elliott |title=Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball? |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |year=2003 |page=302 |isbn=978-0-07-141788-4}}</ref> they selected [[Elvin Hayes]] from the [[University of Houston]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1968.html |title=1968 NBA Draft |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=February 18, 2009}}</ref> Hayes improved the Rockets' record to 37 wins and 45 losses, enough for the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969,<ref name="69season">{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SDR/1969.html |title=1968–69 San Diego Rockets |publisher=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=May 13, 2008}}</ref> but the Rockets lost in the semi-finals of the Western Division to the [[Atlanta Hawks]], four games to two.<ref name="69season" /> The Rockets limped to a 27[[1969–70 NBA season|–]]55 finish in the [[1969–70 NBA season|1969–70 season]], before missing the playoffs by just one game in the [[1970–71 NBA season|1970–71 season]].<ref name="Krasovic-2020" /><ref name="apbr-2020" />

Off the court, Breitbard was facing serious financial losses due to a controversial ongoing tax-assessment issue that had plagued his San Diego Sports Arena since it was built. He was also still on the hook for paying off the NBA expansion fee for the Rockets, in addition to construction-related bonds on the arena, which he had built with private funding. To make matters worse, the American professional sports economy had begun to plummet in the late 1960s, and professional basketball was being hit particularly hard with nearly all franchises in the NBA and [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] operating at a financial loss at this time.<ref name="breitbard" />

On January 26, 1970, during an emotional press conference on the floor of the Sports Arena, Breitbard addressed the San Diego fans regarding his dire finances and the state of his Rockets basketball and Gulls hockey teams. "...We have been served an eviction notice..." Breitbard announced. "I've tried to work quietly, to iron this out. But, at the moment it appears impossible. I don't want to sell. I'm not interested in selling outside of San Diego. It seems to me the Rockets and Gulls are part of this town. This arena, the Gulls, the Rockets, are a part of me, and our fans have been wonderful to us."<ref name="breitbard" /> Over the next nearly year and a half, numerous fans circulated petitions and lobbied local officials to help keep the Rockets and Gulls afloat and in San Diego. Several proposals surrounded providing financial aid or payment relief to Breitbard, or having the City and/or [[San Diego County, California|County of San Diego]] take ownership of the arena were discussed, but Breitbard was running out of time. At least 14 private offers for the Rockets were made to Breitbard, though all would have resulted in the team being relocated out of San Diego, which Breitbard was adamantly opposed to.<ref name="breitbard" /> The tax-assessment situation surrounding the Sports Arena (which was the only large arena in the region) ultimately made the prospect of another local owner purchasing the team infeasible.

On January 12, 1971, the Rockets hosted the [[1971 NBA All-Star Game]] at the San Diego Sports Arena, a close contest in which the West beat the East 108–107 in front of a packed house of 14,378 fans.

On June 23, 1971, the San Diego Rockets were abruptly sold by Breitbard to a Houston–based investment group. The NBA hurriedly approved the sale, believing the franchise was on the verge of folding. News of the sale broke before the coaches, players, and team employees and executives could even be notified. Local officials in San Diego were also caught by surprise.<ref name="Krasovic-2020" />

In their fourth and final season in existence, the San Diego Rockets missed the playoffs by just one game in the standings.<ref name="Krasovic-2020">{{cite web|last=Krasovic|first=Tom|title=Sale of his NBA team pained a San Diegan years later; Dean Spanos after his move, not so much|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sd-sp-chargers-nba-san-diego-rockets-20180620-story.html|access-date=December 21, 2020|website=sun-sentinel.com|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927222854/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sd-sp-chargers-nba-san-diego-rockets-20180620-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="apbr-2020">{{cite web|title=NBA Home Attendance Totals|url=http://www.apbr.org/attendance.html|access-date=December 21, 2020|website=www.apbr.org}}</ref>