HRHouston Rockets
HRHouston Rockets has reached the nba champions decider 4 times on record, first in 1980-81 and most recently in 1994-95. 2 wins against 2 runner-up finishes are recorded below, sourced from our full nba champions list.
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
HRHouston Rockets — 2 nba champions (1993-94, 1994-95).
Franchise history
The Rockets began as an NBA expansion team in 1967, owned by San Diego Sports Arena magnate Robert Breitbard. The San Diego Rockets' debut 1967-68 season was disastrous on the scoreboard — a 15-67 record — though the team did land future Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes. Financial struggles led to a 1971 relocation to Houston, Texas.
Houston's defining championship era arrived under center Hakeem Olajuwon, the No. 1 overall pick in 1984. In 1994, Houston won a franchise-record 58 games and beat the New York Knicks in a seven-game Finals, with Olajuwon named Finals MVP. In 1995, bolstered by the midseason addition of Clyde Drexler, the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic, becoming the lowest-seeded team ever to win an NBA championship. The Rockets' next signature era centered on James Harden, acquired in 2012, who won the 2018 MVP award and pushed Houston to two Western Conference Finals appearances, both ending in losses to Golden State, before being traded to Brooklyn in 2021.
Sources
NBA Champions won (2)
Runner-up finishes (2)
See the full nba champions list for the winner each of these years.
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