In a nod to the franchise’s beginning in San Diego, the Houston Rockets are going with a green and gold color scheme for their 2022-23 Hardwood Classic edition uniforms. The Rockets began as an expansion team in San Diego in the 1967-68 season and played there until 1971, when the team moved on to Houston and, soon thereafter, adopted its familiar red-based color scheme.
Per a video on the team’s website, paying homage to San Diego-era stars like Hall of Famers Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy and others provided some of the inspiration to return to the classic look.
“Space exploration teaches us to boldly move forward, a common thread between both cities. As we move forward to the next generation of Rockets basketball, we bring back a classic to reflect where we came from,” said narrator Tobe Nwigwe in a video on the Rockets’ team website.
Additionally, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta announced Hayes’ No. 44 jersey will be retired by the team on Nov. 18 against Indiana. During his time with the Rockets — both in San Diego and Houston — Hayes won a scoring title (1968-69), was a three-time All-Star and averaged 27.4 points, 16.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in 328 games with the franchise. Hayes had his No. 44 retired by the Washington Wizards and will join a short list of players to have their jersey retired by two different franchises.
