5 greatest players in Houston Rockets' franchise history

#2 Moses Malone

Moses Malone

One of the most dominant big men of all time, Moses was a force to be reckoned with during his stint with the Rockets. He used an array of post moves, had a knack for getting to the line and was a ridiculously good offensive rebounder. Malone joined the Rockets from the Buffalo Braves in 1976 in a trade. With Malone in tow, the Rockets reached the Conference Finals for the 1st time in franchise history in 1977, but they couldn't get past the Philadelphia 76ers.

Moses continued to improve as the seasons went by and in 1979, he would be crowned MVP. That season started a run, where he led the league in Rebounding for 6 of the next 7 years.

After the NBA realigned the Rockets to the Western Conference in 1980, they reached the Finals in 1981. They beat the Lakers in the 1st round, as Moses was perhaps the only player who the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar struggled to play against. In the Finals against the Celtics, the Rockets lost in 6 games despite Moses leading both teams in scoring and rebounds.

He would win his 2nd MVP the following year, but the team got bounced out in the 1st round. Moses would subsequently leave the Rockets as a free agent. Malone is currently 2nd in Points per game and 1st in Rebounds per game in franchise history. While Moses was amazing with the Rockets, not winning a championship is what keeps him off #1.