The Houston Rockets are a team.
1984 NBA draft . In this draft , 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players , including international players . Houston Rockets . In the 1968 NBA draft , the Rockets , picking first overall , selected power forward Elvin Hayes , who would lead the team to its first playoff appearance in his rookie season . James Edward Harden Jr. ( born August 26 , 1989 ) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) .