The NBA finally came to the Lone Star State as the Rockets landed in Houston from San Diego. Since Houston is the headquarters of NASA the name Rockets was a natural fit and remained with the team.

Elvin Hayes who was the star of the Rockets had been a hero at the University of Houston as the Cougars routinely sold out the Astrodome to see the "Big E" play, including a 1968 upset win over UCLA. However, the Rockets had trouble drawing fans as they struggled from the start losing their first six games.

The Rockets would average only 4,9666 fans per game as they played all over Texas posting a record of 34-48.