Multiple Rockets Featured on Bleacher Report's Top 100 NBA Players of All Time

As the NBA offseason carries on, many of the headlines have been captured by a new list from Bleacher Report. Every summer, as people eagerly wait for the season to start, conversations open up about the state of the league's all-time player rankings.

Bleacher Report recently put out a long list of the game's top 100 players ever. In a list determined by multiple factors such as stats, championships, accolades, and cultural influence, many former Houston Rockets players find themselves on the list.

The first Rocket featured on was Dikembe Mutombo (No. 81), who spent five seasons with the team toward the end of his career. The first Houston icon on the list was Tracy McGrady (No. 59), who racked up multiple All-Star and All-NBA appearances with the franchise.

McGrady's co-star in Houston, Yao Ming, was surprisingly not featured on the list.

The highest Rocket on the list is Hakeem Olajuwon at No. 12, one spot ahead of Houston's newest star, Kevin Durant (No. 13). Not much of a surprise there, but the placement of each player has sparked plenty of debate on social media. The hope is that the 36-year-old does what Olajuwon did twice, and that's lead the Rockets to a championship.

Somewhere in the middle of McGrady and Durant is James Harden, the most recent icon for Houston. The Beard was beloved by Rockets fans until he requested a trade during the 2020-21 season, but he still managed to lead the franchise to multiple Western Conference Finals appearances while winning the MVP in 2018.

Other players who made pit stops in Houston were featured, including Russell Westbrook (No. 48), Dwight Howard (No. 52), and Carmelo Anthony (No. 60). We certainly can't forget about Clyde Drexler (No. 39), who averaged 19 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game as a Rocket. He was a multi-time All-Star and helped Olajuwon in capturing Houston's only two championships.

Overall, while the list has irked many basketball fans and sparked heated debates on social media, it also celebrates the game's greatest talent. There are so many players who have captured the hearts of NBA watchers, and the Rockets have quite a few names on the list.