Houston Rockets players have worn a total of 52 different jersey numbers since the start of the 1967-68 season (including one series of numbers that does not belong to Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson), and have been worn by nearly 500 players in Rockets history.
To honor all the players who have worn these numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire reports on the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who have worn them since the franchise’s inception to the present day.
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With seven of those jerseys now retired and honoring some of the greatest Rockets ever to wear them, there’s a lot of history to be told.
December 16, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Rockets Rudy Tomjanovich’s jersey hangs from the rafters during the third quarter of the Rockets’ game against the New York Knicks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
In today’s article, we continue with the first of the 15 players to wear the No. 6 jersey, big man Zaid Abdul-Aziz. After finishing his college career at Iowa State University, Abdulaziz was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft by the (then) Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings).
The Brooklyn, N.Y., native played the first 20 games of his career with the Royals. He also played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics before being traded to Houston. His first spell with the team lasted until he was waived in 1975, then he played again for Seattle, the (then) Buffalo Warriors (now the Boston Celtics – that’s a long story) and the Boston Celtics before re-signing with Houston in 1978 for the final season of his NBA career.
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While playing for the Rockets, Abdulaziz wore jerseys No. 6, 27 and 35, averaging 9.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.
All statistics and data provided by Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets Jersey History No. 6 – Zaid Abdulaziz (1972-73)
