The eyes of the NBA may be on the finals matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, but the Houston Rockets are already thinking about next season.
The team unveiled new uniforms that revive the signature red-and-yellow “ketchup and mustard” uniforms the team wore when it won back-to-back NBA Championships in 1994 and 1995. Take a first look at them in the photos above, or in this video the team posted to social media.
“From the time my family bought the team in 2017, we’ve heard from countless fans about how deeply those colors are tied to their memories of Rockets basketball,” said Patrick Fertitta, vice chairman of the Houston Rockets and Comets, in a statement. “We wanted to create something that celebrates the generations of fans who built Rockets basketball while inspiring the next generation of Rockets fans.”
While the return of “Championship Yellow” is new, the Rockets’ uniforms are still centered around the team’s signature “R” logo, which is featured prominently throughout. The “Dunkstronaut,” an astronaut dunking a basketball that was first introduced in the “City” uniforms, has been more fully integrated into the team’s branding. A new global logo takes inspiration from NASA mission patches, with two yellow quasars symbolizing the franchise’s move from San Diego to Houston in 1971.
Other details include a “Clutch City” jock tag that’s framed by the two quasars. Each pair of shorts has the “R” logo and the Dunkstronaut on the waistband.
In addition to the standard “Icon” and “Association” editions that will be the team’s standard home and away uniforms, a “Statement” jersey uses black fabric to symbolize the vastness of space, quasar-inspired pinstripes, and rockets rising along the side panels.
Initial reaction to the new has been overwhelmingly positive. Consider the take of writer Jeff Balke, who offered some thoughts in a column for the Houston Press.
“It’s interesting that there was a point Houston sports teams and residents wanted to do everything they could to distance themselves from what many thought was a rather embarrassing past,” he writes. “But, as an entire generation (yay, Gen X!) grew up in the city and embraced both the good and the bad, a real pride in our collective weirdness began to shape our collective identity. In terms of our city’s psyche, this feels like another step in the right direction.”
Speaking of nostalgia, the team leaned in with this promo video set at Rudy T’s, a fictional diner named for legendary Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich. Starring Houston comedian Mo Amer, the clip features cameos by Rockets legends such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson, Calvin Murphy, Rudy Tomjanovich, and many more.
Courtesy of Houston Rockets
Championship Yellow is once again part of the Rockets' uniforms.
