What was the major influence that caused you to become a Rockets' fan?

Yeah Drexler was my favorite player too even before he was on the Rockets. But I followed them before they got Clyde too so take your pick.

 

Without Yao I would still be a spurs fan because I used to live in Austin. Now I am a rockets fan, and spend certain money on them, why would I become a rockets fan without Yao in the team? I do not know.

 

Other reasons.

When I was a kid I had trouble sleeping and my parents would allow me to listen to the radio to fall asleep. Since my dad is a preacher he preferred that I didn't listen to the music of the day so I listened to the Rockets and Astros.

Great Thread.

 

I started liking the Rockets when a local television station in my country aired a Rockets game where they were playing against the Knicks. Later on it grew in me and now, I am a full time Rockets fanatic!! During that time, I loved to watch T-Mac and Sura kick some a** back then and now I am loving the whole team!

Go Rockets and aim for the ring this season! And my regards to all thousands of fans here, enjoy this season!

 

Chuck is the reason I started watching the Rockets. Being in Oklahoma and a big NBA fan without a team, I chose to follow the Suns and Chuck at about the age of 10. At 11, he's traded to the Rockets and I had no choice but to follow him. So, I started out a BOF but am now a hardcore Rockets fan before any player allegiances. However, this site is what really perpetuated me into uber-fandom.

 

I like the game of the giants! Being huge myself and a wife (Mrs Yetti) who is even taller than all of the players, even taller than me ! We were drawn to them because they all wore short shorts and sometimes reminded us of our children Moses and Ralph Yetti and the runt of our litter Calvin Yetti. When our first daughter Cynthia Yetti came along we also got interested in the Comets

 

My dad's a preacher too, AB!

He was a big influence on my Rocket fandom. Growing up in Cowboys country, I can guarantee you I was the only kid in middle school with an Oilers Starter jacket! And even THEN it got stolen. But my dad went to UH when Elvin was there, and I was raised a Houston sports fan. I cried when Nolan Ryan left the Astros, even as all my friends were cheering him going to the Rangers. I hate Dallas.

Anyways, we ended up moving to the Houston area just as the Rockets were in the playoffs in 94. Literally, my first memory of the Houston Chronicle is "Choke City." Well, I ended up watching the rest of the playoffs and it turned out pretty nicely.

After Stockton's shot, I quit on the Rockets for a while. I was in high school, and at the time, WWF of all things became the "sport" that I followed religiously. The Francis/Mobely show never interested me. It wasn't until I heard that the Rockets had sucked their way into the No. 1 pick and that they were going to be getting that giant Chinese guy on the cover of Sports Illustrated that I got intrigued again.

Much like the OP, I HAD to see how this freak was going to do in the NBA. Well, Yao quickly became my favorite player of all time and I found this site called ClutchCity.net and I'm still addicted to this day.

 

i was a kid when the rockets won their championships, but i never really got into them during that time.

i really started watching the nba when the pistons won the nba championship against the lakers a few years back. when the next season started, i watched the rockets since they were the only team i could watch, but i just got more and more into it.

now i'm a die hard fan.

 

Quite possibly, one of the most disturbing posts ever.

 

Other: Because of the acquision of Shane Battier!

BattiersBaby.

 

T-Mac.

I've always been a T-Mac fan. When he was traded to Houston, I stumbled across Clutchfans while googling NBA team forums. The team has grown on me, and I actually give a crap about the team (couldn't say that about the Magic). I especially enjoying reading about Daryl Morey.

 

Mine is actually a combination of several answers.

1. I am from Houston.
2. They were the first team I ever watched.
3. Hakeem Olajuwon.

My father is a huge sports fan and he always took me to Astros, Oilers and Rockets games growing up. I'm not much of a sports person though and baseball and football never really interested me. However, the first time I went to a Rockets game I was 8 years old. I asked my dad, "Who is good?". He answered by pointing at Hakeem. He did not lie.

I feel like had I grown up in any other NBA city (with the possible exception of Chicago), I probably wouldn't be a basketball fan today, much less a Rockets fan. But getting to watch Hakeem play in person several times a year through my childhood... Well, I liken it to growing up attending Beethoven concerts several times a year. Seeing a one of a kind talent like that live and in person on a regular basis, well, it's life changing.

Anyway, I loved watching Hakeem play enough that I stuck around long enough to grow to love basketball as a whole and become the fanatical Rockets fan that I am today.

 

I was a kid when the Rockets moved to town. I saw the Astros first, but the Rockets were the second pro sporting event I went to... and I loved basketball and never really liked baseball that much.

The early years were great... my dad, being from Louisiana, loved Maravich and we would always go whenever he was in town... even when he was busted up and had no knees left. Eventually, my dad (divorced) moved to some apartments next to the Summit. Whenever I visited, he'd give me some cash and I'd walk down the street and watch the Rockets (or Aeros). (Somehow, I don't think many 6th graders would be allowed to do this anymore.)

Malone was the first player I tried to emulate and because of him, I am a man on the boards. I was a huge fan of PSJ... knew the Bunce brothers, saw Clyde play in HS... and was crushed when they lost.

When Dream came to the Rockets it took it to a whole other level. During the Champ years, I was living in GA but every morning of a playoff game, I would grab the ball and take a free throw before jumping in the car and going to work. If it went in, I felt like I had just given the Rocks good luck and the game would be won. Thankfully, I made more than I missed.

They've been my team since I was a kid... and for all you youngsters, you realize you're getting old when you look around and nobody from your generation is left in pro sports. Dream's move to Toronto and subsequent retirement was particularly hard to take.

(I took an English class with the Rocket at UT one summer, but now that he's probably done, that's it.)

 

followed aussie rules football and cricket, and came to the u.s in 2000 with no sport to follow. That was probably one of the most concerning things for me when I knew I was coming. Followed the NBA but didn't have a "team" until Yao got drafted. Huge rockets fan now. HUGE. I let everyone around here know about it, too.

 

Back aroung 93' when i was like 7 my dad always had the games on and i would just sit there and ask him who was who and got really interested then the first rocket player i loved was vernon maxwell... then from there we had the glory years and i've just loved them ever since... i was actually a lurker on this site for a couple years before i registered i had to get and email that didnt have spam... it was a glorious day when i was able to share my opinion with other rocket fans and have them know exactly what i'm talkin bout....

so yeah... thats my story

 

I was born and raised in houston, so it seemed only natural for them to become my favorite team

 

This is a cleverly disguised YOF outing thread.

 

I saw Franchise in a preseason game against the Sonics and thats all it took.

 

I was born and raised in houston and I just bleed Rockets Red.


However if you want a particular event............


Mad Maxx.

is that an event

 

A great post.

Yao Ming brought me here.