The 2016–17 Houston Rockets season was the 50th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and their 46th in the Houston area.
 On June 1, 2016, the Rockets named Mike D'Antoni as their new head coach.
 The Rockets retired the number 11 of former center Yao Ming in February 2017.
The 2014–15 Houston Rockets season was the 48th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the 44th in the Houston area.
 The Rockets finished the regular season with a 56–26 record, the third best in franchise history.
 They also won their first ever Southwest Division title and first Division crown since 1994.
 The Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 4–1 in the first round, advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2009.
 They beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games after trailing the series 1–3, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1997.
 They became just the ninth team in NBA history to come back from such a deficit – and currently the only franchise to do so twice.
 The Rockets' season ended with a 1–4 loss in the Western Conference Finals to the Golden State Warriors.
The 2011–12 Houston Rockets season was the 45th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the 41st based in Houston.
 The off-season saw team draft a pair of first round picks, forward Marcus Morris from Kansas was drafted 14th overall and Madrid sensation Nikola Mirotić was drafted 23rd overall.
 Forward and 3-point specialist Chandler Parsons from Florida was taken with the 38th pick in the second round.
 The season is most memorable when ex-Celtic Kevin McHale was hired to be their new head coach for the upcoming season.
 The Rockets finished with a mediocre 34–32 record without the playoffs.
The 2007–08 Houston Rockets season was their 41st season in the National Basketball Association and 37th in Houston.
 The Rockets won at least 50 games for the second straight season and made the playoffs also on the back of a 22-game winning streak, the fourth longest in the history of the NBA.
 The Houston Rockets came into the 2007–2008 playoffs without Yao Ming, who was still injured.
 This injury contributed to the Rockets' elimination by the Utah Jazz in the first round (2–4).
 The team brought back Steve Francis, but his return was short-lived as he was active for only 10 games, starting 3 of them.
 It would likely be his last season in the NBA.
Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player.
 He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season.
 He was a three-time NBA All-Star while playing for the Houston Rockets.
 Francis also played for the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, finishing his career with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
 He was known for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks.
 He was given the nickname "The Franchise"
The 2005-06 Houston Rockets season was the team's 39th in the NBA.
 They began the season hoping to improve upon their 51–31 output from the previous season.
 However, with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming missing 70 games due to injuries, they came up seventeen games shy of tying it, finishing 34–48, and failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
 This season was the only time the Rockets did not make the playoffs under Jeff Van Gundy.
 As Houston hosted the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, McGrady and Yao were the only team representatives.
The 2000–01 NBA season was the Rockets' 34th season in the National Basketball Association, and 30th season in the city of Houston.
 In an effort to shore up their front line, the Rockets signed free agent Maurice Taylor during the offseason.
 After the retirement of Charles Barkley, second-year star Steve Francis continued to emerge as the new star of the Rockets averaging 19.9 points per game.
 The Rockets got off to a 13–9 start to the season, but then went on a six-game losing streak afterwards.
 They would recover and play above .500 for the remainder of the season.
 However, the Rockets missed the playoffs despite finishing fifth in the Midwest Division with a winning record of 45–37, which was two games behind the 8th-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
 This season marked an end of an era as Hakeem Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors following the season.
 Also following the season, Shandon Anderson was traded to the New York Knicks.
The 2006–07 Houston Rockets season was the 40th season of the Houston Rockets franchise in the NBA.
 The team ended the regular season with a 52–30 record and a 3rd-place finish in the Southwest.
 The Rockets faced the Utah Jazz in the playoffs, losing the series in seven games.
The 2008–09 Houston Rockets season was the 42nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
 Despite a season-ending knee injury to Tracy McGrady, the Rockets breezed past the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, but could not defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.
 Dikembe Mutombo, who entered his 18th and final season, was injured in Game 2 of the first round and announced his retirement, ending his 18-year NBA career.
 Besides losing Mutombo, Yao Ming missed most of the second round due to a foot injury that required off-season surgery.
 Before the season, the team acquired Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace), who was known for his violent temper.
 Following the season, Artest signed as a free agent with the Lakers.
 The Rockets would not return to the postseason until 2013.
The 2013–14 Houston Rockets season was the 47th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the 43rd based in Houston.
 The season is best remembered for acquiring All-Star Dwight Howard from the Los Angeles Lakers.
 With Howard teamed up with team captain James Harden, they gelled their first season together, being named as starters for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game.
 With Howard now as co-captain, the Rockets improved on last season and finished with a 54–28 record, finishing 4th in the Western Conference.
 They met the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, but the presences of Howard and Harden were not enough as Houston fell in six games, thanks to a Damian Lillard series-clinching three pointer in Game 6.

Question: What is the nickname of the player who starred during the 2000–01 Houston Rockets season?
Answer: The Franchise