The 2002–03 NBA season was the Rockets' 36th season in the National Basketball Association, and 32nd season in the city of Houston. This was their final season playing at the Compaq Center. The Rockets won the Draft Lottery, where they selected 7'6" Chinese sensation Yao Ming with the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. In December, the Rockets acquired James Posey from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade, which sent Kenny Thomas to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Rockets got off to a 9–6 start, and played .500 basketball for the remainder of the season. With Yao teamed up with captain Steve Francis, they gelled their first season together, being named as starters for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. On January 17, 2003, Francis gained national media attention, scoring a career-high 44 points in a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets finished the season fifth in the Midwest Division with a 43–39 record without clinching a playoff spot, finishing just one game behind the 8th-seeded Phoenix Suns, although they improved on last season, where they won just 28 games. Yao averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Francis averaged 21.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while Cuttino Mobley provided the team with 17.5 points per game.