Honoring Rick Adelman’s legacy, a Hall of Fame visionary who defied injuries to lead the Rockets through a historic winning streak and an era of innovative basketball.
The NBA announced on Monday that former Houston Rockets head coach Rick Adelman passed away on June 1 at the age of 79. Alderman coached the Rockets for only four seasons. Even so, his time in Houston remains attached to some of the most memorable moments of the Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady era.
Houston went 193-135 under Adelman and famously strung together the 22-game winning streak during the 2007-08 season- a run that still ranks among the longest in NBA history and was the longest in Rockets history at the time.
A year later, the Rockets broke through with their first playoff series victory in more than a decade, eliminating the Portland Trail Blazers before taking the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers to seven games. That’s the part people remember, the other, however, is still hard to forget.
Those Rockets teams were absolutely riddled with injuries during his tenure. Every time the roster seemed ready to build momentum, another setback arrived. Yao and McGrady both missed substantial time, so the championship window was never really open.
Much to the league’s amazement, Adelman kept winning anyway.
His offensive style was years ahead of its time, built on creativity and trusting his players to make decisions. He worked to maximize the talent Houston had available, even when key pieces weren’t.
By the time his coaching career ended, Adelman had spent 23 seasons as an NBA head coach, won 1,042 regular-season games, and received basketbball’s highest honor with his Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 2021.
Across the league, he’ll be remembered as one of the most revered coaches of his generation. In Houston, he’ll be remembered for a team that never stopped competing and a chapter of Rockets basketball that still leaves fans wondering what could have happened with just a little better luck.
Rest in peace to Coach Adelman and condolences to his family, friends, peers, and mentees.
