Question: Which of the state’s three NBA teams is the oldest?
Answer: It’s complicated.
In 1967, the Houston Rockets were established as the San Diego Rockets, and the San Antonio Spurs were founded as the Dallas Chaparrals.
The Rockets, an NBA expansion team, were named through a local contest in recognition of San Diego’s contribution to the development of the Atlas missile system as the home of the Convair Division of General Dynamics. The team moved to Houston for the 1971-72 season.
The Spurs, a charter member of the American Basketball Association, were named after the Chaparral Club at the Sheraton Hotel in Dallas, where the group of owners had met to pick the team’s name. After years of poorly attended games, the team moved to San Antonio for the 1973-74 season and assumed their new name. They became a member of the NBA when the league merged with the ABA in 1976.
