Elvin Hayes (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Fans of the Houston Rockets know names like Hakeem Olajuwon and James Harden, but they had Hall of Fame talent since the earliest days with Elvin Hayes.
Elvin Hayes is the first player the Houston Rockets had that eventually made the Hall of Fame as a player. Funny enough, Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley started his playing career on the first Rockets team ever assembled in 1967, but obviously, his induction was as a coach, not a player.
Perhaps one of the reasons Hayes is overlooked as a Rockets great is that three out of his initial four years as a Rocket saw him playing for San Diego instead of Houston, as the team did not move to H-Town until 1971.