The Houston Rockets have had players donning a total of 52 different jersey numbers (and have one not part of any numerical series for Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson) since their founding at the start of the 1967-68 season, worn by just under 500 players in the course of Rockets history.
To honor all of the players who wore those numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who wore them since the founding of the team all those years ago right up to the present day.
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With seven of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets of all time to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.
Dec 16, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Rockets Rudy Tomjanovich jersey hangs from the rafters as the Rockets play against the New York Knicks in the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
And for today’s article, we will continue with the first of 15 players who wore the No. 6, big man alum Zaid Abdul-Aziz. After ending his college career at Iowa State, Abdul-Aziz was picked up with the fifth overall selection of the 1968 NBA Draft by the (then) Cincinnati Royals (now, Sacramento Kings).
The Brooklyn, New York native played the first 20 games of his pro career with the Royals. He also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Seattle SuperSonics before he was dealt to Houston. His first stint with the team lasted until he was cut in 1975, then played for Seattle again, the (then) Buffalo Braves (now, Boston Celtics – it’s a long story), and the Boston Celtics before he signed with Houston once more for the final season of his NBA career in 1978.
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During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Abdul-Aziz wore jersey Nos. 6, 27, and 35 and put up 9.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets jersey history No. 6 – Zaid Abdul-Aziz (1972-73)

