Hakeem Olajuwon is the Houston Rockets franchise all-time leader in steals.
The Houston Rockets have made the playoffs 34 times in franchise history and have won two NBA titles. Let’s highlight their top five all-time steals leaders.
Olajuwon played in the NBA for 18 seasons, 17 of which came with the Rockets. He made 12 All-Star teams, was named Defensive Player of the Year twice and won the 1993-94 MVP award. After averaging 1.2 steals during his rookie season, Olajuwon averaged at least two steals in five of his next six seasons. Across 1,177 games with the franchise, Olajuwon averaged 1.8 steals.
Murphy was selected in the second round of the 1970 Draft by the then San Diego Rockets. In the 1973-74 season, Murphy averaged a career-high 1.9 steals. Across 1,002 games with the Rockets, Murphy averaged 1.5 steals.
Known more for his scoring prowess and passing abilities, Harden averaged at least 1.5 steals in eight of his nine seasons with the Rockets. Over 621 career games with the Rockets, Harden averaged 1.8 steals.
Leavell played his entire career for the Rockets, but most of his time was spent as a member of their second unit. That contributed to him averaging just 23 minutes per game for his career. Across 700 career games, Leavell averaged 1.3 steals. His career-high was in the 1982-83 season where he averaged 2.1 steals.
After briefly retiring for the 1982-83 season, Reid returned to play five more seasons for the Rockets. His best season on the defensive end was when he averaged two steals in 1980-81. That was part of a streak of three straight seasons in which he averaged at least 1.5 steals. Over 10 seasons with the Rockets, Reid averaged 1.2 steals.
