Famed Ex-Rockets Coach Mike D'Antoni to be Inducted in 2026 Hall of Fame Class

Much deserved.

Sep 8, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni reacts during the first half of game three in the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The 2016 offseason was a pivotal one for the Houston Rockets. The team was coming off a disappointing 2015-16 season that saw the franchise limp into the postseason as the eight seed with a 41-41 record.

The team fired their head coach, Kevin McHale just 11 games into that season, after he pioneered the team to the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors just six months earlier. The Rockets needed to get their next coaching hire correct, as James Harden's future hung in the balance.

The Rockets interviewed James Borrego, Stephen Silas, Adrian Griffin and Mike D'Antoni, with D'Antoni and Borrego landing multiple interviews. D'Antoni ultimately landed the job and became one of the most successful coaches in Rockets history.

In fact, D'Antoni is the winningest coach in the history of the franchise, to date. He went on to coach the team for four seasons and won 68.2 percent of his games in Houston.

The Rockets came eerily close to winning the title in his second season in 2017-18, falling short in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. D'Antoni would likely be the second coach in Rockets history to win a title if Chris Paul had not gotten hurt earlier in that exact Western Conference Finals series.

On Saturday, it was announced that D'Antoni will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as part of the 2026 class. Which is much deserved. 

The Hall of Fame committee released a statement regarding D'Antoni's induction. 

“An important figure in the evolution of modern basketball who elevated the game through his uptempo, space and pace philosophy that helped redefine offensive strategy... emphasizing ball movement, shooting, and efficiency and shaping the analytics-driven era of the sport — known as Seven Seconds or Less."

D'Antoni's coaching career started in 1997 and he ultimately roamed the sidelines as a head coach for 16 total seasons. D'Antoni won Coach of the Year twice, including in 2016-17, which was his first season as head coach of the Rockets. 

In his four seasons with the Rockets, the team finished with a top-four seed in the Western Conference in each season, finishing third overall in 2016-17, first in 2017-18, and fourth in each of his final two seasons at the helm. 

D'Antoni's 2017-18 Rockets team set a franchise record for wins, racking up 65 wins during the regular season. The Rockets were eliminated by the Warriors in the postseason in two consecutive postseason trips, in 2018 and 2019.