Where the Rockets' New Primary Uniforms Rank in Team History

The Houston Rockets will be looking different on the court next season. The organization went through a full rebrand last week where a new logo and three new uniforms were unveiled.

The move was widely appreciated and approved by Rockets fans as the familiar ketchup and mustard color scheme returned. That brought championship nostalgia as the team made all four NBA Finals appearances and the back-to-back titles during the time of those iconic uniforms.

The Rockets have had a variety of interesting and stand-out uniforms during their team history and it looks like they hit on the new jerseys for 2026 and beyond with the mix of classic and modern. Where does this new look rank in the 59-year history? These are the rankings of all the five primary designs that have been worn in Houston.

No. 1: The Original Ketchup and Mustard

Unknown Date; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Houston Rockets center #34 HAKEEM OLAJUWON in action against the Miami Heat at the Miami Arena during the 1994-95 season. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Imagn Images (c) Copyright Imagn Images | RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Nothing gets better than the classic, right? These uniforms were one of the more iconic ones in NBA history and completely synonymous with the Rockets given some of the all-time greats wore it, such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Ralph Sampson, Elvin Hayes, Robert Horry, Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, and Mario Elie.

It was introduced in 1971 and stayed until 1995. The red and yellow home uniform said Houston while the white and yellow road one said Rockets. The font of the away jersey was changed in 1972 to more of a red and white with a yellow outline.

No. 2: Modern and Classic Current Uniforms

Ketchup & Mustard, an iconic duo. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/21FqBxTjVL
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) June 6, 2026

Inspired by the classic, the Rockets made a couple of slight changes to make it suitable for the modern era. The font was made more futuristic while the "Houston" wording was put on the away uniforms and the "Rockets" on the home ones. The color scheme was kept mostly the same, but the Rockets added faint pinstripes to both while also having a nose cone on both shorts.

No. 3: Prime Harden, McGrady, Ming Era

Mar. 22, 2008; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Houston Rockets guard (1) Tracy McGrady against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This design was very recognizable and featured a complete change to the logo with the Rockets "R" being introduced. It featured stripes on the sides of the jersey and shorts with just red and white. The home uniforms also had some gray stripes.

Those stripes were reduced to just the sides in 2017 and stayed until the 2018-19 season. These definitely were special and had unique touches.

No. 4: The Modern, Clean Look

May 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) reacts after a made basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the third quarter of game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

These were the uniforms the Rockets just had before the new update. While it featured a different wordmark, these had to be the most basic of the lot. The stripes were completely removed and there was no Rockets "R" design on the front. Black was introduced as a permanent along the sides of the home jersey and shorts.

The words were slightly bolded out and the "R" was on the side of the shorts as well. These were solid, but nothing really special.

No. 5: Blue Pinstripes

This was the strangest uniforms decision the Rockets have made. Right after the back-to-back titles, they immediately changed the uniforms to a dark blue color jersey and shorts with pinstripes. The Rockets logo was changed to a Rocket with a shark mouth going around a basketball in reference to the Earth.

The wordmark was also changed with both home and away jerseys saying "Rockets" in front of the basketball. The away jerseys were white with blue pinstripes. The numbers were on the top left corner.

Add us as a preferred source on Google