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 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith 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 SportsAnd for today's article, we will continue with the second of 18 players who wore the No. 2, forward alum James Bailey. After ending his college career at Rutgers, Bailey was picked up with the sixth overall selection of the 1979 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
The Dublin, Georgia native played parts of the first three seasons of his pro career with Seattle, and also played for the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets before he was dealt to Houston in 1982. His stay with the team would span parts of two seasons before he'd be dealt again, this time to the New York Knicks.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDuring his time suiting up for the Rockets, Bailey wore only jersey No. 2 and put up 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets jersey history No. 2 - James Bailey (1982-84)
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