Have you ever asked how many NBA teams are in Texas? If you live in the area or are interested in sports teams from the area, we understand that it is good to have information about the NBA teams there.
Today, this article is going to review, in great detail, the teams that are in Texas. Luckily for you, there are quite a few of them, so we have lots of information to provide.
Which NBA Teams are in Texas?
Which NBA Teams are in Texas?Texas is the state with the second-largest amount of NBA teams behind California. California leads the league in the number of teams owned with four. There are three NBA basketball teams in Texas. The Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks, and the San Antonio Spurs all call Texas home.
The Houston Rockets was founded in 1967. At that time, the name of the team was the San Diego Rockets. The Rockets played basketball in San Diego from 1967 up to 1971. In 1971 the Rockets switched cities and relocated to Houston.
Some notable players that played for the Rockets after they moved to Houston are Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Dwight Howard, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.
The Houston Rockets have been fortunate enough to win the two NBA championships since its Inception. They won titles in 1994 and 1995. The Houston Rockets currently play in the Toyota Center and is coached by Mike D’Antoni. The general manager of the team is Daryl Morey.
The Dallas Mavericks is one of the youngest teams in the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks team was founded in 1980 in Dallas, Texas. Since its Inception, the Mavericks have won two conference titles and one championship in 2011.
Some of the most notable players to have played in a Mavericks uniform are Jason Kidd, Dennis Rodman, Steve Nash, Alex English, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and their current superstars, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Mavericks fans expect a bright future as this current roster is filled with young, impressive talent that can be legit contenders in as early as next season.
The Dallas Mavericks is owned by Mark Cuban and coached by Rick Carlisle. The team plays its home games at The American Airlines Center.
The San Antonio Spurs was founded in 1967 as the Dallas Chaparrals. The team played in the ABA at that time. The team’s name was changed in 1973 after the team was leased and moved to San Antonio. The San Antonio Spurs have won 5 championships since 1999, and it boasts the NBA’s highest win percentage.
Their most notable championship win came in 2014 when it defeated the Miami Heat LeBron James led super team. The Spurs won the finals four games to one. Some famous players that played for the Spurs after the move to San Antonio are George Gervin, Moses Malone, Dominique Wilkins, Artis Gilmore, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Kawhi Leonard.
The Spurs currently play their home games at the AT&T Center and are coached by the legendary Gregg Popovich. Spurs Sports & Entertainment presently owns the San Antonio Spurs.
Why Does Texas Have 3 NBA Teams?
Why Does Texas Have 3 NBA Teams?
Some key factors are considered before cities are allowed to have major league sports teams. A massive fan base is essential to maintain an NBA team. Arenas are also vital, but these are more easily built nowadays than in the past. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why there are three teams from the NBA in Texas.
Large local population
The population of a city plays a significant role in determining whether or not it can host a major league sports team. Basketball teams take a lot of money to run, so they must have a large fan base that can support them. The three basketball cities in Texas all have large fan bases, so they have plenty of local fan support.
- Houston has a population of over 2.3 mil people, placing it in the top half of the highest populated NBA cities.
Not only does Houston have a very high population count, but the fan base from this population is extremely strong and vibrant. The Houston Rockets constantly have superstars on their roster, and this always rally fans behind the team. - Dallas has a population count of over 1.3 million, and this also places the team in the top half of the NBA’s most populated cities. This large population does well for the finances of the Dallas team. Over the years, the Dallas Mavericks have always had great international players on their roster, so they garner support from their large local fan base and also from a broad global audience.
- San Antonio’s population is slightly higher than that of the Dallas Mavericks, but this is good enough to put them in the top 10 most populated cities in the NBA. We cannot stress enough how important it is to have a significant local fan base, and having a large city definitely helps with this. Having a large amount of local supportive fans to pack your arena every game can definitely help a team not only in its finances but also on the court.
Proximity to Other Cities Without Teams
If teams can get the support of fans outside of their cities on a large scale, they can count on even more money for their coffers. It so happens that the state of Texas has a lot of other major cities that are not represented in the NBA.
What this means is that basketball fans from the cities of Austin, Forth Worth and Lubbock are all in proximity to Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. If these fans want to cheer for and support a local team, these are the closest options available to them.
These cities are also fairly large, so these NBA teams are quite lucky to have an abundance of fans available to them from these cities. Those aren’t the only cities in Texas that support these NBA teams. There are also smaller cities such as Corpus Christi and Abilene.
What is the Best NBA Team in Texas?
What is the Best NBA Team in Texas?
There are quite a few different ways that this question can be answered. But the funny thing is, the answers will be different depending on the fan base you ask, however, there are valid reasons why all of the different answers you could receive to that question would be correct.
If we were to ask a Dallas Mavericks fan, what is the best NBA team in Texas, we are relatively sure that the answer would be Dallas. But how do you justify this answer? The Dallas Mavericks is the NBA team in Texas with the least amount of championships at 1. They only managed one championship in their entire history in 2011.
A Mavericks fan would justify their answer by saying that the Dallas Mavericks have the best team that is built for the future. Dallas Mavericks has a team that can potentially be a contender as early as next season and for the foreseeable future as well.
They have a lot of incredible young talent that is being led by Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The backup cast is not bad either. The roster has exceptionally talented youth like Maxi Kleber, Seth Curry, Dwight Powell, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Jalen Brunson. Under proper guidance, this is definitely a team that can put together a great challenge for the championship in the near future.
Now, if you were to ask a Rockets fan, which team is the best basketball team in Texas, they would tell you without a doubt in their minds that the Houston Rockets has the best team. What do they have to back up this answer?
Well, currently out of all the teams in Texas, the Houston Rockets has the best record. The Rockets are at 6th in the Western Conference closely followed by the Mavericks at 7th. The Rockets also has the second most championships of all the teams in Texas at two. They won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995 lead by Hakeem Olajuwon.
What do you think the answer will be if you post the very same question to a San Antonio Spurs fan? Surely, without a doubt, their response is going to be the San Antonio Spurs. If you were to ask them how is the San Antonio Spurs the best team in Texas, if they are not even in the playoff race at this time, their response would be along the lines of “The race is not yet over.”
The San Antonio Spurs always manage to find a way to win. They just do. Gregg Popovich has instilled this winning culture into the San Antonio franchise to the point where you can never count this team out.
The San Antonio Spurs do have the most championships in Texas with five. That should definitely count for something as it more than doubles Houston’s count at two. What do you think which NBA team is the best team in Texas?
Wrapping Things Up: How Many NBA Teams are in Texas?
The Mavs, Rockets, and Spurs all call Texas home. These teams are blessed with exceptionally talented teams and very supportive fan bases. This state has a combined championship total of 8, good enough for third in the NBA.
Did you find this article helpful? Then you may also like our other frequently answered questions on basketball here.
