Hakeem Olajuwon sits at the top as Houston’s greatest single-season SPG leader.
The Houston Rockets have been home to several talented defenders known for picking pockets throughout their 59 years in the NBA. This article will dig into the greatest steals seasons in franchise history, from Hakeem Olajuwon to James Harden. Note that steals did not become an official NBA stat until the 1973-74 season.
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1989, 2.6 SPG
An all-time Houston list wouldn’t be complete without at least one entry from ‘The Dream’. In 1988-89, an age-26 Olajuwon appeared in all 82 games en route to stellar averages of 24.8 points, a league-leading 13.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.6 steals and 3.4 blocks a night. He compiled 68 double-doubles and swiped at least three steals in 40 outings, including 11 games with five or more thefts. Olajuwon’s 213 total steals that year are the most in Rockets franchise history for a single season, with the 2.6 spg representing a career-best figure. The seven-footer was awarded with an All-NBA First Team and All-Star selection, finishing second in the Defensive Player of the Year vote and fifth in the MVP race.
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1990, 2.1 SPG
A year later, Olajuwon appeared and started in all 82 contests for the second consecutive year, and the third time throughout his first six professional seasons. The Lagos, Nigeria native put up 24.3 points, a league-best 14.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 steals and a league and personal-best 4.6 blocks per game. The 1989-90 campaign marked the third straight in which Olajuwon averaged at least two steals and two blocks, earning him All-Defensive First Team, All-NBA Second Team, and All-Star nods in addition to another second-place DPOY finish. He’s the only player in NBA history to hit those steals and blocks numbers in multiple seasons, doing so on five separate occasions, while no other player has done it more than once.
Allen Leavell – 1983, 2.1 SPG
Leavell, the 104th overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Rockets, spent his entire 10-year career in Space City. In 1982-83, he posted career-best numbers across the board, tallying 14.8 points, 2.5 boards, 6.7 assists and 2.1 steals across 79 games (76 starts). His 165 total swipes in a single season rank third all-time in franchise history. Over the course of his ten seasons in Houston, Leavell averaged 9.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 4.8 apg and 1.3 spg in 700 contests between ‘79 and 1989.
Hakeem Olajuwon – 1988, 2.1 SPG
In 1987-88, Olajuwon averaged 22.8 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.7 blocks per game over 79 appearances. He recorded 59 double-doubles and one triple-double (points-boards-blocks), and had 28 outings where he collected three or more steals, including a career-high eight swipes in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Olajuwon spent 17 of his 18 seasons in the NBA with Houston, amassing averages of 22.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.8 spg and 3.2 bpg across 1,177 games from 1984 to 2001. The former first overall pick by the Rockets in 1984 helped the franchise win back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, the only two championships in their history, with Olajuwon being named Finals MVP each year.
James Harden – 2019, 2.0 SPG
Harden’s 2018-19 campaign in Houston was arguably one of his best individual runs in his 16-year career. Across 78 starts, ‘The Beard’ erupted for an NBA-best and career-high 36.1 points with 6.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and a personal-best 2.0 steals per game. Harden led the league in field goals made (10.8) and attempted (24.5), three-point attempts (13.2), and free throws made (9.7) and attempted (11.0). It was the fifth consecutive season, and sixth overall, that he paced the NBA in FT and FTA, and he was rewarded with All-Star and First Team All-NBA selections while finishing second in the MVP race. Harden spent nine years with the Rockets, from 2012-13 to 2020-21, where he posted averages of 29.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.7 apg and 1.8 spg over 621 total appearances.
