Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets players: who played for both

Who played for both the Pistons and Rockets?

47 players played for both the Detroit Pistons and the Houston Rockets between 1967–68 and 2025–26, including Tracy McGrady, Dennis Schröder, Boban Marjanović and Kelly Olynyk. 27 of them played for the Pistons first and 18 for the Rockets first; 2 played for both in the same season.

Did you know?

  • John Barnhill is the earliest on this list to complete the pair: Pistons first, then the Rockets from 1967–68.
  • Dennis Schröder is the most recent: Rockets first, then the Pistons from 2024–25.
  • Otis Thorpe played the most seasons across the two: 2 for the Pistons and 7 for the Rockets.
  • 5 of them had two or more separate spells with one of the teams, such as Chuck Nevitt.
  • Most common positions on this list: PF (16), PG (12), SG (10), C (6).

How many can you name?

Name players who played for both the Pistons and the Rockets. The surname is enough. 0 / 47

All 47 players, most seasons with the two first

Seasons with each franchise as calendar years (2003–2010 = 2003-04 to 2009-10) and the number of seasons. A gap of a season or more starts a new spell.
PlayerPosPistonsRockets
Otis ThorpePF/C1995–1997 (2 s)1988–1995 (7 s)
Tracy McGradySG/SF2010–11 (1 s)2004–2010 (6 s)
Kenny SmithPG1996–97 (1 s)1990–1996 (6 s)
Jimmy WalkerSG1967–1972 (5 s)1972–1974 (2 s)
Chuck NevittC1985–1988 (3 s)1982–83, 1988–1990 (3 s)
Stu LantzSG/PG1972–1974 (2 s)1968–1972 (4 s)
Kelvin CatoC2005–06 (1 s)1999–2004 (5 s)
Major JonesPF1984–85 (1 s)1979–1984 (5 s)
Otto MoorePF/C1968–1971, 1974–75 (4 s)1972–1974 (2 s)
Reggie BullockSF2015–2019 (4 s)2023–24 (1 s)
Charles Jones (1983–1998)PF/C1993–94 (1 s)1994–1998 (4 s)
Johnny EganPG1961–1964 (3 s)1970–1972 (2 s)
Jim DavisPF/C1971–1975 (4 s)1971–72 (1 s)
Boban MarjanovićC2016–2018 (2 s)2022–2024 (2 s)
Brandon KnightPG/SG2011–2013, 2019–20 (3 s)2018–19 (1 s)
Josh SmithPF/SF2013–2015 (2 s)2014–2016 (2 s)
Ish SmithPG2016–2019 (3 s)2010–11 (1 s)
Marcus Morris Sr.PF2015–2017 (2 s)2011–2013 (2 s)
Bob SuraSG/PG2003–04 (1 s)2004–2007 (3 s)
Jon BarrySG2001–2003 (2 s)2004–2006 (2 s)
Carlos DelfinoSF/SG2004–2007 (3 s)2012–13 (1 s)
Gerald HendersonPG1989–1992 (3 s)1991–92 (1 s)
Earl CuretonPF/C1983–1986 (3 s)1993–94 (1 s)
John ShumatePF/C1977–1980 (3 s)1979–80 (1 s)
Terry TeagleSG/SF1984–85 (1 s)1982–1984, 1992–93 (3 s)
Steve HarrisSG1988–89 (1 s)1985–1988 (3 s)
Christian WoodPF2019–20 (1 s)2020–2022 (2 s)
D. J. AugustinPG2014–15 (1 s)2020–2022 (2 s)
Mike James (2001–2014)PG2003–04 (1 s)2004–05, 2007–08 (2 s)
John Lucas IIIPG2014–15 (1 s)2005–2007 (2 s)
Tree RollinsC1990–91 (1 s)1991–1993 (2 s)
Paul MokeskiC1980–1982 (2 s)1979–80 (1 s)
Pete ChilcuttPF1993–94 (1 s)1994–1996 (2 s)
Khyri ThomasSG2018–2020 (2 s)2020–21 (1 s)
McCoy McLemorePF/C1968–1970 (2 s)1971–72 (1 s)
Dennis SchröderPG2024–25 (1 s)2021–22 (1 s)
Kelly OlynykC/PF2021–22 (1 s)2020–21 (1 s)
Avery BradleySG/PG2017–18 (1 s)2020–21 (1 s)
Lionel HollinsPG1983–84 (1 s)1984–85 (1 s)
James Ennis IIISF2017–18 (1 s)2018–19 (1 s)
Bill CurleyPF1994–95 (1 s)1999–00 (1 s)
David WoodPF1993–94 (1 s)1990–91 (1 s)
Ron BehagenPF/C1978–79 (1 s)1977–78 (1 s)
Jeff TaylorPG/SG1986–87 (1 s)1982–83 (1 s)
John BarnhillPG/SG1965–66 (1 s)1967–68 (1 s)
Lee JohnsonPF/C1980–81 (1 s)1980–81 (1 s)
Tracy MooreSG/SF1993–94 (1 s)1996–97 (1 s)

From English Wikipedia's player infoboxes (CC BY-SA 4.0), BAA/NBA seasons 1946–47 to 2025–26. A season counts when the player's infobox lists it for the franchise; ABA seasons do not count.Pistons seasons include the Fort Wayne Pistons (1948–1957).Rockets seasons include the San Diego Rockets (1967–1971).

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Questions

How many players have played for both the Detroit Pistons and the Houston Rockets?

47, from 1967–68 to 2025–26, including Tracy McGrady, Dennis Schröder, Boban Marjanović and Kelly Olynyk. A player counts when his Wikipedia infobox lists at least one NBA season with each franchise.

Who was the first player on this list to play for both?

John Barnhill: Detroit Pistons first, then the Houston Rockets from 1967–68.

Who has played for both recently?

Dennis Schröder, with a season for one of the two in 2024–25 or 2025–26.

Does a player count if the team has moved or changed its name?

Yes. Seasons count for today's franchise: every old name and city is linked to the club that carries its history today. Pistons seasons include the Fort Wayne Pistons (1948–1957). Rockets seasons include the San Diego Rockets (1967–1971).

Careers from English Wikipedia's player infoboxes (CC BY-SA 4.0); player ids from Wikidata (CC0). Team logos are trademarks of their respective teams; AllStar Grid is not affiliated with the NBA or any team. Logos via TheSportsDB. Credits