Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers players: who played for both

Who played for both the Rockets and Lakers?

57 players played for both the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers between 1967–68 and 2025–26, including Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard and Pat Riley. 33 of them played for the Rockets first and 22 for the Lakers first; 2 played for both in the same season.

Did you know?

  • Henry Finkel is the earliest on this list to complete the pair: Lakers first, then the Rockets from 1967–68.
  • Dorian Finney-Smith is the most recent: Lakers first, then the Rockets from 2025–26.
  • Robert Horry played the most seasons across the two: 4 for the Rockets and 7 for the Lakers.
  • 8 of them had two or more separate spells with one of the teams, such as Trevor Ariza.
  • Most common positions on this list: SG (13), PF (12), PG (12), SF (10).

How many can you name?

Name players who played for both the Rockets and the Lakers. The surname is enough. 0 / 57

All 57 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.
PlayerPosRocketsLakers
Robert HorryPF/SF1992–1996 (4 s)1996–2003 (7 s)
Pat RileySG1967–1970 (3 s)1970–1976 (6 s)
Trevor ArizaSF2009–10, 2014–2018 (5 s)2007–2009, 2021–22 (3 s)
Metta Sandiford-ArtestSF2008–09 (1 s)2009–2013, 2015–2017 (6 s)
Jordan HillC/PF2009–2012 (3 s)2011–2015 (4 s)
Stu LantzSG/PG1968–1972 (4 s)1974–1977 (3 s)
Brian CookPF/C2008–2010 (2 s)2003–2008 (5 s)
Dwight HowardC2013–2016 (3 s)2012–13, 2019–20, 2021–22 (3 s)
Patrick BeverleyPG2012–2017 (5 s)2022–23 (1 s)
Sedale ThreattPG1996–97 (1 s)1991–1996 (5 s)
Cliff MeelyPF1971–1976 (5 s)1975–76 (1 s)
Corey BrewerSF2014–2017 (3 s)2016–2018 (2 s)
Chuck NevittC1982–83, 1988–1990 (3 s)1984–1986 (2 s)
Tarik BlackC2014–15, 2017–18 (2 s)2014–2017 (3 s)
John BlockPF/C1967–1971 (4 s)1966–67 (1 s)
Anthony MillerPF1998–2001 (3 s)1994–1996 (2 s)
Terry TeagleSG/SF1982–1984, 1992–93 (3 s)1990–1992 (2 s)
Dwight JonesPF/C1976–1980 (4 s)1982–83 (1 s)
John Q. TrappPF1968–1971 (3 s)1971–1973 (2 s)
Glen RiceSF2001–2003 (2 s)1998–2000 (2 s)
Tyronn LuePG2004–05 (1 s)1998–2001 (3 s)
Christian WoodPF2020–2022 (2 s)2023–2025 (2 s)
David NwabaSG/SF2019–2022 (3 s)2016–17 (1 s)
Johnny EganPG1970–1972 (2 s)1968–1970 (2 s)
Larry SpriggsSF1981–82 (1 s)1983–1986 (3 s)
Calvin GarrettSF1980–1983 (3 s)1983–84 (1 s)
Russell WestbrookPG2019–20 (1 s)2021–2023 (2 s)
Dennis SchröderPG2021–22 (1 s)2020–21, 2022–23 (2 s)
Jeremy LinPG/SG2012–2014 (2 s)2014–15 (1 s)
Lou WilliamsPG/SG2016–17 (1 s)2015–2017 (2 s)
Montrezl HarrellC/PF2015–2017 (2 s)2020–21 (1 s)
Ben McLemoreSG2019–2021 (2 s)2020–21 (1 s)
Avery BradleySG/PG2020–21 (1 s)2019–20, 2021–22 (2 s)
Jim JacksonSG/SF2003–2005 (2 s)2005–06 (1 s)
D. J. AugustinPG2020–2022 (2 s)2021–22 (1 s)
Jon BarrySG2004–2006 (2 s)1997–98 (1 s)
Josh PowellPF/C2013–14 (1 s)2008–2010 (2 s)
Tyler EnnisPG2016–17 (1 s)2016–2018 (2 s)
Chucky BrownPF/SF1994–1996 (2 s)1991–92 (1 s)
Andrew GoudelockSG2015–16 (1 s)2011–2013 (2 s)
Henry FinkelC1967–1969 (2 s)1966–67 (1 s)
C. J. KupecC/PF1977–78 (1 s)1975–1977 (2 s)
Carmelo AnthonySF/PF2018–19 (1 s)2021–22 (1 s)
Michael BeasleyPF/SF2015–16 (1 s)2018–19 (1 s)
Tyson ChandlerC2019–20 (1 s)2018–19 (1 s)
Dorian Finney-SmithPF/SF2025–26 (1 s)2024–25 (1 s)
Troy DanielsSG2013–14 (1 s)2019–20 (1 s)
Thomas RobinsonC/PF2012–13 (1 s)2016–17 (1 s)
Sterling BrownSF/SG2020–21 (1 s)2022–23 (1 s)
Reggie BullockSF2023–24 (1 s)2018–19 (1 s)
Tracy MurraySF1995–96 (1 s)2002–03 (1 s)
Mason JonesSG2020–21 (1 s)2021–22 (1 s)
Scott MachadoPG2012–13 (1 s)2018–19 (1 s)
Lester ConnerSG1987–88 (1 s)1994–95 (1 s)
Jawann OldhamC1981–82 (1 s)1989–90 (1 s)
Tony BrownSG/SF1988–89 (1 s)1990–91 (1 s)
Tierre BrownPG/SG2001–02 (1 s)2004–05 (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.Rockets seasons include the San Diego Rockets (1967–1971).Lakers seasons include the Minneapolis Lakers (1948–1960).

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Questions

How many players have played for both the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers?

57, from 1967–68 to 2025–26, including Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard and Pat Riley. 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?

Henry Finkel: Los Angeles Lakers first, then the Houston Rockets from 1967–68.

Who has played for both recently?

Christian Wood and Dorian Finney-Smith, 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. Rockets seasons include the San Diego Rockets (1967–1971). Lakers seasons include the Minneapolis Lakers (1948–1960).

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