Tilman Fertitta Articles - Page 2

There’s plenty of uncertainty in the Houston Rockets’ camp following the departure of head coach Mike D’Antoni. But one thing that’s sure is owner Tilman Fertitta’s trust in general manager Daryl Morey.   There was some speculation that Morey might join D’Antoni out the door, but that won’t be the case. Fertitta has already tasked the […]

Mike D’Antoni and the Houston Rockets parted ways on Sunday after four seasons, a few playoff heartbreaks, small-ball experiments, and a 217-102 regular-season record. Yet, D’Antoni failed to reach an NBA Finals, and the veteran coach decided to move on after a five-game Western Conference semifinals defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers in the bubble. […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has released an official statement after Mike D’Antoni informed the team he would not return as head coach next season. Fertitta thanked D’Antoni for his achievements as Rockets head coach and wished him the best in future endeavors: “I would like to thank Mike D’Antoni and his wife, Laurel, for […]

The Houston Rockets put themselves on the verge of elimination after coming out flat in Game 4, showing very little fight despite trailing 2-1 in the series. While a fake fourth-quarter rally gave the Rockets a more “respectable” 10-point loss, the effort through the first three quarters was truly damning. Now staring elimination in the […]

The NBA could be lending Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta a friendly hand in the upcoming months. The league revealed it will partner with renowned chef Shawn Loving as part of an initiative to provide different meals for their players and staff. Loving has been the team chef for USA Basketball at the Olympics and […]

The Houston Rockets brass has been in trouble for speaking out on social issues before, particularly when GM Daryl Morey expressed support to Hong Kong protesters last year. Still, team owner Tilman Fertitta claims that the Rockets will not remain silent amid the country-wide protests following the unjust killing of George Floyd. Appearing on CNBC’s […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta met with restaurant-industry executives on Monday, asking President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “add a category” to the Paycheck Protection Program to account for “larger private restaurateurs” and to “do something with lease terminations.” Those pledges were taken into consideration, but not before Trump continually interrupted Fertitta’s […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta fielded questions about his franchise and the NBA’s potential return from an unlikely source on Monday: President Donald Trump. During a meeting at the White House about the restaurant industry, Trump brought up Houston’s continued employment of general manager Daryl Morey after his tweet supporting the Hong Kong anti-government protests […]

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is doing whatever he can to make sure his players have proper training facilities in the time of COVID-19. Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told his son, Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers, the players and coaching staff were given Peloton bikes and weights, among other types of workout equipment. The […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has made his share of dubious decisions since purchasing the team from former owner Leslie Alexander. Furthermore, Fertitta’s restaurant empire has seen its share of troubles during this coronavirus pandemic, as the magnate has furloughed a bevy of his employees to keep the business alive. Some have suggested he should […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta recently furloughed 40,000 of his employees at his casino, hotel and restaurant empire to ease the economic impact the government-mandated shutdown would have in his businesses. The entrepreneur recently drew criticism from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, a Rockets beat writer, who noted Fertitta was unwilling to sell part of the team […]

The Houston Rockets have worked their way up to become one of the best teams in the NBA over the last decade. Certainly, there are a lot of factors that go with winning a title. One of which is having the right ownership. For the Rockets, they are working with a relatively new owner in […]

The 2019-20 NBA campaign has been suspended until further notice due to fear over the coronavirus, which has further exacerbated financial hits that some executives had already been taking, via Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Take Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, for example. Fertitta and the Rockets’ organization already experienced quite a dip earlier this season […]

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta finally spoke up regarding the team’s unsuccessful protest made earlier this season over an uncounted James Harden dunk. According to Kirk Bohls of Statesman, Fertitta admitted that he wasn’t keen to file the protest because of a blown 22-point lead. He added that it was his “basketball people” that pushed for filing, […]

A Texas woman was charged with fraudulent use of identifying information and using a false statement to obtain a credit card after she attempted to use Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta’s social security number to open a new line of credit, per Ben Pickman of Sports Illustrated. 27-year-old Stephanie Hunter allegedly used Fertitta’s name, social […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta admits the Rockets were scared of the Golden State Warriors the past few seasons. The Rockets never defeated the Warriors during the playoffs when the Dubs were title contenders. Fertitta says this year’s Houston club doesn’t fear anyone in the Western Conference: “None of us fear L.A. (the Lakers) or […]

The recent tension surrounding Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey comes to no surprise to a few NBA executives, who believed the longtime executive would have a tough time holding on to his job — even before the pro-Hong Kong tweet debacle with China took place. According to ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz, the”shotgun marriage” between Morey […]

Despite Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta’s last-ditch attempt to calm the waters, with reports coming out saying there will be no discipline for general manager Daryl Morey after the furor stemming from his Hong Kong tweet, his Instagram feed says he might be thinking otherwise. The Athletic’s Alykhan Bijani took note of the owner “liking” […]

The Houston Rockets had a successful offseason. General manager Daryl Morey executed a massive blockbuster deal to bring Russell Westbrook to town to pair with former teammate James Harden while also retaining most of the team’s core pieces from the last couple years. However, recent developments are now threatening Morey’s job security. After a scandal […]

The Chinese Basketball Association has officially suspended cooperation with the Houston Rockets in the wake of Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet that supported protestors in Hong Kong (via ESPN): The Chinese Basketball Association said Sunday on its Twitter-like Weibo account that Daryl Morey had made “improper remarks regarding Hong Kong” to which it expressed […]

The Houston Rockets are in Tokyo to play exhibition games against the Toronto Raptors in front of their adoring Japanese fans. However, the team is facing controversy after general manager Daryl Morey made a political statement. Earlier this week, he tweeted an image supporting the Hong Kong protesters. However, team owner Tilman Fertitta released a […]

The Houston Rockets were once again at the forefront of news regarding trailblazing moves after crafting an innovative contract for center Nene Hilario. However, the NBA has punished them for their creativity. Both the league and the NBA Players Association (NBPA) had a curious case on their hands when the Rockets crafted the deal. Nene […]

Tilman Fertitta never fails to defend James Harden. The Houston Rockets owner supported his team’s superstar’s recent comments about media bias causing him to finish runner-up in MVP voting to Giannis Antetokounmpo last season, and in general goes out of his way to lavish praise on Harden at every opportunity possible. It makes sense, too. […]

Last month, James Harden made headlines by suggesting the “media narrative” surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo cost him a second consecutive MVP award. That’s not such an incendiary take all by itself. Indeed, media coverage of the league influences public perception, and a select number of media members help decide which players win postseason awards. But Harden’s […]

Joe Tsai was officially approved as controlling owner of the Brooklyn Nets this week. The Nets are expected to be one of the best teams in the NBA for the next four years after signing All-Stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre to four years deals this summer. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta met Joe […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta says point guard Russell Westbrook is one of the greatest transitional players of all time. Westbrook is one of the most athletic players in the game. He’s a blur in the open court, impossible to stay in front of and can get to the rim at will while finishing in […]

Carmelo Anthony’s stint with the Houston Rockets was a surprisingly short one that left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. However, according to the team owner Tilman Fertitta, he was surprised that Melo was cut from the team. In an interview with SNY’s Ian Begley, Fertitta revealed he was taken aback by the decision of […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta says nothing has come to his desk in terms of a contract extension for power forward PJ Tucker. Tucker said last month he wants an extension with the Rockets. The swingman will make $8.3 million in 2019-20. Tucker signed a four-year, $31.9 million deal with the Rockets in the summer […]

Tilman Fertitta had some interesting things to say about the defensive play of Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden during Tuesday’s episode of “First Take.” Critics have chastised The Beard’s defensive prowess in the past. Fertitta, however, believes the former No. 3 overall pick is better than anyone in the NBA on that end of the […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta took a massive leap of faith signing Eric Gordon, who despite struggling with his shooting last season took massive steps defensively during the playoffs. Fertitta explained that his desire to keep Gordon, much like the Rockets kept Clint Capela over a five-year contract, was to make the most of this […]

The reported back-and-forth between Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni and owner Tilman Fertitta over contractual matters heading into the last year of his deal left a sour taste for those fond of the longtime coach, as his record in Clutch City is terrific. Fertitta, who reportedly initially offered D’Antoni an incentive-based “prove-it” extension, is […]

The Houston Rockets have finally freed themselves from their obsession with beating the Golden State Warriors, now that the Dubs have undergone a roster overhaul in the wake of Kevin Durant’s departure. However, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta believes it is perhaps even more worrisome to have a wide-open Western Conference to watch out for: “I […]

Despite a relatively quiet free agency, the Houston Rockets made a splash by trading point guard Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook, a move owner Tilman Fertitta insists has to do with an opportunity to upgrade their roster rather than the reported rift that swarmed the franchise shortly after a playoff exit at the hands of […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta expects head coach Mike D’Antoni to be in Houston “for a long time.” D’Antoni is entering the final year of his contract in 2019-20. Via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports: Mike D’Antoni returns in his fourth season as the Rockets’ coach. He’s stepping into the final year of his contract […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta admits the Rockets needed Russell Westbrook’s “athleticism.” Fertitta says he was never concerned about bringing in another ball-dominant guard to pair with star James Harden. “No, because I can remember watching Russell Westbrook against us a couple of times last year and I saw how he ran up and down […]

For the past few seasons, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and general manager Daryl Morey have openly talked about how they want to beat the Golden State Warriors. It never happened, though, as the Rockets have lost to the Warriors in the last two postseasons and three out of their last four playoff trips. Next […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta thinks veteran point guard Chris Paul is “gonna surprise people with how good he is” on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fertitta and the Rockets traded Paul to the Thunder this summer in the blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade. “I think this is gonna be a great fit for Chris in Oklahoma […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta believes the team’s chemistry is “going to be great” with James Harden and Russell Westbrook leading the charge. Harden and Westbrook played together on the Oklahoma City Thunder and have been close friends for years. The Rockets held a mini camp at UCLA last month and will hold another one […]

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta believes the Rockets won’t win a title “in the next 10 years” if they don’t win one “in the next three or four years.” Fertitta wants the Rockets to seize the opportunity which is in front of them. Houston acquired former MVP Russell Westbrook this summer, signed center Tyson Chandler […]