The following season he was the NBA’s leading rebounder but despite the addition of guard Calvin Murphy and forward Rudy Tomjanovich, the Rockets did not become a contender and failed to win over fans in San Diego. Although he remains the only rookie in history to lead the League in scoring, he was not named Rookie of the Year as center Wes Unseld, from Baltimore, won the trophy. As a rookie he was the first in scoring (28.4 points per game) and fourth in rebounding (17.1 boards). And it did not take him long to make an impact in the NBA. 6-foot-9 Elvin Hayes twice took Houston University to the NCAA Final Four. It gave them the opportunity to draft a power forward who ended up in the Naismith Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. It was no surprise that the Rockets finished last in the League in their inaugural season with only 15 wins. To build the roster, the Rockets chose veteran players during an expansion draft and their first ever draft pick : Pat Riley from Kentucky, who was drafted that same year as a wide receiver by the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. The fans chose the name Rockets as San Diego used the theme "a city in motion" to boost its image as a first class city, and the Rockets' name lent itself to that effort. San Diego was awarded an expansion franchise as Robert Breitbard paid 1.75 million dollars to join the League. When the NBA looked to expand in 1967, they chose a Californian city with a growing population and a strong economy.
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