Players who played for the Cavaliers and the Rockets

22 players · NBA since 1996/97

22 players have played for both the Cavaliers and the Rockets in the NBA since 1996/97. 10 played for the Cavaliers first and 12 for the Rockets first. The longest-serving played 762 games across both; the top scorer got 21,860 points; the first move came in 2002/03, the most recent in 2025/26.

Can you name all 22?

0/220:00

  1.  Cavaliers 56 · Rockets 706
  2.  Cavaliers 254 · Rockets 68
  3.  Cavaliers 100 · Rockets 175
  4.  Cavaliers 240 · Rockets 28
  5.  Cavaliers 50 · Rockets 146
  6.  Cavaliers 108 · Rockets 71
  7.  Cavaliers 34 · Rockets 132
  8.  Cavaliers 82 · Rockets 80
  9.  Cavaliers 39 · Rockets 109
  10.  Cavaliers 108 · Rockets 20
  11.  Cavaliers 51 · Rockets 76
  12.  Cavaliers 9 · Rockets 84
  13.  Cavaliers 21 · Rockets 71
  14.  Cavaliers 16 · Rockets 53
  15.  Cavaliers 47 · Rockets 15
  16.  Cavaliers 30 · Rockets 28
  17.  Cavaliers 43 · Rockets 12
  18.  Cavaliers 15 · Rockets 40
  19.  Cavaliers 42 · Rockets 8
  20.  Cavaliers 27 · Rockets 16
  21.  Cavaliers 28 · Rockets 4
  22.  Cavaliers 12 · Rockets 4

Who stands out

Spoilers

James Harden has the most games for the two combined: 56 for the Cavaliers and 706 for the Rockets. James Harden scored the most points across both: 1,079 for the Cavaliers and 20,781 for the Rockets.

In our data, Tierre Brown was the first to have played for both (his first game for the Cavaliers came in 2002/03). The most recent player to play for both is James Harden, who first played for the Cavaliers in 2025/26.

Show all 22 players

Spoilers
Every player who played for the Cavaliers and the Rockets (NBA since 1996/97): games and points at each, seasons, and which team came first.
PlayerCavaliersRocketsFirst
GPtsSeasonsGPtsSeasons
James Harden561,0792025–202770620,7812012–2021Rockets
Bob Sura2542,2491996–2000686812004/05Cavaliers
Jeff Green1001,0162017/181751,1102019–2026Cavaliers
Iman Shumpert2401,5372014–2018281202018/19Cavaliers
Kevin Porter Jr.504982019/201462,5102020–2023Cavaliers
Omri Casspi1086322011–2013714902013/14Cavaliers
David Wesley34732006/071321,3462004–2006Rockets
Clarence Weatherspoon829242000/01803372003–2005Cavaliers
Jim Jackson394002000/011091,4272003–2005Cavaliers
Derek Anderson1081,2221997–1999202162005/06Cavaliers
David Nwaba513342018/19765092020–2022Cavaliers
Sam Dekker9572018/19845132015–2017Rockets
Marcus Morris Sr.211242023/24715052011–2013Rockets
Isaiah Hartenstein161322020/21531642018–2020Rockets
Dennis Schroder473402025/26151632021/22Rockets
Mike Wilks30422005/0628502003/04Rockets
Brandon Knight433092018–202012362018/19Rockets
Tierre Brown15652002/03401232001/02Rockets
Earl Boykins421761998–20008392011/12Cavaliers
Marquese Chriss271532018/1916292018/19Rockets
Brodric Thomas281152020/214102020/21Rockets
Stephen Graham12362005/064172005/06Rockets

Head to head

In the NBA since 1996/97, the Cavaliers and the Rockets have met 57 times: the Cavaliers won 19, the Rockets 38.

  • Cavaliers' biggest win: Cavaliers 124-89 Rockets (2021/22)
  • Rockets' biggest win: Rockets 116-78 Cavaliers (2012/13)

More pairs

Cavaliers also shares players with

Every Cavaliers pair

Rockets also shares players with

Every Rockets pair

Play

FAQ

Spoilers
How many players have played for both the Cavaliers and the Rockets?
22 in the NBA since 1996/97: James Harden, Bob Sura, Jeff Green, Iman Shumpert, Kevin Porter Jr., Omri Casspi and 16 more.
Who has played the most games for the Cavaliers and the Rockets?
James Harden: 56 for the Cavaliers and 706 for the Rockets, 762 in all. James Harden scored the most points across both, 21,860.
Who is the most recent player to play for both the Cavaliers and the Rockets?
James Harden. He played for the Rockets (2012–2021), then the Cavaliers from 2025/26.
What period does this list cover?
NBA games from 1996/97 to the present, updated as new games are played. Earlier games aren't in our data, so all-time lists can be longer.

Data: NBA since 1996/97. Earlier games aren't included, so all-time lists can be longer.