Larry Smith was the fourth of 11 players to wear No. 13 for the Houston Rockets, and his run in that jersey came during a stretch when the franchise was still building its identity. Smith wore only No. 13 in Houston, a number that has been worn more often than almost any other in the club’s history.
The Rockets have used 52 different jersey numbers since the start of the 1967-68 season and have had just under 500 players in franchise history. Seven jerseys are retired, leaving No. 13 in the middle of the club’s broader uniform history rather than among its immortal numbers. For a team that has cycled through so many players and so many digits, Smith is one of the more recognizable names attached to the number.
Smith, a native of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, ended his college career at Alcorn State before the Golden State Warriors selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft. He spent the first nine seasons of his pro career with the Warriors before signing with Houston in 1989.
His stay with the Rockets lasted until 1992, when he signed with the San Antonio Spurs. In Houston, he averaged 3.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 rebounds per game, a modest scoring line but one that fit a role built more on work than volume.
This look back is part of a Rockets Wire series tracking every jersey number in team history, and No. 13 has turned into a case study in how one number can move across eras without losing its place in the record book. Smith’s spot as the fourth of 11 players to wear it says as much about Houston’s roster churn as it does about any one player. The next names to appear in the series will tell the rest of that story one jersey at a time.
