Houston Rockets Funding Upgrade to Toyota Center During 2024-25 Season

The Rockets' home arena appears to be getting a new roof in the midst of the upcoming NBA season.

Jan 20, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; General view outside of Toyota Center / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets will add a new roof to their arena soon, according to a report from Jason Bristol of KHOU 11.

This just in:

Toyota Center is getting a new roof.

The Harris County Houston Sports Authority on Tuesday approved a proposal by the Houston Rockets to replace the existing one which has been in place since 2002-03.
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— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU) August 20, 2024

The Harris County Houston Sports Authority, a local government body created by the Harris County Commissioners Court and the Houston City Council in 1997, approved the team's proposal to build a new roof on Tuesday.

The upgrade will replace Toyota Center's existing roof, which has been part of the building since 2002. A rehaul of the arena's ceiling will cost between $7.5-$8 million with the organization footing the entire bill rather than the city or its taxpayers.

According to Bristol's reporting, removing the Toyota Center's current top and building a new edition will take around five months with construction expected to start in September and finish in March.

Despite the Rockets undergoing major renovations, Bristol said that team and stadium operations executives noted that the change shouldn't affect home games or other events.

The Toyota Center's new roof comes with a 20-year warranty and can reportedly handle hurricane winds of up to 146 miles per hour.

The new dome in Houston will be a nice upgrade to the Rockets' home arena and should be finished in time for the playoffs, when the team will be getting more national TV attention assuming they are able to find their way into the top 10 in the Western Conference.

The Toyota Center originally opened in Oct. 2003 and was home to the Rockets and the Houston Aeros, an American Hockey League team, before the Aeros relocated. The arena was also the home of the Houston Comets, a WNBA team that played its final game in 2008.

Prior to former Rockets' owner Leslie Alexander reaching an agreement with the Harris County Houston Sports Authority to build the Toyota Center in the early 2000s, Houston played its home games at The Summit.

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