Houston is a very diverse city and metropolitan area. It is home to the most diverse county in the United States (Fort Bend), more different ethnicities and types of foods outside any city not located on the East or West coasts. On any given day, you could encounter at least four or five different languages, or more. You can choose to eat from just about any kind of cuisine from any part of the globe, and it would be one of the better dishes you've had in that category.

Coming here from New Orleans in 2000, I was skeptical of the food scene here. Yet, here I am all these years later, and I'm still impressed. I can look up any type of food I want to try and have full faith that it'll be one of the more authentic experiences in said category. My favorite thing is talking to so many different types of people from around the globe. Getting to know the different cultures and backgrounds is exciting.

When you look at the makeup of the current Rocket's roster, you get those same feelings. The owner is a self-made billionaire who's a native of the Houston area and made his money in the hospitality business. The general manager is a guy who made his bones as a legal expert in the business department and found his way in the GM role at the right time. The head coach is the son of a former NBA player and head coach who waited over twenty years to get his first head coaching gig. All three of these guys took different paths to get to where they are right now. All three are examples of how taking different paths can lead to success.

When looking at the roster, there are similar stories of finding different paths to success. You have guys who were high lottery picks after being highly recruited NCAA players (John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins), then there are guys who worked their way into the league after toiling away on the European and other leagues around the world (PJ Tucker and Jae'Sean Tate). There's someone on this roster anyone in this city can relate to. Christian Wood is perhaps the team's best player. He was a guy who thought he'd be drafted high, went undrafted, and worked his butt off to get to where he's at now which is on the verge of making his first All-Star appearance.

This city is full of diverse and resilient stories of success and survival. When I look at this Rockets roster, I see some similarities. Not to say that any of these highly paid pro athletes have survived a Hurricane Harvey or anything, but there are stories of overcoming rough circumstances and making the best of a crappy situation to make yourself into a success. This city is covered in those types of stories and so is this Rockets roster. The Rockets are much easier on the eyes nowadays with their style of play. They hustle, play hard, share the ball, and don't have anyone with a huge diva attitude. They're more relatable and their style of play is more appreciated. The Rockets are currently above .500 for the season and working their way into securing a playoff spot. Who would've thought this was possible? No one, and that's another reason why their success is so relatable to many in this city.