Dwight Howard has lived up to the hype, tying his career high with 26 rebounds to help Houston post a 96-83 NBA season-opening victory over Charlotte.
Howard, the most coveted free agent of 2013, left a tumultuous 2012-13 season with the Los Angeles Lakers behind him when he signed a four-year, $US88 million ($A93 million) contract with the Rockets in July.
In addition to dominating on the boards, he contributed 17 points in his first game with his new team.
James Harden scored 21 points in the victory, Francisco Garcia added 19 and fellow reserve Jeremy Lin chipped in 16.