Clint Capela Names His Starting Five of NBA Soccer Players

At Toyota Center in Houston, Clint Capela built a strong following with his rim protection and easy chemistry with the Rockets' core. Now the former Rockets center is back in the conversation for a lighter reason after sharing his starting five of the NBA's best soccer players.

The list came from Capela in a recent feature highlighted by Sports Illustrated, and it fits his background. Capela grew up in Switzerland, where soccer sits much closer to daily life than it does for many American players. That made his picks more than a random offseason exercise. He spoke from a player perspective and from years around the global game.

Clint Capela gives the NBA soccer debate a Houston angle

For Rockets followers, Capela still carries weight. He spent six-plus seasons in Houston and developed into one of the franchise's most dependable big men before being traded in 2020. Any time his name surfaces, it draws interest here, especially when the topic moves away from box scores and into personality.

Capela's starting five of NBA soccer players put the spotlight on a different side of the league. Basketball players talk plenty about soccer, but Capela has the credibility to make the conversation interesting. European and African players often grow up with the sport, and many American stars follow major clubs and international tournaments closely.

The source material focused on Capela's selections rather than a major team development, so the story lands as a fun snapshot instead of hard news. That still gives Rockets readers something worth talking about during the NBA offseason. Houston has always had an international thread in its basketball identity, from Hakeem Olajuwon to Yao Ming to the diverse rosters that followed.

Why Capela's picks land with Rockets readers

Capela's Houston years made him one of the more recognizable former Rockets from the James Harden era. He ran the floor, cleaned the glass and thrived in pick and roll action. That history gives even a casual feature like this one extra traction in the local sports cycle.

There is also a broader sports overlap at work. Houston is one of the country's strongest soccer cities, with a deep youth scene, a packed international calendar and a Major League Soccer presence through the Dynamo. A former Rocket weighing in on NBA players and soccer connects two strong lanes of local interest without forcing the issue.

Capela's list is also the kind of topic that travels well because it invites debate. No standings shift because of it. No roster move follows. Still, it gives NBA readers a break from transaction talk and lets them see how players size up one another in another sport.

Capela remains active in the NBA, and the Rockets continue reshaping their own trajectory with a younger core in Houston. For now, his soccer starting five gives local readers one more reason to revisit a familiar name tied to the Toyota Center years.

This article is a summary of reporting by Sports Illustrated. Read the full story here.