Rockets relieved after ‘unsettling’ flight through storms into Memphis

The severe storm system that brought deadly tornadoes to states including Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas also led to a scary overnight travel experience for the Houston Rockets into Memphis.

Because the Rockets played Friday night at home versus Milwaukee, they were not able to fly to Memphis for Saturday’s game until after Friday’s game concluded. Because of the relatively short distance, it was expected to be a flight of approximately one hour, with the team leaving Houston at 11:00 p.m. Central and arriving at around midnight.

Instead, the chartered flight took over two hours. Due to the line of severe storms, which pushed through Memphis at about the same time, the pilot circled the area for about an hour before it was deemed safe to land. In addition to making for a later-than-expected arrival by the Rockets at the team’s hotel, it also made for some unsettling turbulence as the aircraft waited for the worst of the weather to pass.

In comments before Saturday’s game, head coach Stephen Silas said:

It was bumpy. It was unsettling. … We saw the line of storms, and we saw where we were going. You’re just at the mercy of the pilot and the weather.

It was a tough flight, but we made it and everyone was very relieved. Definitely blessed and thankful.

Silas said multiple players remarked that they would have preferred taking a bus from Houston to Memphis, as opposed to the turbulent flight. Considering how much time that would add, that’s not a statement to be made lightly, but it speaks to how challenging the flight was. The team finally arrived to its hotel at about 2 a.m. local time, which was much later than planned. However, it certainly could have been worse.

Fortunately, with the cold front having pushed through, the weather for Houston’s Sunday flight from Memphis to Atlanta (for Monday’s game against the Hawks) should be much more calm.