Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who was a consultant for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association.
Rudy Tomjanovich in February 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 24, 1948 Hamtramck, Michigan, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Hamtramck (Hamtramck, Michigan) |
| College | Michigan (1967–1970) |
| NBA draft | 1970: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Selected by the San Diego Rockets | |
| Playing career | 1970–1981 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 45 |
| Coaching career | 1983–2005 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1970–1981 | San Diego / Houston Rockets |
| As coach: | |
| 1983–1992 | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
| 1992–2003 | Houston Rockets |
| 2004–2005 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach: | |
| Career playing statistics | |
| Points | 13,383 (17.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,198 (8.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,573 (2.0 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Career coaching record | |
| NBA | 527–416 (.559) |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as coach | |
Medals | |
He was a consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers for 14 years.
(NBA). His professional playing career, which lasted between 1970 and 1981, was entirely spent with the San Diego / Houston Rockets. Tomjanovich was a 5-time NBA All-Star forward; four consecutive times between 1974 and 1977, and again in 1979. He also made the playoffs five times: in 1975, 1977, and consecutively between 1979 and 1981.
On December 9, 1977, during a game between the Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, Tomjanovich was the victim of a life-threatening punch to his face brought upon him by Lakers power forward Kermit Washington. This ended his season after 23 games; after fully recovering, Tomjanovich played in the NBA for three more seasons.
After about eight years of being an assistant coach, Tomjanovich was promoted to head coach of the Rockets from 1992 to 2003, including when the Rockets won two consecutive NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. Tomjanovich coached Team USA to the gold medal in men's basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He also coached the Los Angeles Lakers during part of the 2004–05 NBA season. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame on May 16, 2021.