Rudy Tomjanovich

Rudy Tomjanovich

Rudy Tomjanovich in February 2009
Personal information
Born	(1948-11-24) November 24, 1948 (age 75) 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: 5× NBA All-Star (1974–1977, 1979) No. 45 retired by Houston Rockets Second-team All-American – AP, UPI (1970) Third-team All-American – NABC (1970) 2× First-team All-Big Ten (1969, 1970) No. 45 honored by Michigan Wolverines As coach: 2× NBA champion (1994, 1995) NBA All-Star Game head coach (1997) Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award (2024)
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
Career coaching record
NBA	527–416 (.559)
Record at Basketball Reference
Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals Head coach for  United States FIBA Basketball World Cup 1998 Athens Head coach Olympic Games 2000 Sydney Head coach

Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He won two NBA Championships with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995) and coached Team USA to the gold medal in men's basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

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 served as head coach of the Rockets from 1992 to 2003. As head coach, he led the Rockets to two consecutive NBA championships, in 1994 and 1995. 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. In 2024, he will be included in Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame.^[1]

He was a consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers for 14 years.