Darrell Kurt Rambis (; born February 25, 1958) is a Greek-American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and coach who is a senior basketball adviser for the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). As a player, he won four

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

s while playing

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

for the Lakers. Rambis was a key member of the Showtime era Lakers and was extremely popular for his hard-nosed blue collar play. With his trademark black horn-rimmed glasses, Rambis complemented the flashy Hollywood style of the Showtime era Lakers. Rambis played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Santa Clara Broncos. As a senior in 1980, he was named the player of the year in the

West Coast Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting o ...

(WCC). Rambis was selected by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

in the third round of the

1980 NBA draft The 1980 NBA draft was the 34th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel & Towers, before the 1980–81 season. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selectin ...

, but began his career in Greece with

AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...

before joining the Lakers. He also played for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, and

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. Rambis became a coach and has served as head coach for the Lakers,

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

, and the Knicks. He also won two league championships as an assistant coach with the Lakers.

Early life

Rambis was born in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

, into a family of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

extraction. His family moved to

Cupertino, California Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose, California, San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The ...

in his preschool years; his number is retired at Cupertino High School.

College career

He graduated from

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

, where he played from 1976 to 1980, becoming its second-leading rebounder and all-time leading scorer with 1,736 points. During his Santa Clara years, he was awarded the WCC Freshman of the Year and Conference Player of the Year as a senior. His No. 34 was retired on December 29, 2008.

Professional career

Rambis was drafted by the

as the 58th pick in the

, but he was subsequently waived by the Knicks. He played in Greece in the Greek League for the club

, under the name Kyriakos Rambidis. Being of Greek descent, he also acquired Greek citizenship. AEK won the

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...

in 1981. He was re-signed by the Knicks in 1981 but never played a game for them. His success as an NBA player started when he was signed as a free agent by the

in 1981. Rambis spent most of his 14 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, winning championships in 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988 as part of their Showtime teams. During his playing days, Rambis was a favorite among the Lakers fans because of his status as an overachieving underdog and ultimate team player. Known for his defensive and rebounding skills, he was remembered in Los Angeles for his all-out effort and willingness to do the "dirty work". Rambis usually wore a thick

moustache A moustache (; mustache, ) is a growth of facial hair grown above the upper lip and under the human nose, nose. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French language, French, and i ...

and thick-rimmed black

glasses Glasses, also known as eyeglasses (American English), spectacles (Commonwealth English), or colloquially as specs, are vision eyewear with clear or tinted lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically u ...

, prompting Lakers announcer Chick Hearn to nickname him "

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

" (in reference to the character's alter ego,

Clark Kent Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

). At the Lakers home arena a "Superman" fan club (also known as Rambis youth) was formed where the courtside spectators wore glasses styled similar to the ones used by Rambis. Lakers head coach

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

once complained to a reporter "Other guys have sharp Adidas bags. ambiss got this black satchel, like the kind you would have a bowling ball in. And it's, like, vinyl. He doesn't ever bring a garment bag or a suitcase. That's all he ever brings, could be a week." Rambis also played for the

, and

before returning to the Lakers for the 1993–94 season. He retired as a player with the Lakers in 1995.

Coaching career

Los Angeles Lakers (1994–2009)

Rambis began working as a special assistant coach for the Lakers in 1994 but eventually returned to the active playing roster in February 1995. He was waived at the beginning of the 1995–96 season and resumed his role as an assistant. He served as head coach of the Lakers during the 1999 "lockout season" after coach Del Harris was fired. He achieved moderate success, registering a 24–13 record in the regular season before being swept by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in the 1999 Western Conference Semifinals. When

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jackson is a 13-time NBA champion, having won two as a player and 11 as ...

was hired as head coach, Rambis served as the Lakers' assistant general manager. He later became an assistant coach under Jackson between 2001 and 2004, helping the Lakers reach the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and the

2004 NBA Finals The 2004 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2003–04 NBA season, 2003–04 season, and the conclusion of the 2004 NBA playoffs, season's playoffs. This season's NBA Finals was contest ...

, with Los Angeles winning a title in the former series. He was hired again as an assistant in 2005, along with former player Brian Shaw, helping the Lakers to another pair of finals in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

. The Lakers won in the latter attempt.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2009–2011)

In 2007, Rambis interviewed for the

' coaching job. He was a finalist again in 2009 to coach the Kings, and after serious discussions, he was offered the job, but he wanted more than a two-year contract and more money than was offered, so he turned down the job. On August 8, 2009, Rambis was announced as the new head coach for the

, agreeing to a contract believed to be for 4 years and worth $8 million. Coinicidentally, Rambis' predecessor as the Timberwolves' head coach was Kevin McHale, who famously clotheslined Rambis in game 4 of the

1984 NBA Finals The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1983–84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Wes ...

. On July 12, 2011, Rambis was fired as coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves after compiling a 32–132 record in two seasons with the team.

Return to the Lakers (2013–2014)

On July 29, 2013, the Lakers announced they had re-hired Rambis as an assistant coach.

New York Knicks (2014–2018)

On July 7, 2014, the Knicks announced they had hired Rambis to be the assistant head coach of the team under head coach Derek Fisher. On February 8, 2016, Rambis was named the interim head coach after Fisher was fired. After going 9-19 under Rambis, and finishing the season 32–50 overall, the Knicks decided to hire Jeff Hornacek as the team's new head coach, while Rambis was retained as associate head coach. On April 12, 2018, Rambis was fired along with Hornacek, who went 60–104 over two seasons with the Knicks.

Executive career

Los Angeles Lakers (2018–present)

In September 2018, Rambis rejoined the Lakers as a senior basketball adviser. Rambis has become "one of the most influential members of the organization since returning to the franchise in 2017." Kurt Rambis's wife, Linda Rambis, serves as the Lakers Executive Director of Special Projects and is one of Jeanie Buss's longtime friends. Alongside Rob Pelinka, the couple has been described as "a pillar of the club’s four-pronged brain trust alongside eanieBuss."

Outside basketball

Rambis had a recurring role as Coach Cleary in the family drama '' 7th Heaven''. He also guest-starred in season one of ''

Sweet Valley High ''Sweet Valley High'' is a series of young adult novels attributed to American author Francine Pascal, who presided over a team of ghostwriters to produce the series. The books chronicle the lives of identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefi ...

'' in episode thirteen "Club X" as a friend of Elizabeth and an episode of '' The Commish'' as a basketball player. He appeared in the "Going Places" episode (as himself) of ''

It's Garry Shandling's Show ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on Showtime from September 10, 1986, to May 25, 1990. The series, created by Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel, is notable for breaking the fourth wall. I ...

''. Rambis also made a cameo appearance in an episode of '' Malcolm & Eddie''.

Head coaching record

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Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rambis, Kurt 1958 births Living people AEK B.C. players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American men's basketball players American people of Greek descent Basketball coaches from California Basketball coaches from Indiana Basketball players from Santa Clara County, California Charlotte Hornets players Greek basketball coaches Greek men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers assistant coaches Los Angeles Lakers head coaches Los Angeles Lakers players Minnesota Timberwolves head coaches New York Knicks assistant coaches New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks head coaches Sportspeople from Cupertino, California Phoenix Suns players Power forwards Sacramento Kings players Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball players Basketball players from Terre Haute, Indiana Sportspeople of Greek descent 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century Greek sportsmen