Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an 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. He won two NBA Championships with the

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

(1994, 1995) and coached Team USA to the gold medal in men's

basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics Basketball contests at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the fifteenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event. It was held from 16 September 2000 to 1 October 2000. Games took place at the Sydney SuperDome and th ...

. 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 The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

forward; four consecutive times between

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

and

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, and again in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. 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 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 ...

during part of the

2004–05 NBA season The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It began on November 2, 2004, and ended on June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the defending champion Detroit Pistons, 4� ...

. He was inducted into the

Naismith Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

on May 16, 2021. In 2024, he was scheduled to be included in Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame. He was a consultant for the Los Angeles Lakers for 14 years.

Early life

Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. was born on November 24, 1948, in

Hamtramck, Michigan Hamtramck ( ; ; ; ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An enclave of Detroit, Hamtramck is located roughly north of downtown Detroit, and is surrounded by Detroit on most sides. As of the 2020 census, the city had a po ...

, to Catherine (Modich) and Rudolph Tomjanovich Sr. He is of Croatian descent. He attended high school in Hamtramck and later the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(1967–1970). He was a high school teammate of ABA player John Brisker.

College career

In college, Tomjanovich set

Michigan Wolverines men's basketball The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the College basketball, intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in NCAA Division I, Division I of the Nationa ...

career rebounding records that continue to stand. In 1968 he earned second team All-Big Ten honors, which he followed with first-team honors in 1969 and 1970. During 1970 he was also an All-American.

Professional career

San Diego / Houston Rockets (1970–1981)

Tomjanovich was selected in the

1970 NBA draft The 1970 NBA draft was the 24th annual NBA draft, draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 23, 1970, before the 1970–71 NBA season, 1970–71 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amate ...

as the second overall pick by the San Diego Rockets (the franchise relocated to

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in 1971), for whom he would play the entirety of his

NBA 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 ...

career. He was also drafted in both 1970 and 1974 by the

Utah Stars The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround. History prior to moving to ...

of the ABA. In his eleven years in the NBA, Tomjanovich had a scoring average of 17.4 points and a rebounding average of 8.1, earning five

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

selections in the process (1974–1977, 1979). He is the fourth-leading scorer in Rockets history behind

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is regarded by some as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA hist ...

and Hall of Famers Calvin Murphy and

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

. Because his last name was so long, the back of Tomjanovich's jerseys would read "RUDY T.", rather than his 11 character name. The Rockets retired Tomjanovich's #45 jersey upon the conclusion of his playing career. His collegiate jersey, also #45, was retired by the University of Michigan in 2003.

Kermit Washington incident

During a game on December 9, 1977, Tomjanovich was punched by Kermit Washington of the

as Tomjanovich ran to stop a fight at center court. The blow shattered Tomjanovich's face and inflicted life-threatening head and spinal injuries, leaving him sidelined for five months.Kirkpatrick, Patrick
Shattered and Shaken
, ''Sports Illustrated'', January 2, 1978, accessed December 16, 2010. He eventually made a full recovery and was selected for the NBA All-Star Game the following 1978–79 season. The incident and its aftermath are recounted in the John Feinstein book ''The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever'', as well as in Tomjanovich's 1997 autobiography ''A Rocket at Heart: My Life and My Team''.

Coaching career

Houston Rockets (1992–2003)

Tomjanovich retired in 1981 and became a scout for two years before being named an assistant coach in 1983. He served as an assistant under Bill Fitch and Don Chaney. Tomjanovich was named the Rockets' interim head coach in February 1992 after Chaney's resignation. After nearly leading the Rockets to a playoff berth, he was then given the job on a permanent basis. In his first full season on the job ( 1992–93), Tomjanovich guided the Rockets to the Midwest Division title, making him the first head coach to ever take his team from the lottery to a division crown during his first full season. Building on this success, Tomjanovich led the team to back-to-back NBA championships in

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

and

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

; additionally, the Rockets were the only team other than the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

to win multiple championships during the 1990s, with their titles being bookended by the Bulls' two runs of three consecutive titles each. On the playoff run to their second title, the Rockets became the lowest seed (sixth) to win one, and the only team in history to defeat the teams with the four best regular-season records in the playoffs. It was on the floor of The Summit after they captured their second title that Tomjanovich proclaimed, "Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion!" In his 11-plus season tenure as Rockets head coach, he posted a 503–397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51–39 (.567) playoff mark. His career wins and winning percentage are Rockets franchise records. After the 1998–99 season, the Rockets would not make the playoffs for the rest of his coaching tenure, and would consistently finish in the division cellar; Tomjanovich left the team after the 2002–03 season when he was diagnosed with

bladder cancer Bladder cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in the bladder. These cells can grow to form a tumor, which eventually spreads, damaging the bladder and other organs. Most people with bladder cancer are diagnosed after noticing blood in thei ...

(from which he has since made a full recovery), ending a 33-year association with the Rockets franchise—including its first 32 years in Houston—as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

Los Angeles Lakers (2004–2005)

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, Tomjanovich signed a five-year, $30 million contract to replace

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 ...

as coach of the

. He resigned after 43 games, citing mental and physical exhaustion unrelated to his past bout with bladder cancer. The Lakers paid him a $10 million settlement, leading to speculation that the Lakers had instead terminated his contract. Tomjanovich stayed with the Lakers as a consultant.

Coaching style

Tomjanovich was well known for his instinctive managerial style and intensity on the bench. Always self-deprecating, he nonetheless heaped tremendous pressure on himself and his assistants to be prepared for each game, several times being hospitalized for exhaustion. After winning back-to-back titles, Tomjanovich deflected much of the praise and eschewed the "genius" label assigned to other champion coaches like Chuck Daly and

. His hands-off, easy-going manner with his players gave him a reputation as a "players coach", and as such veteran players were eager to play on his teams. Among the stars who requested and were granted trades to Houston during his tenure were

Clyde Drexler Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who currently works as the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Nicknamed "Clyde the Glide", he played 15 seasons in the National Bask ...

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

, and

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with th ...

United States national team

In 1998, Tomjanovich volunteered to coach the U.S. men's senior basketball team at the

FIBA World Championship The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an international basketball competition between the senior men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport's global governing body. It takes place every four ye ...

in Greece. Despite the absence of NBA players due to contract negotiations, Tomjanovich guided the hastily assembled group of players playing in Europe, CBA and college players to the bronze medal.

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

In light of his outstanding service in coaching at the 1998 Worlds and his stellar professional resume, Tomjanovich was tabbed to coach the U.S. men's senior team at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, Australia. The U.S. Team won the gold medal with an 8–0 record. On February 15, 2006, Tomjanovich was named director of scouting for USA Men's Basketball.

Personal life

Tomjanovich has two daughters and one son with his ex-wife Sophie. He resides in Houston, Texas, with his longtime girlfriend, Lisa Marcussen. Tomjanovich has participated with the Texas Children's Cancer Center to help raise funds for cancer research. He had a scholarship program with the Tomjanovich foundation, that helped put 100s of students in college. Tomjanovich is an avid supporter for the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

, University of Michigan and Naismith Hall of Fame.

Accomplishments

*NBA Champion head coach (1994, 1995) *Head coach of the gold medalist USA men's basketball team at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

*Head coach of the bronze medalist USA men's basketball team at the 1998 FIBA World Championship *5-time All-Star (1974–1977, 1979) *NCAA All-American (1970) *All-time

leader in rebounds. Second on U-M all-time list in points per game *Holds the Crisler Arena single game scoring and rebounding records *Averaged 17.4 points per game on 50.1% shooting during his NBA career *Michigan Sports Hall of Fame *Houston Sports Hall of Fame *First Basketball player from the University of Michigan to go into Naismith Hall of Fame. *Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame *

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1970–71 , style="text-align:left;",

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, 77 , , ... , , 13.8 , , .383 , , ... , , .652 , , 4.9 , , .9 , , ... , , ... , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1971–72 , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , ... , , 34.5 , , .495 , , ... , , .723 , , 11.8 , , 1.5 , , ... , , ... , , 15.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1972–73 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , ... , , 36.7 , , .478 , , ... , , .746 , , 11.6 , , 2.2 , , ... , , ... , , 19.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1973–74 , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , ... , , 40.3 , , .536 , , ... , , .848 , , 9.0 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 24.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1974–75 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , ... , , 38.7 , , .525 , , ... , , .790 , , 7.6 , , 2.9 , , .9 , , .3 , , 20.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1975–76 , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , ... , , 36.9 , , .517 , , ... , , .767 , , 8.4 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1976–77 , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , ... , , 38.6 , , .510 , , ... , , .839 , , 8.4 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , .3 , , 21.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1977–78 , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , ... , , 36.9 , , .485 , , ... , , .753 , , 6.0 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .2 , , 21.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1978–79 , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , ... , , 35.7 , , .517 , , ... , , .760 , , 7.7 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .2 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1979–80 , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , ... , , 29.6 , , .476 , , .278 , , .803 , , 5.8 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .2 , , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1980–81 , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , ... , , 24.3 , , .467 , , .235 , , .793 , , 4.0 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 768 , , ... , , 33.5 , , .501 , , .262 , , .784 , , 8.1 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , 17.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , ... , , 38.0 , , .563 , , ... , , .833 , , 8.0 , , 2.9 , , .1 , , .5 , , 23.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , ... , , 38.1 , , .505 , , ... , , .784 , , 5.4 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , ... , , 32.0 , , .391 , , ... , , .400 , , 7.0 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , ... , , 26.4 , , .375 , , .143 , , .692 , , 5.7 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .0 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , ... , , 3.9 , , .111 , , .000 , , .667 , , .8 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .8 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 37 , , ... , , 28.1 , , .489 , , .100 , , .771 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .2 , , 13.8 , -

Head coaching record

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 30, , 16, , 14, , .533, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Midwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 55, , 27, , .671, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Midwest, , 12, , 6, , 6, , .500 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 58, , 24, , .707, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Midwest, , 23, , 15, , 8, , .652 , style="text-align:center;", Won

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 ...

, - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 47, , 35, , .573, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Midwest, , 22, , 15, , 7, , .682 , style="text-align:center;", Won

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 48, , 34, , .585, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Midwest, , 8, , 3, , 5, , .375 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 57, , 25, , .695, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Midwest, , 16, , 9, , 7, , .563 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 41, , 41, , .500, , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Midwest, , 5, , 2, , 3, , .400 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

First round First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 50, , 31 , , 19, , .620, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Midwest, , 4, , 1, , 3, , .250 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 34, , 48, , .415, , style="text-align:center;", 6th in Midwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 45, , 37, , .549, , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Midwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 28, , 54, , .341, , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Midwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 43, , 39, , .524, , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Midwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , style="text-align:left;", , 43, , 24, , 19, , .558, , style="text-align:center;", (resigned), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 943, , 527, , 416, , .559, , , , 90, , 51, , 39, , .567

Footnotes

References

* Feinstein, John. ''The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever''. Publisher: Back Bay Books.

External links

University of Michigan profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomjanovich, Rudy 1948 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American autobiographers American basketball scouts American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American people of Croatian descent Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players from Wayne County, Michigan Houston Rockets assistant coaches Houston Rockets head coaches Houston Rockets players Los Angeles Lakers head coaches Los Angeles Lakers scouts Miami Floridians draft picks Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA All-Stars NBA championship–winning head coaches NBA players with retired numbers Olympic coaches for the United States Sportspeople from Hamtramck, Michigan Power forwards San Diego Rockets draft picks San Diego Rockets players United States men's national basketball team coaches Utah Stars draft picks Violence in sports

Early life

College career

Professional career

San Diego / Houston Rockets (1970–1981)

Kermit Washington incident

Coaching career

Houston Rockets (1992–2003)

Los Angeles Lakers (2004–2005)

Coaching style

United States national team

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Personal life

Accomplishments

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

See also

Footnotes

References

External links