Rudy Tomjanovich

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Lore & Background

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 by Lakers power forward Kermit Washington. The blow shattered his face and inflicted life-threatening head and spinal injuries, ending his season after 23 games. After fully recovering, Tomjanovich played in the NBA for three more seasons and was selected for the NBA All-Star Game the following 1978–79 season. In 1979, a federal jury in Houston awarded him $3.3 million in damages. The incident is recounted in John Feinstein's book *The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever* and in Tomjanovich's 1997 autobiography *A Rocket at Heart: My Life and My Team*.

In Their Own Story

After the Rockets captured their second NBA title in 1995, Tomjanovich stood on the floor of The Summit and proclaimed, 'Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion!' That championship run was historic: the Rockets became the lowest seed (sixth) to win a title, and the only team in history to defeat the teams with the four best regular-season records in the playoffs. Tomjanovich had led the team to back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995, making the Rockets the only team other than the Chicago Bulls to win multiple championships during the 1990s, with their titles bookended by the Bulls' two runs of three consecutive titles each.

Reader's Guide

Tomjanovich was selected as the second overall pick in the 1970 NBA draft by the San Diego Rockets (the franchise relocated to Houston in 1971). He played his entire 11-year NBA career with the Rockets, earning five All-Star selections (1974–1977, 1979). He is the fourth-leading scorer in Rockets history behind James Harden and Hall of Famers Calvin Murphy and Hakeem Olajuwon. Because his last name was so long, the back of his jerseys read 'RUDY T.' The Rockets retired his #45 jersey upon the conclusion of his playing career, and the University of Michigan retired his collegiate #45 jersey in 2003. After retiring as a player in 1981, Tomjanovich 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. He was named interim head coach in February 1992 after Chaney's resignation and was given the job permanently after nearly leading the Rockets to a playoff berth. In his first full season (1992–93), he guided the Rockets to the Midwest Division title, becoming the first head coach to take his team from the lottery to a division crown in his first full season. He posted a 503–397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51–39 (.567) playoff mark, both Rockets franchise records. He left the team after the 2002–03 season when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer (from which he has since made a full recovery). In 2004, Tomjanovich signed a five-year, $30 million contract to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, but resigned after 43 games citing mental and physical exhaustion. He stayed with the Lakers as a consultant for 14 years. He also coached Team USA to a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 1998 FIBA World Championship.

Did You Know?

• Tomjanovich was also drafted by the Utah Stars of the ABA in both 1970 and 1974.
• He set Michigan Wolverines career rebounding records that still stand.
• Tomjanovich's collegiate jersey #45 was retired by the University of Michigan in 2003.
• He had only two losing seasons as a head coach.
• In 2024, he was scheduled to be included in the Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame.