Top 15 Greatest Houston Rockets (11-15)

Nov 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; General view outside Toyota Center before a game between the Houston Rockets and the Boston Celtics. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

14. Rudy Tomjanovich

When talking about Rudy Tomjanovich you run out of superlatives to use.  The #2 overall pick for the Rockets averaged 17.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in 11 seasons with the team.

Rudy’s career was shortened when he was sucker-punched in a on-court brawl by the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kermit Washington in 1977.  He had to have multiple surgeries to surgically reconstruct his face as the bone structure had detached from his skull.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar likened the sound of the punch to a melon dropped on concrete. But Rudy T’s playing days were over, he turned to coaching and helped lead the franchise to its first-ever championship.

It tough to tell how the rest of Tomjanovich’s career would’ve played out had that life-changing, earth-shattering event not happened. But he was able to impact the game in a different way as a coach.

Tomjanovich may be more famous for the two championships he won in Houston, the last two the city has seen from a “Big Three Sports” franchise. His constant-motion offense that heavily-revolved around the three-point line, was a tried and-true formula that won many games for the team during his tenure.

Of course, Rudy T’s infamous quote “Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion” will go down as one of the best in sports history.

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