Rudy Tomjanovich

Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. As a forward, his playing career spanned 1970 to 1981 and was spent entirely with the San Diego / Houston Rockets franchise. He was named an NBA All-Star five times: in four consecutive seasons from 1974 through 1977, and again in 1979. He reached the playoffs five times with the team, in 1975, 1977, and in three straight years from 1979 through 1981.

On December 9, 1977, during a game between the Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, Tomjanovich sustained a life-threatening punch to the face from Lakers power forward Kermit Washington. The injury ended his season after 23 games. Following a full recovery, he returned to play three more NBA seasons before retiring.

After roughly eight years as an assistant coach, Tomjanovich became head coach of the Rockets, a role he held from 1992 to 2003. He led the team to two consecutive NBA championships, in 1994 and 1995, having also won two titles as a member of the franchise. He later coached the Los Angeles Lakers during part of the 2004–05 season. In 2000, he coached Team USA to the gold medal in men's basketball at the Summer Olympics.