Before basketball icon Rudy Tomjanovich became a star at Michigan and in the NBA, he made a name for himself growing up in Hamtramck.
On Friday, Tomjanovich’s name and legacy will live on in his hometown with a basketball court dedication at the Hamtramck High School Community Center.
According to The Hamtramck Review, the celebratory event will begin at 6 p.m., and will include a commemorative signing as well as a speech from Tomjanovich.
Tomjanovich, 77, starred at Hamtramck High before he put together a legendary career at Michigan from 1967-70. He averaged 25.1 points and 14.4 rebounds in 72 games with the Wolverines, marks that rank second and first, respectively, in program history.
He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors twice and was a second-team All-American in 1970. He owns the program’s single-game records for made field goals (21) and rebounds (30) and holds Crisler Center records for most points (48) and rebounds (27) in a game.
Tomjanovich was selected by the Rockets with the No. 2 pick in the 1970 NBA Draft and was a five-time All-Star — a total that likely would have been higher if not for Kermit Washington’s punch that left him with life-threatening injuries in the 1977-78 season. He averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds over his 11-year career with the Rockets.
After his playing career, he transitioned into coaching and went on to become the winningest coach in Rockets franchise history. In 11-plus seasons in Houston, he went 503-397 in the regular season, 51-39 in the playoffs and led the Rockets to NBA titles in 1994 and 1995.
Tomjanovich also coached the U.S. team that took CBA players to the world championships in 1998 because of an NBA lockout. That team won a bronze medal and he also guided the U.S. Olympic team to gold at the Sydney Games in 2000.
Tomjanovich had his No. 45 jersey retired by the Rockets in 1982 and honored by Michigan in 2003. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, becoming the first former Michigan basketball player to earn the honor. He’s also been inducted into the Houston and Michigan sports hall of fames.
jhawkins@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Hamtramck to honor basketball icon Rudy Tomjanovich with court dedication
Reporting by James Hawkins, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
