Report: Famed Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich to be elected into HOF

Although former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich has been snubbed continuously for the Basketball Hall of Fame, it appears Rudy T has finally gotten his due.

It’s been stated countless times by many in the basketball world that Houston Rockets coaching legend Rudy Tomjanovich belongs in the Hall of Fame. Although it may seem obvious to the basketball observers, it hadn’t materialized into an induction leading upto this year.

All of that is about to change on Saturday for Tomjanovich, which is much deserving for the Rockets coaching legend.

Wow! NBA sources: Former #Rockets Coach Rudy Tomjanovich elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) April 3, 2020

Rudy T led the Rockets to back to back NBA titles in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, which are the only championships in Rockets’ history. Tomjanovich’s two titles are more than fellow Hall of Fame coaches Jack Ramsay, Larry Brown, Bill Fitch, Don Nelson, Jerry Sloan, Lenny Wilkins, and Bill Sharman. It’s also the same number as Alex Hannum and Chuck Daly have on their resume.

Tomjanovich also ranks 29th all-time in career coaching wins, yet coached the fewest number of games and total seasons out of anyone ahead of him.  In addition, Rudy T has a career win percentage of 55.9 percent, which puts him at 10th all-time among coaches who have coached for at least 13 years.

Tomjanovich was also heavily involved in the national USA basketball team, as he served as the head coach in the 1998 FIBA World Championships, where Team USA earned a bronze medal. After the success of 1998 world championships, Tomjanovich was named the head coach of the 2000 Olympics, as he coached the team to a gold medal in Sydney, Australia.

Tomjanovich was elected into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year, and it seemed inevitable that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame would soon be calling for the famed Houston Rockets coach. Tomjanovich’s 1994-95 Rockets group became the first time in NBA history in which a sixth seed would go on to win the title, as they eliminated each of the top three seeds in the West, en route to winning the title.

Kudos to voters for finally getting it right, and congrats to Tomjanovich on getting the ultimate recognition!