Former Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Rudy Tomjanovic was named the winner of the 2024 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association.
Tomjanovic is one of just nine coaches to win back-to-back NBA Championships and was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
“I am honored to receive the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Tomjanovich. “I have to admit, I was taken by surprise because I did not know I was in the running for it. I was with my son Trey when I got the call from Rick Carlisle telling me about receiving this great award. Trey saw the expression on my face and the emotion in my eyes.
“As Rick told me about some of the past winners of this award, all coaches that I admired and respected, then explained what principles the award stood for: a coach’s standard of integrity, competitive excellence, and tireless promotion of the game of basketball, I got choked up and humbled. I did not know what to say.”
Tomjanovic, known as ‘Rudy T,’ is most remembered for his time as head coach of the Houston Rockets from 1992-2003, leading them to championships in 1994 and 1995. He was then hired by the Lakers in 2003 to replace Phil Jackson, and had the team on pace to make the playoffs but resigned after just 43 games due to mental and physical exhaustion.
Even still, late Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss was among those Tomjanovic thanked upon receiving this honor.
“Afterward, I did cry. They were tears of gratitude for the many people who helped me on my journey through my coaching career. I want to thank owners Charlie Thomas, Leslie Alexander and Jerry Buss for hiring me to coach their teams. I want to thank coaches Del Harris, Bill Fitch and Don Chaney for the opportunity to be an assistant on their staffs and learning from them. I want to thank all my assistant coaches for their hard work and loyalty. They had my complete trust and I consider them family to this day.”
Tomjanovic remains one of the most beloved head coaches the NBA has ever known and is more than deserving of the award. In his 13 seasons as an NBA head coach, Tomjanovic won more than 500 games, finishing below .500 just once.
Dan Hurley turns down Lakers’ $70 million head coach offer
Unfortunately for the current Lakers, they are still without a head coach as Dan Hurley has chosen to remain at UConn for the chance to win a third consecutive NCAA National Championship.
The Lakers reportedly offered Hurley a six-year deal worth $70 million, which would have made him one of the five highest-paid coaches in the NBA, but he turned it down.
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