In a long-overdue moment, Houston Rockets and NBA legend Rudy Tomjanovich was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend, after an impressive career as a player and then a coach, known for his “heart of a champion”.
Joined onstage by presenters Hakeem Olajuwon and Calvin Murphy, Rudy then went on to give a beautiful and heartfelt induction speech, in which he was grateful to just about every person who was part of his epic basketball journey.
#20HoopClass enshrinee, Rudy Tomjanovich. pic.twitter.com/G6WxaZdEtN
— NBA (@NBA) May 15, 2021
The 72-year-old Tomjanovich is the only man in NBA history who scored 10,000 points a player and won two championships and 500 games as a coach. But it’s clear, from his speech, that his adoration of basketball it is much more about the memories and the people who touched him along the way.
HFR founder Samir Becic, longtime friend of Rudy T, joined him at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut where the 2020 2020 Hall of Fame Enshrinement which also included the late 18-time NBA All-Star and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, 15-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan, 15-time NBA All-Star and nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Kevin Garnett, and four-time National Coach of the Year Eddie Sutton for the men’s committee.
Samir said of his friend Rudy T: “I’m truly glad that my friend Rudy Tomjanovich got into the NBA Hall of Fame, he deserves it ten times over. It should have happened years ago!”
Here is Rudy’s full speech:
