On May 16, Beijing time, the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony was officially held, and Rudi TomJanovic gave a speech, in which he thanked the former Rockets disciple Olajuwon: "Hakim, I can stand here now because of you, you brought everything to that Rocket team. TomJanovic was nominated for a full 10 years before finally being officially inducted into the Hall of Fame.
In his speech, TomJanovic, 72, also thanked many players: "I have had the privilege of coaching many talented players! They come from different places and have different personalities! Among them are Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Charles Barkley, and Yao Ming — tall, big, talented, and humble! ”
When it comes to TomJanovich, many people think of that conflict. On December 9, 1977, a massive brawl broke out between the Rockets and the Lakers. Komit Washington confronted TomJanovich, who had rushed to persuade him, and directly knocked the latter down with a heavy punch. The punch was extremely bad, and at the time it was called "the most brutal blow in NBA history."
Tom Janovich was in a coma for three minutes, and after being sent to the doctor, he asked the doctor why he had a salty taste in his mouth, and the answer was "you may have eaten your own brain pulp"! Because of this punch, TomJanovich suffered a facial fracture and a misaligned skull, and underwent five surgeries before and after, and was forced to retire early.
Blacks seriously injured white people, which brought Washington a lot of condemnation in that era, and he also retired from the army because of this disgraceful punch. But the two are different, and after TomJanovic retired, he still left a strong mark in the history of the NBA. Komit Washington was sentenced to 6 years in prison for fraud and other charges.
TomJanovic's playing career has been dedicated to one team, the Rockets. In the 1970 draft, he was selected by the Rockets with the second pick in the first round and never went to another team, truly interpreting "one person, one city". In his eleven-year NBA career, TomJanovic averaged 17.4 points, 8.1 boards and 2 assists per game, and was selected as an All-Star five times.
In 1981, TomJanovic retired as a player. The Rockets and alma mater, the University of Michigan, retired his No. 45 jersey as a tribute to the legend. TomJanovic spent two years as a scout before embarking on his coaching career. In 1992, he was named interim manager by the Rockets.
After nearly reaching the playoffs in his first season in charge, Tang became the official manager of the Rockets in the 1992-93 season, leading the team to win the division championship. He also became the first head coach in NBA history to lead a lottery team to a division champion in just one season.
In 1994 and 1995, Tang Shuai led the team to win two consecutive championships together with his disciple Olajuwon, of which the 1994-95 championship was the most difficult to come by. That year, Tang Shuai's team tactics were targeted, the Rockets suffered an injury wave, and they only entered the playoffs with a sixth-place finish in the West, with no home advantage.
Coming to the playoff battlefield, Tang Shuai and the Rockets cut through the thorns all the way, and finally swept the Magic in the finals to win the championship. That Rocket also created the myth of the lowest pick in the regular season! Tang Shuai's famous saying has been regarded as a classic by countless people: "For those who do not trust us, I only have one sentence, never underestimate the heart of a championship!" ”
Tang Shuai is humble, friendly to others, and meticulous in his work. Yao Ming's personality is very similar to Tang Shuai' personality, and the two people are also very speculative. Yao Ming entered the rookie season in the NBA, and it was Tang Shuai who coached him. In order to encourage Yao Ming to be brave in confrontation, he once demanded that the ball that Yao Ming could buckle must be deducted, otherwise the whole team would be punished.
Maybe many people don't know TomJanovic, but he is one of Yao Ming's most admired coaches. It was Tang Shuai who helped Yao Ming quickly adapt to the NBA. Five-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion coach, led the No. 6 seed to win the championship, the Olympic champion coach, Tang Shuai was inducted into the Hall of Fame is absolutely deserved!