Mario Elie celebrates Hall of Fame nod for Rudy Tomjanovich

Former Rockets guard Mario Elie shares his thoughts on the long-overdue news of Rudy Tomjanovich joining the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Former Houston Rockets guard and two-time NBA champion Mario Elie expressed his immense joy Saturday at the news of Rudy Tomjanovich making the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Now 71 years old, Tomjanovich played for the Rockets from 1970 through 1981, and was head coach from 1992 through 2003. That run included Houston’s only two NBA titles in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons.

In his 11-plus seasons as head coach, Tomjanovich led the Rockets to a 503-397 (.559) regular-season record and a 51-39 (.567) mark in the NBA playoffs, headlined by Houston’s two championships in 1994 and 1995. He is by far the winningest coach in franchise history.

One of the marquee players on those title teams was swingman Mario Elie, who shared his thoughts on ‘Rudy T’ in an Instagram video.

With a huge smile, Elie said:

I remember 1994, in the Western Conference semifinals, being down two-zip against the Phoenix Suns. The whole city was against us, but there was one person who had our back. That’s coach Rudy T. We went on to win the series that year, and we went on to win the city’s first championship. Rudy T, congratulations on being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Tomjanovich had been the only coach in history with multiple NBA titles and an Olympic gold medal who was not in the Hall of Fame.

Besides his extensive accomplishments as a head coach, Tomjanovich was also a dynamic player for the Rockets ⁠— with averages of 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 33.5 minutes per game over 11 seasons from 1970 through 1981. He was a five-time All-Star at power forward.

Known for his hard-nosed defense and clutch shooting, Elie played for Tomjanovich from 1993-94 through 1997-98. He averaged 9.8 points (36.3% on 3-pointers) and 3.1 assists in 27.8 minutes per game.

Tomjanovich and other members of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 are scheduled to be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 29 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Players to be inducted alongside “Rudy T” will include Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and the late Kobe Bryant.

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