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Rudy LaRusso

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Rudy LaRusso
LaRusso (35) getting fouled by Johnny Green (11) of the New York Knickerbockers in 1963
Personal information
Born(1937-11-11)November 11, 1937
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 9, 2004(2004-07-09) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High schoolJames Madison
(Brooklyn, New York)
CollegeDartmouth (1956–1959)
NBA draft1959: 2nd round, 10th overall pick
Drafted byMinneapolis Lakers
Playing career1959–1969
PositionPower forward / center
Number35
Career history
1959–1967Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers
1967–1969San Francisco Warriors
Career highlights
Career statistics
Points11,507 (15.6 ppg)
Rebounds6,936 (9.4 rpg)
Assists1,556 (2.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Rudolph A. LaRusso (November 11, 1937 – July 9, 2004)[1] was an American professional basketball player and five-time All-Star in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2] He was nicknamed "Brutus" and "Roughhouse Rudy" because of his physicality and competitive spirit on the court.[3]

Early life

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LaRusso was Jewish, born in Brooklyn, New York.[1][4][5] He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn.[6] LaRusso, whose mother was Jewish and father was Italian, won All-City honors and was later inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.[6] He attended and graduated from Dartmouth College.[3][7] In 1959, playing for Dartmouth, he grabbed 32 rebounds in a game against Columbia, tying an Ivy League record.[7] He also set Dartmouth records for rebounds in a season (503) and career (1,239), and was twice named All-Ivy League.[6]

Professional career

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Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1960–1967)

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LaRusso was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft out of Dartmouth College. He played eight years with them and two more for the San Francisco Warriors. On November 26, 1959, he scored 15 points and 20 rebounds in a 114-95 loss to the Cincinnati Royals.[8] He became the second Lakers rookie to have grabbed at least 20 rebounds in a single game, joining teammate Elgin Baylor. On February 24, 1960, he scored a season-high 27 points in a 131-110 setback against the Boston Celtics.[9]

In his second year, LaRusso slightly improved his statistics from his rookie season. In his second game of the season, LaRusso recorded a career-high 28 points in a 112-97 loss to the St. Louis Hawks.[10]

In 1962, he scored 50 points against the Hawks, at that point the most ever by a Jewish NBA basketball player. in a game for the Lakers against the Hawks.[7] In 1967–68, he finished seventh in scoring league-wide with a career-best average of 21.8 points per game.

San Francisco Warriors (1967–1969)

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Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke made a push to trade LaRusso in the midst of a subpar 1966-67 season, reportedly calling him a "brute" around the basket. On January 16, 1967, a proposed three-team trade would send him to the Detroit Pistons along with a first-round draft pick, while Mel Counts headed to the Lakers. In turn, the Pistons would ship Ray Scott to the Baltimore Bullets. However, LaRusso refused to report to the Pistons, stating that he did not want to uproot his wife who was seven months pregnant. He already had contemplated retirement from the game to become a stockbroker. The Bullets did not budge despite the Pistons and Lakers having second thoughts about the transaction. When the league ruled the trade to be valid, the Pistons suspended LaRusso, who promptly retired. In August, his rights were sold to the San Francisco Warriors.[11][12]

LaRusso had two solid seasons with the Warriors, playing more than 75 games and averaging more than 20 points in each one while being selected an All-Star both times. He retired after the 1968-69 season to become an investment banker and sports agent.[13]

Player profile

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LaRusso was a five-time All-Star and was known for his rebounding, tight defense, toughness, and presence.[2][3]

Personal life

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LaRusso had a small cameo role in the Gilligan's Island third-season episode "Bang! Bang! Bang!" as 'Agent Michaels'.

He died of Parkinson's disease in 2004. He has a son, Corey LaRusso, and a daughter from another marriage, Christine Larusso, a Los Angeles-based poet.

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

NBA

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Source[14]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1959–60 Minneapolis 71 29.5 .389 .742 9.6 1.2 13.7
1960–61 L.A. Lakers 79* 32.8 .419 .790 9.9 1.7 14.6
1961–62 L.A. Lakers 80* 34.4 .466 .763 10.4 2.2 17.2
1962–63 L.A. Lakers 75 33.4 .422 .718 10.0 2.5 12.3
1963–64 L.A. Lakers 79 34.8 .434 .751 10.1 2.4 12.3
1964–65 L.A. Lakers 77 33.6 .461 .773 9.4 2.6 14.1
1965–66 L.A. Lakers 76 30.5 .457 .787 8.7 2.2 15.4
1966–67 L.A. Lakers 45 28.7 .415 .696 7.8 1.7 12.8
1967–68 San Francisco 79 35.7 .433 .790 9.4 2.3 21.8
1968–69 San Francisco 75 37.1 .410 .794 8.3 2.1 20.7
Career 736 33.3 .431 .767 9.4 2.1 15.6
All-Star 4 17.5 .481 .333 4.3 1.5 7.3

Playoffs

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1960 Minneapolis 9 35.7 .424 .771 7.8 2.4 15.4
1961 L.A. Lakers 12* 30.0 .396 .667 8.0 2.0 12.2
1962 L.A. Lakers 13 35.5 .365 .758 9.1 1.7 14.1
1963 L.A. Lakers 13* 35.8 .422 .760 9.8 2.2 14.4
1964 L.A. Lakers 5 37.8 .394 .864 6.0 2.2 9.0
1965 L.A. Lakers 11 35.9 .409 .716 8.1 2.6 15.0
1966 L.A. Lakers 14 28.4 .460 .791 7.1 1.9 11.9
1968 San Francisco 10 38.5 .396 .728 9.9 1.7 20.3
1969 San Francisco 6 35.8 .378 .774 8.5 2.5 18.2
Career 93 34.3 .405 .751 8.4 2.1 14.5

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Crowe, Jerry (July 10, 2004). "Rudy LaRusso, 66; Played on 1st L.A. Laker Team". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Springer, S.; Sharman, B. (2012). 100 Things Lakers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. p. 38. ISBN 9781617495847. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Lazenby, R. (2010). Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon. Random House Publishing Group. p. 229. ISBN 9780345519269. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  4. ^ "LaRusso, Rudy : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum". jewsinsports.org. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  5. ^ Horvitz, P.S. (2007). The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and the 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. SPI Books. p. 146. ISBN 9781561719075. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia – Richard J. Shmelter – Google Books
  7. ^ a b c Wechsler, B. (2008). Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House. p. 74. ISBN 9781602800137. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  8. ^ "Minneapolis Lakers at Cincinnati Royals Box Score, November 26, 1959". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  9. ^ "Minneapolis Lakers vs Boston Celtics Box Score, February 24, 1960". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "Los Angeles Lakers at St. Louis Hawks Box Score, October 22, 1960". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  11. ^ "Pistons Get LaRusso from Lakers and Send Scott to Bullets in 3-Club Trade; COUNTS IS DEALT TO LOS ANGELES LaRusso Third Top Scorer for Lakers He and Scott Are Good Rebounders". The New York Times. January 17, 1967.
  12. ^ Kuska, Bob (2024). Balls of Confusion: Pro Basketball Goes to War (1965-1970). From Way Downtown Publishing. pp. 62–66. ISBN 9798990585102.
  13. ^ https://1959.dartmouth.org/s/1353/images/gid179/editor_documents/obits/larusso.pdf?gid=179&pgid=61&sessionid=f9376b98-ed02-4a26-96b7-2552d017ad78&cc=1 [bare URL]
  14. ^ "Rudy LaRusso NBA statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
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