15 best Michigan basketball NBA careers in Wolverines history

2. Rudy Tomjanovich

Rudy Tomjanovich carved out quite the professional career in Houston, but was a Michigan man years prior, spending the late 60s playing for the Wolverines.

After sitting his first season, back when freshmen couldn’t play, Tomjanovich became one of the nation’s best post players while with the Wolverines. He was already averaging better than a double-double in his first season and his numbers were simply mind-boggling. As a senior, he averaged 30.1 points and 15.7 rebounds per game, setting himself up well for the next level and earning Second-Team All-American honors.

The 2nd overall pick in 1970, Tomjanovich was taken by the then San Diego Rockets and would spend his entire NBA playing career with that franchise. The numbers he put up across the next 11 years were exceptional, averaging a double-double early in his career and eclipsing 20 points per game on four separate occasions.

He was a 5-time All-Star with the Rockets and scored more than 13,000 career points with the franchise.

His No. 45 jersey was retired by both the Rockets and Michigan, where he remains the career rebounds leader. He would later be a coach for the Rockets, coaching Hakeem Olajuwon and crew to a pair of NBA championships in the mid-90s.

His legacy is clear in the city of Houston and it’s even clearer among former Wolverines who’ve taken their game to the next level. Among those former Wolverines, he ranks 3rd in rebounds and 5th in points scored in the NBA.