Rudy LaRusso

Rudolph A. LaRusso (November 11, 1937 – July 9, 2004)<ref name="Crowe">Template:Cite news</ref> was an American professional basketball player and five-time All-Star in the National Basketball Association (NBA).<ref name="google">Template:Cite book</ref> He was nicknamed "Brutus" and "Roughhouse Rudy" because of his physicality and competitive spirit on the court.<ref name="google2">Template:Cite book</ref>

Early life

LaRusso was Jewish, born in Brooklyn, New York.<ref name="Crowe"/><ref name="jewsinsports">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="google3">Template:Cite book</ref> He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn.<ref name=autogenerated1>The Los Angeles Lakers Encyclopedia – Richard J. Shmelter – Google Books</ref> 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.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> He attended and graduated from Dartmouth College.<ref name="google2"/><ref name="google4">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1959, playing for Dartmouth, he grabbed 32 rebounds in a game against Columbia, tying an Ivy League record.<ref name="google4"/> He also set Dartmouth records for rebounds in a season (503) and career (1,239), and was twice named All-Ivy League.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

Professional career

Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1960–1967)

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="google4"/> 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)

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Player profile

LaRusso was a five-time All-Star and was known for his rebounding, tight defense, toughness, and presence.<ref name="google"/><ref name="google2"/>

Personal life

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

NBA

Source<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
Template:Nbay	Minneapolis	71	29.5	.389	.742	9.6	1.2	13.7
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	79*	32.8	.419	.790	9.9	1.7	14.6
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	80*	34.4	.466	.763	10.4	2.2	17.2
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	75	33.4	.422	.718	10.0	2.5	12.3
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	79	34.8	.434	.751	10.1	2.4	12.3
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	77	33.6	.461	.773	9.4	2.6	14.1
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	76	30.5	.457	.787	8.7	2.2	15.4
Template:Nbay	L.A. Lakers	45	28.7	.415	.696	7.8	1.7	12.8
Template:Nbay	San Francisco	79	35.7	.433	.790	9.4	2.3	21.8
Template:Nbay	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 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 List of select Jewish basketball players References External links