Kurt Rambis
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| Position | Power forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Weight | 213 lb (97 kg) |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | February 25 1958 Image:Flag of California.svg Cupertino, California |
| College | Santa Clara |
| Draft | 3rd round, 58th overall, 1980 New York Knicks |
| Pro career | 1980–1995 |
| Former teams | AEK Athens BC (1980-1981) Los Angeles Lakers (1981-1988, 1993-1995) Charlotte Hornets (1988-1990) Phoenix Suns (1990-1992) Sacramento Kings (1992-1993) |
Darrell Kurt Rambis (born February 25, 1958 in Cupertino, California) is a former American professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. He graduated from Santa Clara University and then played in Greece with AEK Athens BC and won the Greek Cup in 1981. His number is retired in Cupertino High School. Rambis was drafted and waived by the New York Knicks in 1980 before playing in Greece. He was re-signed by the Knicks in 1981 but never played a game for them. His success as an NBA player started when he was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1981. Rambis spent most of his 14 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, winning championships in 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Rambis also played for the Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.
During his playing days, Rambis was a favorite among the Lakers fans because of his status as an over-achieving underdog and ultimate team-player. Known for his defensive skills, Rambis also was an efficient clean-up man on offense with his field goal percentage reaching 59.5% at the peak of his career. Rambis usually wore a thick moustache and thick-rimmed black glasses, prompting Lakers announcer Chick Hearn to nickname him "Superman" (in reference to the character's alter ego, Clark Kent).
After retiring from his playing career, he briefly coached the Lakers franchise during the 1999 "lockout season" following the firing of coach Del Harris. He achieved moderate success, registering a 24-13 record in regular season before being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 Western Conference Semifinals. He stayed on as an assistant coach when Phil Jackson took over.
Rambis also had a recurring role as Coach Cleary in the family drama 7th Heaven.
Rambis is also mentioned in the song Blao! by rapper Hot Karl. The line states "I'm wearing the goggles that Kurt Rambis used to sport." The song was featured on NBA Live 2003.
| Preceded by Del Harris | Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach 1999 | Succeeded by Phil Jackson |
[edit] External links
Los Angeles Lakers 1981-82 NBA Champions |
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5 Jordan | 8 Brewer | 10 Nixon | 11 McAdoo | 21 Cooper | 31 Rambis | 32 E. Johnson (Finals MVP) | 33 Abdul-Jabbar | 34 C. Johnson | 40 McGee | 52 Wilkes | 54 Landsberger | Coach Riley |
Los Angeles Lakers 1984-85 NBA Champions |
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Los Angeles Lakers 1986-87 NBA Champions |
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1 Matthews | 4 Scott | 21 Cooper | 24 Branch | 31 Rambis | 32 Johnson (Finals MVP) | 33 Abdul-Jabbar | 42 Worthy | 43 M. Thompson | 45 Green | 52 Smrek | 55 B. Thompson | Coach Riley |
Los Angeles Lakers 1987-88 NBA Champions |
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Charlotte Hornets' inaugural National Basketball Association season (1988-89) |
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| 1 Bogues • 3 Chapman • 6 Holton • 7 Tripucka • 21 Green • 25 Cureton • 30 Curry • 31 Rambis • 41 Kempton • 42 Hoppen • 45 Rowsom • 50 Reid • Head Coach Harter |
Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers Head Coaches |
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| Kundla • Mikan • Kundla • Castellani • Pollard • Schaus • van Breda Kolff • Mullaney • Sharman • West • McKinney • Westhead • Riley • Dunleavy • Pfund • Johnson • Harris • Rambis • Jackson • Tomjanovich • Hamblen • Jackson |
Categories: 1958 births | Living people | American basketball coaches | American basketball players | People from the San Francisco Bay Area | AEK Athens basketball players | Los Angeles Lakers players | Charlotte Hornets players | Phoenix Suns players | Sacramento Kings players | Los Angeles Lakers coaches | Santa Clara Broncos men's basketball players | Power forwards (basketball) | Greek-Americans | United States basketball biography, 1950s birth stubs
