| No. 18, 34 | |
|---|---|
| Small forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | June 6, 1940 |
| Place of birth | Santa Maria, California |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Santa Maria |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | USC |
| NBA Draft | 1962 / Round: 2 / Pick: 9th overall |
| Selected by the New York Knicks | |
| Pro career | 1962–1965 |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 1962–1964 | New York Knicks |
| 1965 | San Francisco Warriors |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 822 (6.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 412 (3.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 72 (0.5 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
John Rudometkin (born June 6, 1940) is a retired American professional basketball, formerly of the New York Knicks and San Francisco Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] He was selected in the second round as the 11th pick in the 1962 NBA Draft by the Knicks and spent three seasons playing in the league.[1] Rudometkin was nicknamed "the Reckless Russian" by Chick Hearn, the legendary Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster who used to broadcast USC men's basketball games before transitioning to the NBA.[2]
Before attending the University of Southern California, Rudometkin spent one year playing basketball at Allan Hancock College, a junior college located in his hometown of Santa Maria, California.[3] He averaged 18.2 points per game (ppg) in 30 games during the 1958–59 season.[3]
Rudometkin then enrolled at USC in the fall of 1959 to play for the Trojans. As a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) center, he went on to have a highly successful career in college. In his three varsity seasons at the NCAA Division I institution, Rudometkin held career averages of 18.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in 79 games played.[3] He scored 1,434 points, which stood as the school record for 23 years, and his 18.8 average is still the best career average at USC.[4] In 1961, he led the Trojans to an outright conference title, which through 2009–10 remains their most recent outright conference championship.[4] In all three seasons Rudometkin led the team in scoring and was named the team MVP,[4] and as a senior in 1961–62 he was named a consensus Second Team All-American.
After his college career ended, Rudometkin was selected in the second round as the 11th overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 1962 NBA Draft.[1] He spent the 1962–63, 1963–64, and part of the 1964–65 seasons playing for the Knicks until he was signed as a free agent on February 2, 1965, by the San Francisco Warriors, with whom he subsequently finished the season (and his career).[1] Although Rudometkin played the center position in college, he was moved to play forward in the NBA.[1] In three professional seasons, Rudometkin averaged 6.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.[1]
After only three seasons, Rudometkin was forced to prematurely retire from basketball. His stamina weakened noticeably and doctors could not initially determine the cause.[2] He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a diverse group of blood cancers that include any kind of lymphoma except Hodgkin's lymphoma.[5] He spent years in treatment, which caused total hair loss, temporary paralysis and the need to learn to walk all over again.[2] Rudometkin eventually went into remission and cites both medicine and his faith as reasons why he was able to survive the tumor which had encircled his lungs and heart.[2]
After his ordeal, Rudometkin married, had three sons, wrote a book about his experiences and traveled the country as a motivational speaker.[2] He also spent time as a real estate investor and minister.[4] Today he resides in Newcastle, California with his wife of roughly 50 years, but needs an oxygen tank to help him breathe.[2]
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