Darrell Kurt Rambis
USAEarly Life and College Career
Darrick Kurt Rambis was born and raised in Cupertino, California. He played basketball for his high school team in Cupertino. Rambis attended Santa Clara University from 1976 to 1980, where he excelled as a basketball player. He set team records for the most points scored and is second in rebounds. In his first season, he was named the conference's Rookie of the Year, and in his final season, he was named the conference's Player of the Year. In 2008, his number 34 was retired by Santa Clara University.
Professional Playing Career
Rambis was selected in the third round with the 58th overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 1980 NBA Draft. However, after the summer training camp, the Knicks did not sign him, and Rambis went to Greece to play for AEK Athens. He returned to the Knicks in January 1981 but never played for the team. Despite not being a star player like his teammates Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy, Rambis was valued by his team for his hard work and hustle. He won four NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Rambis also played for the Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings before returning to the Lakers, where he played until 1995.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Rambis returned to the NBA as a coach. In the shortened 1998/1999 season, he became the head coach of the Lakers after the firing of Del Harris. Despite a slow start, Rambis led the team to a second-place finish in the division and a trip to the Western Conference semifinals, where they lost to the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs. After the season, Phil Jackson was hired as the head coach, and Rambis remained with the Lakers as an assistant general manager and later as an assistant coach. In the summer of 2009, Rambis was considered for head coaching positions with the Sacramento Kings and Philadelphia 76ers but could not reach an agreement with them. In August 2009, he was appointed as the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, a position he currently holds.
