HOUSTON - Former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich would be thrilled if he is elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but he does not consider it necessary to validate his career.
"That's exactly how I feel," Tomjanovich said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "I don't want to not give it respect because it is a wonderful thing, but in my mind does it change how good the wonderful memories (are) or anything? It doesn't really affect that. I know what happened.
"We'll be coming up on another year where there'll be great teams fighting for this thing, and a lot of good teams won't make it. We had that opportunity and we did it."
On his watch as coach the Rockets won NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.
According to mlive.com Tomjanovich has been on the Hall of Fame ballot 11 times, the last eight years as a coach.
"I didn't even know I was on the ballot to be honest with you," Tomjanovich said. "It's something I don't think about. It's one of those things, if it comes it comes. I just don't waste a lot of time thinking about it.
"I'm surprised. I hadn't heard that. I don't want to invest any time thinking about things like that. I'm happy with the way things turned out in basketball, and in life too.
"Anything extra would be nice, but it isn't going to change my memories of what's happened."
There are 13 coaches who have won multiple NBA titles and 10 of them are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The three who are not are Tomjanovich, San Antonio Spurs coach Greg Popovich and Miami Heat Erik Spoelstra
There are three coaches who have won an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal: Tomjanovich, Chuck Daly and Lenny Wilkens.
Daly and Wilkens are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Tomjanovich would very happy if he gets the call that he has been elected to the Hall, but would not be upset if it never happens.
"Of course I would feel great, but I'm not going to go there," Tomjanovich said. "These things are, you never know.
"I'm happy. I've got three dogs. Like last night it was Three Dog Night in the bed here. They think I'm the greatest thing in the world. They don't know what my win-loss percentage is. If they're not wagging their tails then something's wrong.
"I've been a pretty lucky guy."
As long as those dogs are wagging their tails.