1. Darrell Kurt Rambis is a Greek-American former professional basketball player and coach who is a senior basketball adviser for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association.
27 Facts About Kurt Rambis
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Kurt Rambis was selected by the New York Knicks in the third round of the 1980 NBA draft, but began his career in Greece with AEK Athens before joining the Lakers.
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Kurt Rambis played for the Charlotte Hornets, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings.
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Kurt Rambis became a coach and has served as head coach for the Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Knicks.
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Kurt Rambis won two league championships as an assistant coach with the Lakers.
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Kurt Rambis was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, into a family of Greek extraction.
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Kurt Rambis's family moved to Cupertino, California in his preschool years; his number is retired at Cupertino High School.
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Kurt Rambis graduated from Santa Clara University, where he played from 1976 to 1980, becoming its second-leading rebounder and all-time leading scorer with 1,736 points.
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Kurt Rambis was drafted by the New York Knicks as the 58th pick in the 1980 NBA draft, but he was waived by the Knicks.
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Kurt Rambis played in Greece in the Greek League for the club AEK Athens, under the name Kyriakos Rambidis.
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Kurt Rambis was re-signed by the Knicks in 1981 but never played a game for them.
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Kurt Rambis spent most of his 14 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers, winning championships in 1982,1985,1987, and 1988 as part of their Showtime teams.
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Kurt Rambis usually wore a thick moustache and thick-rimmed black glasses, prompting Lakers announcer Chick Hearn to nickname him "Superman".
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Kurt Rambis retired as a player with the Lakers in 1995.
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Kurt Rambis began working as a special assistant coach for the Lakers in 1994 but eventually returned to the active playing roster in February 1995.
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Kurt Rambis served as head coach of the Lakers during the 1999 "lockout season" after coach Del Harris was fired.
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When Phil Jackson was hired as head coach, Kurt Rambis served as the Lakers' assistant general manager.
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Kurt Rambis later became an assistant coach under Jackson between 2001 and 2004, helping the Lakers reach the 2002 and the 2004 NBA Finals, with Los Angeles winning a title in the former series.
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Kurt Rambis was hired again as an assistant in 2005, along with former player Brian Shaw, helping the Lakers to another pair of finals in 2008 and 2009.
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In 2007, Kurt Rambis interviewed for the Sacramento Kings' coaching job.
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Kurt Rambis was a finalist again in 2009 to coach the Kings, and after serious discussions, he was offered the job, but he wanted more than a two-year contract and more money than was offered, so he turned down the job.
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On July 7,2014, the Knicks announced they had hired Kurt Rambis to be the assistant head coach of the team under head coach Derek Fisher.
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On February 8,2016, Kurt Rambis was named the interim head coach after Fisher was fired.
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In September 2018, Kurt Rambis rejoined the Lakers as a senior basketball adviser.
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Kurt Rambis had a recurring role as Coach Cleary in the family drama 7th Heaven.
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Kurt Rambis guest-starred in season one of Sweet Valley High in episode thirteen "Club X" as a friend of Elizabeth and an episode of The Commish as a basketball player.
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Kurt Rambis appeared in the "Going Places" episode of It's Garry Shandling's Show.