Rudolph A. LaRusso (November 11, 1937 – July 9, 2004) was an American professional basketball player and five-time All-Star in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was nicknamed "Brutus" and "Roughhouse Rudy" because of his physicality and competitive spirit on the court.
Early life
LaRusso was Jewish, born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn. LaRusso, whose mother was Jewish and father was Italian, won All-City honors and was later inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1959, playing for Dartmouth, he grabbed 32 rebounds in a game against Columbia, tying an Ivy League record. He became the second Lakers rookie to have grabbed at least 20 rebounds in a single game, joining teammate Elgin Baylor. On February 24, 1960, he scored a season-high 27 points in a 131-110 setback against the Boston Celtics.
In his second year, LaRusso slightly improved his statistics from his rookie season. In his second game of the season, LaRusso recorded a career-high 28 points in a 112-97 loss to the St. Louis Hawks.
In 1962, he scored 50 points against the Hawks, at that point the most ever by a Jewish NBA basketball player. in a game for the Lakers against the Hawks.
LaRusso had two solid seasons with the Warriors, playing more than 75 games and averaging more than 20 points in each one while being selected an All-Star both times. He retired after the 1968-69 season to become an investment banker and sports agent.
Player profile
LaRusso was a five-time All-Star and was known for his rebounding, tight defense, toughness, and presence.
Regular season
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Minneapolis
| 71 || 29.5 || .389 || .742 || 9.6 || 1.2 || 13.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| style="background:#CFECEC;"|79* || 32.8 || .419 || .790 || 9.9 || 1.7 || 14.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| style="background:#CFECEC;"|80* || 34.4 || .466 || .763 || 10.4 || 2.2 || 17.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 75 || 33.4 || .422 || .718 || 10.0 || 2.5 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 79 || 34.8 || .434 || .751 || 10.1 || 2.4 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 77 || 33.6 || .461 || .773 || 9.4 || 2.6 || 14.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 76 || 30.5 || .457 || .787 || 8.7 || 2.2 || 15.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 45 || 28.7 || .415 || .696 || 7.8 || 1.7 || 12.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| San Francisco
| 79 || 35.7 || .433 || .790 || 9.4 || 2.3 || 21.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| San Francisco
| 75 || 37.1 || .410 || .794 || 8.3 || 2.1 || 20.7
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 736 || 33.3 || .431 || .767 || 9.4 || 2.1 || 15.6
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| All-Star
| 4 || 17.5 || .481 || .333 || 4.3 || 1.5 || 7.3
Playoffs
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|1960
| style="text-align:left;"| Minneapolis
| 9 || 35.7 || .424 || .771 || 7.8 || 2.4 || 15.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1961
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| style="background:#CFECEC;"|12* || 30.0 || .396 || .667 || 8.0 || 2.0 || 12.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1962
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 13 || 35.5 || .365 || .758 || 9.1 || 1.7 || 14.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1963
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| style="background:#CFECEC;"|13* || 35.8 || .422 || .760 || 9.8 || 2.2 || 14.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1964
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 5 || 37.8 || .394 || .864 || 6.0 || 2.2 || 9.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1965
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 11 || 35.9 || .409 || .716 || 8.1 || 2.6 || 15.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1966
| style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers
| 14 || 28.4 || .460 || .791 || 7.1 || 1.9 || 11.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1968
| style="text-align:left;"| San Francisco
| 10 || 38.5 || .396 || .728 || 9.9 || 1.7 || 20.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1969
| style="text-align:left;"| San Francisco
| 6 || 35.8 || .378 || .774 || 8.5 || 2.5 || 18.2
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 93 || 34.3 || .405 || .751 || 8.4 || 2.1 || 14.5
See also
- List of select Jewish basketball players