EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The stress of coaching the Los Angeles Lakers wore Rudy Tomjanovich down to the point where he needed medication just to get by.
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When that didn't work, he realized something had to change.
So, Tomjanovich resigned Wednesday, his tenure as coach of the Lakers lasting barely half a season.
"I think this is the best decision for me and the Lakers," a subdued Tomjanovich said at a news conference. "A month ago, I became conscious of not feeling good. As the time went by, I started to feel my resistance going down. I went from this energetic, pumped-up guy to all of a sudden being sapped of a lot of energy.
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"I hadn't been on antibiotics for a couple of years, or at least a year, and already here, because of my resistance being low, I was on it consistently, you know, with infections. And it just seemed like I just got deeper and deeper into not feeling good."
Tomjanovich, 56, said he'll never coach again.
"That's clear in my mind -- absolutely not," he said.
He said he felt disappointed, but not ashamed.
"I couldn't shut it off when I was away from the arena," Tomjanovich said. "Why this happened now and why my body couldn't take it now, I do not have the answer. I've been through a heck of a lot more."
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| Rudy Tomjanovich leaves the Lakers with a 22-19 record in his half season as head coach. (AP) |
Tomjanovich survived all that, but decided coaching at this time was too much for him.
"I know I did become consumed and maybe -- I can't remember exactly how I was before -- but I'd go for a walk and think that was an outlet," he said. "But all I thought about was basketball while I was walking."
Proudly, he said his sobriety hasn't been threatened by what he's been going through.
