He was the reluctant coach. They had to talk him into taking the job.

He was the reluctant icon. The one who'll still bag his own groceries at the supermarket.

To say it is surprising Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down as the man in charge of the Rockets is an understatement.

Yet it is no less astonishing than how far he took that job, that franchise, this city in the first place.

"Never underestimate the heart of a champion!" he told us.