Tommy Rutherford
American basketball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Rutherford[1] (born January 9, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for Jonava Hipocredit of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Listed at 6 feet 8.3 inches (2.04 m) and 240 pounds (109 kg), he plays the center position. He played college basketball for the UC Irvine Anteaters.
| Jonava Hipocredit | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | LKL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 9, 1997 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8.3 in (2.04 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Grossmont (El Cajon, California) |
| College | UC Irvine (2016–2020) |
| NBA draft | 2020: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2021 | Racing Luxembourg |
| 2021–2022 | Starwings Basel |
| 2022–2023 | ZZ Leiden |
| 2023–2024 | Neptūnas Klaipėda |
| 2024 | South Bay Lakers |
| 2025 | Motor City Cruise |
| 2025–2026 | BC Kalev |
| 2026–present | Jonava Hipocredit |
| Career highlights | |
| |
College career
After graduating Grossmont High School, Rutherford played with the UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team from 2016 to 2020.[2] He was a first-team All-Big West in 2018.[3]
Professional career
Rutherford started his professional career in 2020, when he played his rookie season with Racing Luxembourg in the Luxembourg League. He averaged a double-double of 16.2 points and a league-leading 16.2 rebounds per game.[4]
In the 2021–22 season, Rutherford played in Switzerland for Starwings Basel. He averaged 15.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game in the Swiss Basketball League (SBL).[4]
On August 22, 2022, Rutherford signed with Dutch club ZZ Leiden of the BNXT League.[3] With Leiden, he won the Dutch Cup, Dutch League and BNXT championship in the 2022–23 season. In Game 5 of the Dutch League finals, Rutherford scored the decisive two free-throws that sealed Leiden's fifth national title. He was also named Dutch Finals MVP after the series.[5]
On August 2, 2023, Rutherford signed with Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).[6]
On October 26, 2024, Rutherford joined the Santa Cruz Warriors after being selected in the 2024 NBA G League draft.[7] However, he was waived on November 6[8] and on December 6, he joined the South Bay Lakers,[9] but was waived on December 13.[10]
On January 11, 2025, Rutherford joined the Motor City Cruise.[11]
In August 13, 2025, it was announced that Rutherford will join Estonian club Kalev of the Korvpalli Meistriliiga for the 2025–26 season.[12]
On February 24, 2026, Rutherford signed with Jonava Hipocredit of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).[13]
Personal life
Rutherford has an older brother and an older sister. He studied civil engineering at the University of California, Irvine.[2]