Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Lou Amundson was a high-energy NBA power forward who earned minutes through relentless rebounding, interior defense, and hustle with the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, and several other teams. His activity around the rim, screen setting, and effort-driven play made him a valuable frontcourt role player.

Here is the detailed information about Lou Amundson:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Louis Gabriel Amundson
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born December 7, 1982
  • Hometown: Ventura, California, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm)
  • Weight: 220 pounds (100 kg)
  • Wingspan: Approximately 7 feet 0 inches (213 cm)
  • Shoe Size: 16 (US)
  • Jersey Number: 17, 89, 21, 6, 16, 18, 14 (varied by team)
  • Position: Power Forward / Center
  • High School: Monarch High School, Louisville, Colorado
  • College: University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) (2001–2006)
  • NBA Draft: Undrafted in 2006
  • Teams Played For:
    • Philadelphia 76ers (2006–2007)
    • Utah Jazz (2007)
    • Phoenix Suns (2008–2010)
    • Golden State Warriors (2010–2011)
    • Indiana Pacers (2011–2012)
    • Minnesota Timberwolves (2012–2013)
    • Chicago Bulls (2013)
    • New Orleans Pelicans (2013–2014)
    • Cleveland Cavaliers (2014)
    • New York Knicks (2015–2016)
  • Championship Rings: None
  • Kids: Information on his children is not widely available.
  • Siblings: Lou Amundson has one sibling, a sister named Alexa Amundson.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Lou Amundson’s player archetype was that of an energy big: a hustle-driven interior forward who brought activity, toughness, rebounding, and dirty-work defense rather than polished scoring. Defensively, he fit as a mobile help defender and paint scrapper who contested shots, battled on the glass, and injected physicality around the rim. Offensively, his role was narrow but useful, built on screen setting, rim running, put-backs, cuts, and opportunistic finishes instead of self-created offense. With a rangy 6-foot-9 frame, good leaping ability, and nonstop motor, he played with constant urgency and gave teams a high-effort frontcourt presence whose value came from energy, disruption, and doing the small things that do not always show up fully in the box score. (NBA)

Scouting Report

Lou Amundson played every possession as if he expected the ball to come off the rim, and that mindset shaped almost everything he did. His offence wasn’t built around designed touches or polished post moves. It came from outrunning opposing bigs in transition, slipping behind ball-watchers for dump-off passes and relentlessly chasing second-chance opportunities before the defence could establish position. What stands out is how often he created offence simply by refusing to stand still. He would set a screen, dive hard, immediately circle back into another action if the possession continued and keep forcing the low man to account for him. Those repeated cuts and rim runs rarely showed up as assists or shot attempts, but they constantly stretched interior defenders. Defensively, he covered ground better than many players his size, arriving early on weak-side rotations and challenging at the rim with verticality instead of swinging wildly for blocks. He was particularly effective at disrupting timing, making ball handlers hesitate just long enough for teammates to recover. The trade-off was that his aggression occasionally worked against him. Bigger centres could dislodge him on deep post seals, and offensively he offered little spacing or self-created scoring when teams packed the paint. If he caught the ball outside his comfort zone, the possession usually moved on quickly because his passing was functional rather than creative. That’s why his best fit is alongside guards who constantly pressure the rim and wings who can space the floor, allowing him to live as a screener, roller and offensive rebounder instead of asking him to manufacture offence. To me, there are similarities to Nick Collison in the willingness to embrace the unseen work of screening and rotating, although Amundson relied more on activity around the basket, while his constant movement and knack for creating extra possessions also brings to mind a leaner, less physically imposing Kenneth Faried. It’s easy to remember the hustle, but the film shows something more deliberate than that: a player who understood that relentless movement is a skill in itself because every cut, sprint and second effort forces a defence to make one more decision than it wanted to.

Sources:

NBA.com — Gameday: Lakers 90, Bulls 81 | Los Angeles Lakers
Bleacher Report — Breaking Down the Phoenix Suns’ 2008-09 Season
Bleacher Report — Best Supporting Actors: Power Ranking the NBA’s 30 Sixth Men