On December 9, 1977, during a NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets, a scuffle broke out between several players at midcourt. Rockets' forward Rudy Tomjanovich ran toward the fight to try and break it up and protect his teammates. Kermit Washington, a Laker power forward, saw a blaze of Rocket red running toward him at full speed and threw a punch.Tomjanovich was knocked unconscious before he even hit the floor. He finally awoke a few minutes later, lying in a pool of his own blood as the Rockets' team trainer tried to stop the flow. After a few more minutes he was able to walk off the court. Tomjanovich was taken to an ambulance and brought to the hospital, there the X-rays revealed that the posterior portion of his face was way out of alignment. The doctor could easily move around Rudy's upper jaw and his eyes were beginning to swell shut. The doctor asked him if he had a funny taste in his mouth and Rudy responded that he did and it wasn't bloody, but very bitter. Cerebrospinal fluid was leaking out of a skull fracture and into his mouth.http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1376655Who remembers this? This might have been the most devastating punch in sports history. They say that Kermit Washington is the strongest man in NBA history...
Yeah I saw the documentary about his. I actually feel bad for Kermit Washington. Not because he was a Laker but because the way the Lakers organization turned their back on him including Jerry West and Jerry Buss.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Who remembers this? This might have been the most devastating punch in sports history.</div>I remember that. The league was in trouble in those days, that incident was right around the time when Kareem broke his hand on Kent Benson's face in a game. Kermit was a badass though, he was big, strong and very good, with him in the lineup, the Lakers were favored to reach the finals that year. And yeah, the league hung him out to dry after that. He was a very good player, and it's sad that his career had to end the way it did. If I remember correctly, he was fined 10,000 dollars, and was suspended for like 65 games that year WITHOUT PAY. The Lakers eventually traded him to the Celtics.Also, game 2 of the 1977 finals had a huge brawl in it with Maurice Lucas and Darryl Dawkins duking it out in center court- that was a sweet fight.
Yeah, I read something about that. Apparently he didnt just come up to him and punch him, he turned around, swung as hard as he could, and Tomjanovich happened to be there. Devestating punch.
Yeah, it was actually a fight between Kareem and somebody else, Washington went over to help out Kareem and Tomjanovich was trying to break it up or something, Washington saw somebody running up behind him and though he was going to get hit so, he threw a punch.
He was a product of the system. In the NBA, you always had one "enforcer" on the floor. With fights happening so often, you had to have someone out there to keep the stars healthy and out of fights. Kermit's job was to keep people off Kareem. When the fight broke out, as was Kermit's job, he ran up to the fight. In the middle of it he saw someone in red running up to the fight. Considering the times, one could only assume that the guy was joining into the fight, so Kermit leveled the dude.I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned. When Rudy came to (he obviously didn't realize what had happened), he asked if the scoreboard had fallen on him...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fouled Out @ Oct 20 2006, 10:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>He was a product of the system. In the NBA, you always had one "enforcer" on the floor. With fights happening so often, you had to have someone out there to keep the stars healthy and out of fights. Kermit's job was to keep people off Kareem. When the fight broke out, as was Kermit's job, he ran up to the fight. In the middle of it he saw someone in red running up to the fight. Considering the times, one could only assume that the guy was joining into the fight, so Kermit leveled the dude.I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned. When Rudy came to (he obviously didn't realize what had happened), he asked if the scoreboard had fallen on him...</div>F*ck that, Kermit was stronger than the scoreboard.
kermit is coaching in china now, he's in his fifties and still has a 500 pound bench press. When he hit tomjanovich spinal fluid started leaking into rudy's mouth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNtW0BW2fC0...ted&search=I just found part of the video, it's in the beginning of this vid.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The doctor asked him if he had a funny taste in his mouth and Rudy responded that he did and it wasn't bloody, but very bitter. Cerebrospinal fluid was leaking out of a skull fracture and into his mouth.</div> Jesus H. Christ...wow...I've heard about this but not the above quote.
The punch happened in 1977. Bird and Magic entered the league in 1978. This is one of the reasons people say Bird and Magic saved the NBA.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The punch happened in 1977. Bird and Magic entered the league in 1978. This is one of the reasons people say Bird and Magic saved the NBA.</div>Bird and Magic Entered the league in the 79-80 season. Bird was drafted in '78 but neither played until '79
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tHe_pEsTiLeNcE @ Feb 17 2007, 04:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Bird and Magic Entered the league in the 79-80 season. Bird was drafted in '78 but neither played until '79</div>I was doing it by when they were drafted. Entering the league means they were drafted. They're on a team so they're in the league. It doesn't matter if they play. Fans were excited at the anticipation of Bird and Magic.
man the league was brutal back in the day. I just read bout the teams havin enforcers yesterday. it sucks for kermit that he will pretty much be remembered 4 dat punch
