The Punch That Changed the NBA: Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjanovich

Nineteen seventy seven, the LA Lakers were taking on the Houston Rockets when a scuffle broke out and Lakers quote enforcer Kermit Washington threw one of the hardest punches in all of sports when he hit Rudy tom Vinovich, changing the course of both their careers forever and changing the NBA becoming less like hockey, which caused to become more mainstream become one of the most profitable leagues in the world today. Were going to dive into how this all happened in the aftermath on Daily Sports History. Welcome to Daily Sports History. I'm Ethan Reese, your guide as you daily learn more about sports history, increasing your sports knowledge. And today's trivia question is how much was Kermit Washington find after the punch, which was the largest fine up to that point. So to kind of understand the punch as they call it, happened, you have to understand how the NBA was back in the nineteen seventies. It was not the game that we have today, and back then the game was a lot more like hockey. You actually had enforcers and they were called that. There was actually magazine and articles like ranking who was the best enforcer who was the most intimidating guy on the floor. And you always had a guy on the floor that would stand up for your stars they got a hard foul or someone got in their face. You had one guy that would have NBA skill also be a mean guy that would possibly throw a punch or take a punch or be involved in a fight. And this didn't bode well for the NBA because it wasn't a good product. People wanted to watch a sport and not see fighting. Even though people that love hockey love the fighting aspect of it, most people do. Basketball wanted a different kind of feel. Hockey, you know, was more of a rugged type of game. Basketball was actually created because they wanted more of a gentle game. It was created for order. It was created to be inside and to be easier on the body. And eventually you got great athletes, and they got stronger and stronger and stronger, and these athletes went at each other. And then in the nineteen seventies, the LA Lakers weren't what they were today. They were struggling to find an identity as Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain had retired, and they just traded for Kareem, but they didn't have other players around him to support his greatness. He won his first MVP with the Lakers despite the team having a losing record. That's how good he was and how bad the team was. And the Houston Rockets were in a similar situation. They were struggling to find their way too. They had recently moved from San Diego to Houston and were struggling to find their way, and in nineteen seventy six was the first time they actually made the playoffs. So both these teams were on the rise and trying to make a name for themselves. And in nineteen seventy seven, the Lakers had a enforcer on their team named Kermit Washington. And yes, it's weird to think of an enforcer named Kermit, because when we think of Kermit, we only think of a green frog that sings songs about rain balls. And it just shows a different time because now it's very rare to see someone named Kermit. But he grew up in Washington, d c. In a challenging environment where his family struggled economically, but he found success in school and on the basketball court, and he was able to take that success and go to college at American University, where he became one of the greatest NCAA basketball players, averaging twenty points and twenty rebounds for his entire career, won the few players to ever do so, and his success in college led him to be the fifth overall pick by the La Lakers in the nineteen seventy three draft, and he was known especially for his defensive prowess and his rebounding ability, and also that he had a mean streak. It could be that enforcer type on the basketball court, and the Rockets had an All Star in Rudy tom Danovich, who grew grew up in an immigrant community in a small city in Michigan and eventually would attend Michigan University, where he became an accomplished basketball player, averaging a double double throughout his career twenty five points and fourteen rebounds, and was named an All American in nineteen seventy. He would be selected second overall in the nineteen seventy NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets, where he made his first All Star Game. He would go on a streak making three consecutive All Star Games. He was known for his scoring, his rebounding, and his leadership on the court, and these two players lives officially changed on December ninth, nineteen seventy seven. Like I mentioned before, both these teams were fighting to find their way as a team in the Western Conference and coming into the game, they were each battling for the bottom half of the playoff. The Rockets were ten to thirteen and the Lakers were nine to fifteen, and the Rockets were led by Rudy John Lucas and Moses Malone, who he covered on a previous episode, and the Lakers really just had Kareem al du Jubbara their team. No one else at that time made a significant impact during their time with the Lakers, and the game was competitive throughout. It was a back and forth game and at halftime the Rockets led by two fifty seven to fifty five, but it was a hard first quarter which led tensions throughout, and in the third quarter, Rocket center Kevin Kinnert secured a rebound following a miss from Kareem, and Kermit Washington became entangled in a physical altercation while fighting for the ball and was contacted by an elbow. Tensions escalated and Kareem actually came to take Kinnert off of Washington to try to de escalate the situation, and Rudy came running in to do the same. But Kermit's mind saw Rudy coming in to continue the fight, and while Rudy was running full speed to stop this, Kermit reared back and threw a punch. Now the video of this, you really don't see the scuffle that happens before it pans over as a scuffle starting to end, and you see Rudy running in and get the punch from Kermit. So it paints Kermit in a bad situation. And we covered the Malice of the Palace, it's kind of a similar situation where tensions are high and you just really are throwing a punch. And you have to understand that Kermit was six' eight two hundred and thirty. Pounds he was a big, man And rudy essentially had the same. Size these were two ginormous people in physical. PEAK nba players are some of the most athletic players in the. World now that they're not great fighters because of their, length but doesn't mean they don't have power and. Strength and when you see this, Punch rudy's head snapped back and he immediately goes down to the. Floor this punch Left rudy unconscious and there was a pool of blood starting to form under his. Head the medical staff that was there immediately got him stable as much as they could to take him to the emergency. Room he had suffered from a fractured, skull a broken, jaw a broken, nose and had spinal fluid leaking in his. Brain the doctor at the hospital Told rudy that the next forty eight hours are going to be serious and are going to decide whether you live or. Die rudy was obviously, scared And kermit was ejected from the, game and the game did go on to, finish unlike The malice at The, palace where The rockets actually won the game one sixteen twenty, five where the leading scorer of the entire game Was Kareem Modo jubar with thirty two. Points but the game didn't. Matter what mattered Was rudy and would he survive this incredible. Moment it was touch and go there for a, while but he did eventually make it, through and the weirdest thing was him saying afterwards he could taste the spinal fluid in his. Mouth after the, fight something that was very rare it even. Happened this was a serious thing and was life, threatening But rudy was determined to make it back to the. Court he fought his way. Back he worked through. Rehab one of the first masks that we've SEEN nba players wear when they have a broken nose or something broken on their. Face he wore one of, those which is a very scary look because it's very primitive. Looking but he wouldn't play the remainder of the, season which is as sad did his streak of being In All star and it really ended his. Career the next, season he came back and played seventy four games and did pretty, good averaging nineteen points in seven, rebounds and was voted into The All Star game for the last. Time but the following two seasons he would quickly decline due to health issues and. Trauma he couldn't be the same, player always on, edge always. Worried it was a. Challenge after the, Game Kermit washington was suspended sixty games and THE nba wanted to make an example out of. Him this would be the last game he would play for The La, lakers as they would trade him the next season to The Boston, celtics where he played for one, year bounced over to The San Diego clippers and finished his career with The Portland, trailblazers where he actually had his best season in nineteen eighty he was named An All. Star it was a two time defensive second team. Player but this really tarnished his image as he would fight to end this image throughout his life and get involved in charity work after he retired from THE nba and it would be involved In Project Contact africa to improve healthcare in underserved. Communities but, sadly he would get into legal troubles where he was caught embezzling from his charity and he was sentenced to six years in federal person in twenty. Eighteen But, rudy he didn't let the fact that this injury ended his. Career over, time he took it and he became a, coach and he became a great coach as he would join The rockets as a coach and lead them to two back to BACK nba championships with A Keem elijahan and it would go on to win a gold medal with THE us team being their head. Coach in two thousand at The Sydney games and is also a member of The Basketball hall Of. Fame and THE nba took this as a moment to change their. Culture they did not want to be seen as the fighting. Culture there was already, boxing they didn't need that in their, game so they made some significant, changes as in there was harsher penalties if there was a, fight there was an automatic ejection whether you landed a punch or, not if you were involved in, it and there would be fines for physical, altercations As kermit was fined ten thousand dollars at the, time which was the highest financial penalty that had ever been issued up to that. Point the following, year they would also add a THIRD nba referee to the, game helping monitored encore action to help prevent fights from. Escalating and these changes let lessen the physicality of the game and help grow the game even. More and if you want More lakers, content check out The Lakers, lounge Where Anthony irwin takes a daily look at The Los Anges lakers his own unique way with help from a number of. Guests throughout THE nba coverage and. Beyond we'll put a link in the description below for you to check out that, Podcast and if you enjoy today's, episode please get on social media and follow us to to stay up to date and see pictures and videos from the topics we cover and come back tomorrow for more daily sports. History and did you catch the answer to today's trivia? Question how much Was Kirment washington find after the, punch which was the largest fine up to that point in THE, Nba and the answer is he was fined ten thousand dollars in nineteen seventy seven for this incident and suspended sixty games