December 9, 2025 • 11 mins
Explore the shocking and tragic incident between Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjanovich on Daily Sports History. Learn about the infamous punch during a 1977 NBA game, its life-altering impact on both players, and how it reshaped NBA rules and sportsmanship. Discover the story behind one of the most infamous moments in basketball history.
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Video of the Punch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcuZz8Kdevo
Check out Lakers Lounge
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https://open.spotify.com/show/2XJK0kM4pR2uUy7WDmAybb
Previous Episodes Mentioned
https://dailysportshistory.com/episode/moses-malones-jump-to-pro-basketball-a-game-changing-move
#DailySportsHistory, #NBAHistory, #KermitWashington, #RudyTomjanovich, #SportsScandals, #BasketballHistory, #NBA1977, #SportsPodcast, #HistoricMoments, #NBAControversies
Listen now! 👉 DailySportsHistory.com 📲 Follow for more daily sports history insights!
Email: dailysportshistory@gmail.com
YouTube: YouTube.com/@dailysportshistory
Twitter: twitter.com/dailysportshis
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551687917253&mibextid=ZbWKwL
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Threads
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
On December ninth, 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 Vinovitch, changing the course of both their careers forever
(00:22):
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.
(00:42):
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 trivic 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
(01:03):
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,
(01:25):
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.
(01:45):
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 heated because they wanted
more of a gentle game. It was created for order.
(02:06):
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
(02:28):
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
(02:50):
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 an 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
(03:10):
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
(03:31):
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
(03:55):
that enforcer type on the basketball court, and the Rockets
had an all start in Rudy Danovic, who 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
(04:17):
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
(04:39):
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 and 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 out of Jabar on their team.
(05:01):
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,
(05:23):
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 Karnert 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
(05:45):
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 is 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
(06:06):
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,
(06:26):
now 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
(06:47):
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
(07:09):
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
(07:32):
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,
(07:54):
those which is a very scary look because its very primitive.
Looking but he wouldn't play the remainder of the, season
which is a did his streak of being An 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
(08:16):
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
(08:38):
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
(08:58):
and underserved. Community 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
(09:20):
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,
(09:43):
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 high financial penalty
that had ever been issued up to that. Point the following,
(10:03):
year they would also add a THIRD nba referee to the,
game helping monitor encore action to help prevent fights from.
Escalating and these changes 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 Angeles
(10:26):
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 stay up to date
and see pictures and videos from the topics we. Cover
(10:46):
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.
(11:08):
Games
On December ninth, 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 Vinovitch, changing the course of both their careers forever
(00:22):
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.
(00:42):
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 trivic 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
(01:03):
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,
(01:25):
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.
(01:45):
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 heated because they wanted
more of a gentle game. It was created for order.
(02:06):
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
(02:28):
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
(02:50):
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 an 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
(03:10):
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
(03:31):
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
(03:55):
that enforcer type on the basketball court, and the Rockets
had an all start in Rudy Danovic, who 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
(04:17):
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
(04:39):
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 and 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 out of Jabar on their team.
(05:01):
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,
(05:23):
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 Karnert 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
(05:45):
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 is 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
(06:06):
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,
(06:26):
now 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
(06:47):
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
(07:09):
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
(07:32):
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,
(07:54):
those which is a very scary look because its very primitive.
Looking but he wouldn't play the remainder of the, season
which is a did his streak of being An 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
(08:16):
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
(08:38):
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
(08:58):
and underserved. Community 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
(09:20):
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,
(09:43):
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 high financial penalty
that had ever been issued up to that. Point the following,
(10:03):
year they would also add a THIRD nba referee to the,
game helping monitor encore action to help prevent fights from.
Escalating and these changes 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 Angeles
(10:26):
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 stay up to date
and see pictures and videos from the topics we. Cover
(10:46):
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.
(11:08):
Games
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