Sports Poets Society

AND OTHER NICE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN SPORTS IN 1983 https://vault.si.com/vault/1984/02/08/dr-j-gets-his-ring On Dec. 9, 1977, as a midcourt fight broke out in a Los Angeles Lakers-Houston Rockets game, the Rockets' Rudy Tomjanovich rushed from one end of the court to play his usual role of peacemaker. His good intentions were lost, however, on the Lakers' Kermit Washington, who saw only another potential attacker. The 6'8", 230-pound Washington let fly a powerful punch that caught the onrushing Tomjanovich full in the face. This wasn't just another basketball fight, for Washington's blow was devastating and Tomjanovich suffered massive facial injuries that required corrective surgery. Washington was fined the unprecedented sum of $10,000 and suspended 60 days by NBA Commissioner Lawrence O'Brien, who used this unhappy episode to bolster his edict against fighting on the court. The Lakers then traded Washington to Boston, leaving the impression that they

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/rockets/article/Rockets-book-excerpt-Rudy-Tomjanovich-and-moving-13315028.php By Jonathan Feigen , Houston Rockets Beat Reporter Oct 17, 2018 In a Dec. 9, 1977 game, Lakers forward Kermit Washington (right) threw the punch that altered Rudy Tomjanovich's career and changed both their lives. Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from Houston Chronicle staff writer Jonathan Feigen's upcoming book "100 Things Rockets Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." The book will be released Oct. 23. For more information or to order a copy please click here . Kermit Washington reached his hand—that right hand , the hand that changed everything—toward Rudy Tomjanovich. This time, Tomjanovich smiled, happy to see it. Nearly 25 years after Washington turned and landed the punch that nearly killed Tomjanovich, changed both their lives, and forever altered the way the sport looked at the sort of on-court violence that h