Kermit Washington, who played for five NBA teams in the ’70s and ’80s, is best known as the player that nearly killed Rudy Tomjanovich after connecting with a vicious punch that fractured his face and left him unconscious during a 1977 game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kermit Washington vs Rudy Tomjanovich (26 Games Suspended)
Possibly the most disrespectful moment in nba history!
Washington will now be known for something else other than his basketball career and that brwal, as he’s been sentenced to six years in federal prison for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in charity donations on vacations, shopping sprees and plastic surgery for his girlfriend.
Rudy Tomjanovich Feels Sorry for Kermit Washington, Even Though He Almost Killed Me | TMZ Sports
Rudy Tomjanovich isn’t taking the most devastating punch in sports history personally anymore, telling TMZ Sports he actually feels sorry for Kermit Washington — the guy who detonated his jaw in 1977. SUBSCRIBE — http://po.st/TMZSportsSubscribe About TMZ Sports: Some of the best stories in sports have been off the field and we’re reporting on athletes from NFL, NBA, UFC, WWE, MLB and more!
The U.S. attorney’s office says Washington, 66, also was ordered to pay nearly $970,000 in restitution. Washington pleaded guilty in November in federal court in Kansas City, Missouri, to making a false statement in a tax return and aggravated identity theft.
