The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever

by John Feinstein

Book Overview

Christmas, 1977 and an on-court fight breaks out between the Houston Rockets and the LA Lakers. Rudy Tomjanovitch races to break it up and is met by Kermit Washington's fist, delivering one of the worst punches ever seen in sport. Basketball was changed for ever. Tomjanovitch was a Rockets all-star, 6'7 and white. The punch dislodged his skull from his head, leaving him needing years of surgery and therapy. Washington was an average player for the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316279722
• ISBN13: 9780316279727
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Great book!

This was one of my favorite books because it was all the details of a true historic event in sports. My only complaint is that one CD was scratched up and difficult to listen to.

A great read

When i first looked at getting this book, i noticed it didnt rate highly as far as the star rating was concerned. Yes, the book can be repetitive in stages, but i have to say that i found myself enjoying this book immensely and glad i purchased it.....then again, anything to do with basketball and i take to it eagerly. Give the book a chance, under it all it paints a story of two lives and the different paths they took after one misfortunate punch. I am a big fan of John Feinstein anyway, so maybe im not one to properly critique the book and point out its inconsistancies, but personally, i enjoyed it and can only go by that.

The punch that changed 2 lives forever.

"The Punch" is a book about the events surrounding the punch by Kermit Washington on Rudy Tomjonovic and what has happened to the lives of these 2 former basketball players in the last 25 years. The book goes into extreme detail and many of the people concerned with the incident were interviewed. The book also examines how 1 monent in time changed the lives of these 2 players, and what each player went through in the immediate aftermath and the years that followed. It is interesting reading even if you not are a fan of the NBA as it is basically a tale of 2 lives, before and after an event which changed both lives forever. As someone who remembers the news reports of the incident when I was a child, the book provided much more information, and was very interesting.

The Punch- My Review

I read this book not really knowing what to expect. As a huge pro basketball fan, I was aware of the rules involving fights in the NBA, but I had no idea there was a history behind it. Reading this book opened my eyes to how dangerous it really is to have incredibly strong men taking punches at one another. The stories of Rudy T. and Kermit W. were very touching. How this one accident changed the lives of these two men was truly amazing. My heart goes out to each of them, and I wish them all the best of luck in the future. Also, a get well soon wish to Coach Rudy T: He's been through alot; he deserves to get better fast.