Kermit Washington

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Kermit Alan Washington (born September 17, 1951 in Washington, DC ) is a retired American basketball player who played for the NBA clubs Los Angeles Lakers , Boston Celtics , San Diego Clippers , Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors . The 2.01 meter tall Washington was considered one of the strongest defenders in his position. But his career was overshadowed by a punch against Rudy Tomjanovich . "The Punch" ushered in the end of the so-called "Enforcer" era in the NBA.

Career

Washington was selected fifth in the 1973 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers . Washington was a bench press for his first three years before he played his way into the Starting Five in 1976 and was named "enforcer" ( bodyguard ) by Center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar . This was the name given to players of great physical hardship who protected their own stars and intimidated opposing stars with tough fouls. The NBA was at a stage when fistfighting was common and running away was interpreted as cowardice. During that time Washington made 11 points and 11 rebounds per game.

The punch

On December 9, 1977, the Lakers played against the Houston Rockets with star forward Rudy Tomjanovich. After a tough foul, rocket Kevin Kunnert and Lakers Abdul-Jabbar and Washington clashed. When Tomjanovich tried to help Kunnert, Washington swung around and knocked the Rocket out with one blow. Abdul-Jabbar compared the sound to that of a "bursting melon", and the silence that followed Rockets Guard Mike Newlin called the "loudest silence ever". Tomjanovich himself thought the scoreboard fell on him. Washington's blow - known to this day only as "The Punch" - had smashed his face and caused life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage. The NBA banned Washington for two months and he was fined $ 10,000. The NBA dramatically increased penalties for unsportsmanlike fouls and ended the "enforcer" era. Washington's reputation was shattered. Despite being just one of many Enforcers, he was widely recognized as the villain who nearly killed the popular Tomjanovich. He became a persona non grata with the Lakers and soon transferred to the Celtics. Teammate Jerry West (who later became Los Angeles manager) said, "Assisting Kermit at his worst would have been better in hindsight, but he was such a public relations disaster that we had to hand it over ." Although Tomjanovich recovered and made a comeback, he never managed to reach his old level again.

There was no public apology for "The Punch", which was harshly criticized by Tomjanovich's teammates Calvin Murphy and John Lucas . In 2008, Tomjanovich found that he had "forgiven" Washington despite no apology.

Later career

Washington was transferred to the Clippers after a short Celtics stint, where he played for a year and again managed 11 points and 11 rebounds per game. This was followed by three years with the Trail Blazers. Washington was booed for a long time by the fans, he became a reliable performer in Oregon (14 points, 12 rebounds per game). Lohn was his first and only All-Star game in 1980 and two nominations for the All-Defensive Team in 1980 and 1981. In 1982 he ended his career, but made a brief comeback with the Warriors in 1987 and then stopped altogether.

Private life

Washington was married to Pat Carter, but the marriage ended in divorce. Washington originally wanted to become a coach after the "Punch", but because its reputation was destroyed, all applications went unrequited. He sank into depression and only found new courage when he got involved in various charitable projects in Kenya .

In 2017, he pleaded guilty to a lawsuit for using six-figure donations to his charity, Project Contact Africa, for private purposes.

documentation

In 2006, the NBA made an hour-long documentary about Washington called Searching for Redemption: The Kermit Washington Story . It describes the rise of Washington, the "punch" and the aftermath. It also highlights how rough the NBA was in the 1970s and unsportsmanlike fouls were common.

literature

  • John Feinstein: The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever. Back Bay Books, 2003, ISBN 0-316-73563-9 .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ a b c Searching for Redemption: The Kermit Washington Story , documentation from nba.com
  2. ↑ Former NBA player Kermit Washington pleads guilty in KC to African charity fraud , The Kansas City Star on December 4th, 2017
personal data
SURNAME Washington, Kermit
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Washington, Kermit Alan (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH 17th September 1951
PLACE OF BIRTH Washington, DC , United States