The Punch: The Fight That Changed Basketball Forever Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

The Punch: The Fight That Changed Basketball Forever Book

In 1977, Rudy Tomjanovich and Kermit Washington became entwined in a single punch that would change not only their lives, but how professional basketball is played today. Because the punch dislodged Tomjanovich's skull and nearly destroyed both men's careers, the scuffle never settled as a dusty bit of NBA trivia. Instead, it nearly superseded both men's notable achievements. The history of that punch (it could not, by any standards, be considered a fight) and the fate of the two men are the subjects of John Feinstein's The Punch. In the early days of the NBA, teams had their stars and their "enforcers." Enforcers such as Washington protected star players on the court with their willingness to mix it up. With concise prose, Feinstein reports on this era, following strings of trades, drafts, and personal relationships to their nexus. Those who do not think about basketball on a statistical level may occasionally find themselves lost, but Feinstein, ever conscious of his subject, ties the tangents neatly to the core of the scuffle that led to the infamous punch. Thorough and thoughtful, Feinstein does not make any excuses, nor does he vilify. He simply traces the web of both men's lives back to their adolescent years when it was not about the NBA, nor the punch, but about the game. Anyone who has ever wondered about these two men, or the history of the NBA, will want to read this book. --Karin RosmanRead More

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  • Product Description

    When a fight broke out between the Houston Rockets and the L.A. Lakers one night in 1977, All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich raced to break it up. Unfortunately for Rudy, he ran into Kermit Washington, a good player with a great reputation, and one of the most ferocious punches ever seen in sports.

    The punch dislodged Tomjanovich's skull, and he was never the same player after. Now he's head coach for the Rockets and coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 2000. In the years since the fight, every team in the NBA has turned Washington away.

    With his unique insight, style, and bone-deep knowledge of basketball, John Feinstein finally reveals the truth of that night and all the years after. Through this one cataclysmic event he casts a light on the NBA's darkest secrets, exploring race, conspiracy, violence, and how one mistake has haunted two good men for 25 years.

  • 0316279722
  • 9780316279727
  • John Feinstein
  • 6 March 2003
  • Little, Brown & Company
  • Hardcover (Book)
  • 432
  • 1
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