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

by Feinstein, John

• ISBN13: 9780316735636
• ISBN10: 0316735639
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-11-04
• Publisher: Back Bay Books

Summary

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 Instead, it nearly superseded both men's notable achievements.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 Rosman

Author Biography

John Feinstein is the author of several highly acclaimed and bestselling sports books. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and Shelter Island, New York

Table of Contents

Introduction	xiii
1. What Hit Me?	3	(13)
2. An Overcast Friday	16	(19)
3. That Was Then	35	(16)
4. Did You Hear About Rudy and Kermit?	51	(17)
5. Who Hit Whom?	68	(12)
6. Sixty Days and Ten Thousand Dollars	80	(14)
7. Red to the Rescue	94	(16)
8. Too Soon to Dream	110	(14)
9. Welfare Memories	124	(12)
10. Dreams Can Come True	136	(20)
11. From Hamtramck to Ann Arbor to San Diego	156	(21)
12. The Bright Lights of L.A.	177	(20)
13. Turnaround	197	(11)
14. The Punch	208	(8)
15. A New Life	216	(17)
16. Recovery	233	(14)
17. Life Goes On	247	(17)
18. Time to Move On	264	(16)
19. Starting Over	280	(18)
20. Finding a Niche	298	(14)
21. Troubles	312	(14)
22. No Peace to Be Found	326	(15)
23. Brothers	341	(6)
Acknowledgments	347	(6)
Index	353