The Punch

“[A] chilling book about how a 1977 fight in a Lakers-Rockets game changed the lives of Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjanovich.” —Dave Anderson, The New York Times

#1 New York Times–bestselling author

With unerring insight into the deeper truths of professional sports, John Feinstein explores in riveting detail what happened one night in December 1977 when a fistfight broke out on the court between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers. Kermit Washington delivered a punch that nearly killed All-Star Rudy Tomjanovich. The punch—now legendary in the annals of American sports—radically changed the trajectory of both men’s lives and reverberates throughout the National Basketball Association to this day. Feinstein’s compelling investigation of this single cataclysmic incident and its aftermath casts a light on the NBA’s darkest secrets, revealing the true price men pay when they choose a career in sports.

“If you’ve seen the videotape, you’ve never forgotten the horror . . . Now, thanks to John Feinstein, one of our finest sports journalists, NBA fans will better understand the fallout from what has simply become known as ‘the punch.’” —Mark Luce, San Francisco Chronicle

“A wonderful piece of reporting that is required reading for anyone who loves sports, or sports history.” —Mike Lupica, New York Daily News

“Feinstein tells a television-age fable of how, in a split second, two strangers became linked in a way that’s possible only when that moment is captured on videotape.” —Allen St. John, The Washington Post

“Engrossing.” —Elizabeth Kaye, Los Angeles Times

“A scrupulously fair-minded and thoroughly researched account . . . Feinstein’s diligence and sympathy surely make The Punch the last word on the subject.” —Fritz Lanham, Houston Chronicle