The Untold Side of the Most Infamous Punch in NBA History - Doctor Explains Rudy Tomjanovich Injury
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 พ.ค. 2024
- It's the most infamous punch in NBA history, but this is the side of the story explained like you've never heard before! Rudy Tomjanovich sustained serious injuries after he was punched by Kermit Washington during a 1977 NBA game. It was reportedly so bad that Rudy T could taste his own spinal fluid. In this video we'll break down what actually happened and just how serious these injuries really were.
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I'm a doctor and a sports fan and this channel is dedicated to exploring the unique medical side of the world of sports, including NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC, and many more! Breaking down the biggest what ifs, historical injuries and stories, and making learning about medicine fun and relevant for all sports fans!
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DISCLAIMER: Content not intended to be taken as medical advice. Opinions are my own and do not represent those of my employer. I have not personally treated or evaluated the individual(s) discussed in this video. Content used with educational and transformative intent within Fair Use Guidelines
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One of those injuries where the fact that he was able to come back at all is impressive, and he even made another All-Star appearance the next season. Heart of a champion indeed.
But very embarrasing loss . He didnt even landed a single punch pfffffff
@@reptiloidx8942 land*
*land@@reptiloidx8942
HE COULD TASTE HIS OWN SPINAL FLUID
I can taste my own barf now
mmmm spinal fluid
Same
@derp derpin filet mingon with a cream sauce
@derp derpin apparently it's bitter
@derp derpin it’s bitter and salty
One of the most insane injuries I've ever learned about. One punch had that much inpact. WOW.
it probably is due to him literally running into the punch which added a lot to the impact
@@Rok1900 obviously
His head bounced off the hardwood. That did not help.
I have to get a weapon if somebody hit me like that I probably be going to jail
@@basilcarpenterjr1592 hospital first for sure
People forget that punch nearly killed Rudy. The aftermath was bizarre, too. The punch was part of a SNL skit and Kermit caught a lot of heat afterwards. It was crazy. On the plus side, the NBA got a third referee and started to regulate fights out of the game.
I'm guessing Kermit Washington also suffered some psychological effects of being a pariah and laughingstock. A pariah that his own team's front office stopped talking to him and other teams didn't want him except Boston. Eventually after his Boston stint, his reputation was somewhat repaired and found other NBA jobs. Then he spent years trying to look good, and now he's in jail for embezzling money intended for kids.
@@de132 plus the psychological side effects of being named Kermit
@@de132 your comment was just the one I was looking for. I wish they would have kicked him out the nba but it certainly still sounds like he got what he deserved. What's crazy is I don't even necessarily hitting someone is unforgivable even in the NBA. But I do think that when you do something no matter what you need to own up to the consequences. Most people have been in fights and is scary to think that freak accidents can happen. So I'm surprised to read that the guy seems to have been a bad guy in life in general. Hope someone punches him the same in jail.
@Hugh Mungus I'd say his situation deserves a little more nuance then that
Snl back when it was funny and wasnt trash for twitter s.j.w types.
Rudy Tomjanovich came to our school with other athletes to play an exhibition game against the staff and teachers some time after his injury. He made a remarkable recovery, but you could see how his facial bones had been altered. He seemed like a very nice fellow
He sued and won about $2M around 1980.
Rudy T’s redemption story is amazing. He was miraculously able to play basketball again and then as a HC, he led the Rockets to their first 2 championships in the mid ‘90s
I’m literally reading the book “The Punch” for one of my classes right now...
Cool story
There is an entire book about a punch?
@@kennedylehane6562 damn right. It was the punch heard around the world. There should be 5 books on it.
@@tubewatcher1979 Rudys punch should at least be in one of those books it should be called the punch around the basketball world he could take his own spinal fluid 🤮. (I’m joking it would be cool tho.)
@@kennedylehane6562 Yes. It changed lives and the book follows those whose lives changed.
A dr that aware of possible spinal fluid leak in those days seem insanely impressive. I would tend to think that he was exetremely lucky to have been examined by a competent dr.
I mean, there were architects from thousands of years ago that created roads that are still around, and yet we live in an era with potholes all over the place. It was the 70's, not the middle ages or anything.
@@g-mancollections5264 missed diagnosis still happens today. Stop clowning.
They landed on the moon the decade before, this was the 70s not that long ago "insanely impressive" lol 😂
@@liammurphy2022 that iq lol
Honestly, it's a basic diagnosis.. People don't realize that dr from the past were fucking beasts. They didn't have 1% of the labs and imaging we have nowadays so they HAD to be competent in everything else.
It's akin to pediatricians needing to be on the ball more so than other dr since they try to avoid imaging as much as possible in children
P.S not trying to diss your comment just saying
When I saw "Spinal Fluid" in the thumbnail, I thought humanity has finally come to a point where we can be titans
scream
Haha LMAOOO same
Bro shut up
I only clicked on this video for this
What a dumb thing to say... Why would anyone want a world like that..?
Man. I was a pup when my brother called me into the living room to watch the replay. I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen. I never forget seeing Rudy laying there with that big pool of blood around his head. Unreal.
Uh what? The video plainly shows him getting up almost immediately with no blood on the floor...
@@Choom7 he was out cold for a minute or two I think but yes he did get up fairly quickly when he regained consciousness. But if you look closely, there is a decent sized puddle of blood on the floor after he gets up.
This is one of those injuries where I really don't want to know the medical side of it. Too late now lol
I got hit just as hard being jumped walking home from h.s years ago. I now feel very fortunate to only have had broken bones
Absolutely love your content! 👏
Super interesting! Nice work as always, Doc!
Yo, I only tuned in after the title change. Had no idea who a lot of these players were. Super interesting video as always! More videos on interesting sports history injuries would be dope! Keep up all the great work Brian!
So informative, thanks doc.
I love your videos! Keep up the great content :)
This guy is teaching me more than my teachers
You gotta pay more attention.
@@lancelot771 Ever heard of a joke?
My request was granted! Thanks, Doc!
Your youtube channel is amazing. I came to know about you after Jeff mentioned you in one of his videos. Jeff was definitely right ... your channel is awesome. Thank you for taking the time to teaching us,
Awesome vid doc! Could you please cover paul george’s toe edema situation? Would really appreciate some expert insight on a timeline for his return as there aren’t many updates so far!
Hey Doc, I have a quick question.. As a Paramedic in Baltimore I have seen plenty of injuries and I'm wondering why a doctor would even ask a patient if they "taste anything?" though at hopkins I hear the doctors always ask this depending how conscious the patient is when we bring them in. It was my understanding- or at least what they taught us in school- that if you see any CSF coming out the ears and 'Battle signs' or ' RACCOON Eyes' you should immediately think that they will be able to taste any type of spinal fluid, is this wrong? Anyways, love the channel I'm all caught up on all your videos keep doing what you're doing!
well u're not wrong but I think the sign of a swelling is a lot later, like it needs to take more time to be seen physically but when u taste the bitterness of the spinal fluid it's immediate so that means u need to be in the emergency room asap
Maybe medical practice has evolved from that time?
@@charlesthehandsomeandbrave2956 This. A foul taste is a natural alarm that something is wrong. It's an emergency mechanism, it immediately grabs the attention of the injured person which is something swelling just won't do.
great info.
Great video and great insight. I'm surprised Rudy T survived this. Hopefully we never see this again in any sports. This was uncalled for and excessively violent without a cause.
Great video
It’s crazy that one punch did all this
Its almost like 7 foot tall people are strong
That’s what happens when you run into a punch..... why head-on collisions are so violent. You add the speed of the two forces together.
That was the dirty '70s, where fights happen almost every night. Kermit Washington was the designated enforcer to Kareem for that struggling Lakers team, a la Dennis Rodman to Jordan. Kermit was actually tussling with Rockets center Kevin Kunnert when Rudy T. ran toward them to stop the fight. His sprint absorbed Kermit's sudden swing (that of a 6'8" 230 lb. dude made of pure beef) which caused this life-threatening injury.
I brought this injury up to Doc Brian because in a previous video he said that the worst NBA on-court injury was that of Shaun Livingston's. I disagreed and brought up the infamous Punch.
@@faceripper77 I said they weren’t?
@@merckmaguddayao6814Kermit pummeled Kunnert as Jabbar held Kunnert from behind. You left out that relevant fact. It was a double team. Always hated that hypocrite Jabbar!
I remember watching his story , I love this channel ❤️❤️
Would you mind including a speculative recovery process? How long did that take what would you speculate they did to treat that.
As a HUGE Rockets fan, I already knew about this, still can’t believe it, and yeah I knew most of this, I read it in a book, still love how you took time to talk about this
This video kept giving me headaches and pain in the spots he showed...just me😂
More of these please
Doctor is on road to 1 million.
I'm creeped out every time Dr. says "...spinal fluid..." And he says it a lot.
On folks😬
Shamefull loss for the dude
Still remember years ago when Rudy was the coach for the Rockets i had a teacher who was from Texas & a big Rockets fan and he had told us about this incident, A couple weeks later we finally got a cpu at home and searched it up and was shocked at how brutal the injury was but the punch wasn't if that makes sense.
Awesome content. There's a whole bunch of cycling related injuries that are super interesting if you want to try some new content. Eg the effects of cycling with broken ribs etc.
Ouch
I once read the book about Rudy Tomjanovich's injuries during the Los Angeles Lakers game on December 9, 1977.
hey could you cover why these types of spinal fluid injuries are never seen in combat sports like mma or boxing where getting punched in the face is obviously very common
They wear gloves so the hit has no penetration.Bare knuckles actually cut into bone and fracture it.Splash damage is in fighting Sports lol
@@trenbolone_useralso professional fighter aren’t running full speed into punches
I had to look this up when I saw your other video of nba face masks thanks doc
Can you do a video on wrestling injuries? Ohio State’s Echemendia just has a knee injury in the tri at Perdue against Iowa. I love your content but I’m a wrestler and the most relatable videos you make are ufc related.
Man i luv this dude
Good video, but I was curious to how a surgeon would approach this scenario, how can a surgeon fix those bones below the nasal cavity
Spinal fluid you say? "Laughs in titan"
Man of culture
Zeke’s spinal fluid came out and everyone there , can now be turned into a titan by him
This channel is too damn cool
You mind doing a video on the guy that went diving too deep in the ocean with the recording? I’m confused as to what happened and why it happened.
It hurt just to watch this
Saw this happen live, and I was horrified. Had to puke it was so sickening.
He ran into the punch so was more devastating. Dude took it like a champ.
Killer Instinct: SPINAL!!!
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the SPINAL
@@vinslungur 😂
I feel bad he asked “did the score board fall on me” and the guy that hit him in another interview didn’t even seem very sorry all these years later. Sucks
Damn that dude would be out of the league for a hit like that today lol
He was, his career ended.
I’ll never look at the name Kermit thee same way again! 😳
Dude who threw the punch was probably racist AF.
@@Choom7 absolutely
can u make a video on draymonds injury it happend last night vs the nets
Any chance you can do a video on Hydrocephalus? I have Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus and not a lot of people know much about it.
*"I'll make you taste your own spinal fluid"*
- The Baddest Badass
He wasnt a badass just a worthless p.o.s
@@Gl-my8fw how was he worthless
@@favesave5534 violent moron that was a criminal after his playing career.
wish I had you as a teacher during paramedic school.
Remarkable that Rudy could distinguish the taste of anything with all the blood from broken nose. On walk 2 locker rooms, asked Kermit why he him him; but stated in court he thought it was scoreboard that hit him.
The heavy scoreboard falling on his head from a height would kill him.
Wonder if that right hook is much use in jail atm
Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion !!!!!
so much way worse injuries in hockey back in the 40s-50s-60s but thats crazy af
The original one punch man
Rudy T then went on to be a hall of fame head coach. Good to know.
You should do an episode on the skull fracture sustained by Evangelista Santos in Bellator. It was worse.
This video made my head hurt
No one makes me taste my own spinal fluid...
Hey Doc! I am an anatomy enthusiast, and was premed in college. I know that anatomy loves it’s acronyms, they really helped me in learned about the musculoskeletal anatomy. I think you could drop a few and teach them in the videos to help people maybe learn about the body. I was thinking about the cranial bones from this video and the acronyms we used in both of my A&P classes (PESTOF and Ethan’s Fried Spinach Pasta Tempted Octavia). I love your videos and am by no means telling you what to do. I just know they really helped me learn quick and it would make your videos make a lot more sense to some people having that extra tool that would take that long to explain. Thanks for all you do on and off screen, God Bless.
many years ago my father had suddenly developed a twitch on the left side of his face. He needed surgery to correct the problem. But while he was recovering in the hospital he noticed that his nose was running. It turned out to be spinal fluid leaking into his sinus cavity.
i’ve heard of the tasting the spinal
fluid thing before . knowing a little about facial anatomy i find it not that surprising that it can happen.
The late 1970's were rough in the pro leagues. This was around the same time when New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley became paralyzed after a vicious hit from Raiders safety Jack Tatum.
Man can you react to jack willis and his injury playing rugby for england his injury is so horrific itv wouldn't show it for a second time
Kermit Washington is serving time in prison right now. He's begging for a early release because he's afraid of covid-19
Can you do a breakdown of when Ref Blumenblatt got severely knocked out by a player in Uruguay? I always heard he had severe brain damage, but not much else.
Don't y'all figure most of the damage was from the fall rather than the punch..Rudy is 6"8
My head hurts now
Can I request a video in to possibly the worst injury in English soccer, the double compound fracture suffered by David Busst (Coventry vs Manchester United in 1996). It was so bad the Utd keeper, Schmeichel, vomited upon seeing the injury and it took 10mins for staff to clear the blood off the pitch with water and sand. It ended Bussts career as he then caught MRSA in hospital!
The doctor from reports said trying to fix his skull was like trying to glue a egg shell back together
So was it the punch that caused the majority of this injury or the floor from when his head made impact?
Zeke is watching this with a smile on his face 😭🤦🏽♂️
My head hurts watching this.
wish you would do the Dale Sr accident
My neighbour runs a washing machine. It sends pulsations (vibrations into my body) mainly into my head.
Causes my brain to feel hot inflamed almost a headache (I never had headaches before) I feel the temple viens near my front of ears pulsating hard during the spin. Is that an increase in blood pressure in the brain.
I usually have very large pupils (parasympathetic nervous system?) but now my pupils are small, even in dull lighting.
Sometimes I feel a bit weak in the legs.
Pulsation are like deep internal vibrations in specific part of my body.
I don't feel the pulsing in the rest of my body. Although sometimes in my chest.
How can my head blood pressure Increase but not in the rest of my body. Have you ever heard of such a phenomenon.
I am scared I get cerebral ventricular enlargement, dementia, brain aneurysm or IQ problems. Please advice or even make a video?
My mother in the same house feels the vibrations downstairs but in her lower body.
I only feel these blood pressure sensations in the house nowhere else.
Knocked his ass out 🤣🤣🤣
This scares me
Do one on that gymnast who got her legs snapped backward on a flip
I'm surprised this video wasn't uploaded 44 years ago.
Was the fracture from the punch or more so his head banging off the hardwood?
Very likely the hardwood. To fracture a skull with your bare hand is difficult because the bones in your hand are significantly weaker than a human skull. The punch probably broke his nose and jaw, and the fall cracked his skull.
@@jonjetmore4018 Thanks for the reply. I figured but wasn’t completely sure bc he basically ran/glided into that punch.
Spinal fluid leak causes the worst headache. Spinal tap is the only worse pain.
Wasn’t there another player who got hit on the back of his head. I don’t think he ever played again
Kermit should have become a boxer if he caused everything before the head colliding with the floor. Assuming it all wasn't from the punch in the first place... 😲
He should have become a prisoner for the rest of his life
I think most young nba fans knows about this because of Mike Korzemba. I think he had video about this.
You should do Dale Earnhardt Sr. Next
Some young youtuber made a compilation of dirty plays in the NBA and didn't include this!
Do prince fielder the baseball player what happened to him
I would assume Kermit broke his hand as well?
Not if he formed his fist properly.
Maybe but the majority of the damage in this injury came from hitting the floor
@@kylekonopka8292 How do you figure? There was no mention of ANY damage to the back of his head.
@@Strype13 the whiplash was insane, that was definitely what broke his skull
@@LT-fp1kc No it wasn't. Didn't you watch the video? The fracture at the "base" of his skull was toward the front, near his nasal passage... hence the spinal fluid ending up in his mouth.
I hope Kermit went to jail for attempted murder for this incident. Probably just a fine.
60 day suspension and $10,000 fine. But he did go to jail a few years ago for charity fraud
It wouldn’t qualify as attempted murder it wasn’t premeditated at all he just saw the guy running towards him in the middle of a brawl and he thought he was protecting himself. I highly doubt he wouldn’t done it if he knew Rudy T wasn’t a threat
@@moshimoshi8283 he thought he was protecting himself? That was a sucker punch thrown by a grown ass racist if I've ever seen one. F*ck outa here.
@@Choom7 you’ve never been in a brawl I take it
All of his momentum was moving forward because he was running to help his friend and that carried his own body's energy into the punch I'd like to know what happened and if there were any legal ramifications for the person who assaulted him
no legal ramifications if you mean stupid bs about the other player being arrested and spending time in prison
He sued the Lakers, asked for $2.5 million; got $3.3 million. (Claimed Lakers should have controlled Washington)
Washington got a 60 day (no pay) suspension & a $10,000 fine (that the same amount charged if caught using steroids back then). Traded off from Lakers b4 suspension was over. Received racially charged death threats (was told not 2 order hotel food/might b poisoned).
Rudy was a class act all the way. He forgave Kermit but Kermit’s life as you would expect was ruined
Don't mess with Kermit!
I remember watching that game. I was 15. I thought Kermit had killed him.
What’s crazy is that he got right back up off the floor. That dude could take a punch