Almost killed a guy with one punch" - Dominique Wilkins recalls the 'most frightening' in-game fight in NBA history

Dominique Wilkins recalled the 1977 punch that Kermit Washington threw at Rudy Tomjanovich as the most frightening in-game fight he ever witnessed. Speaking on “ExpediTIously with Tip T.I. Harris,” the two-time NBA dunk contest champion said the incident still stands out decades later, describing it as an almost lethal moment. Wilkins said Washington “almost killed a guy with one punch,” citing multiple facial bone fractures and a fractured skull for Tomjanovich. The altercation began during a Lakers–Rockets game when tensions escalated on the court, and Tomjanovich sprinted toward the scene. Washington was suspended for 60 days and fined $10,000, while Tomjanovich underwent months of recovery and surgeries, shaping later NBA approaches to safety and discipline.