{"product_id":"books-the-punch-by-john-feinstein","title":"The Punch","description":"When a fight broke out between the Houston Rockets \u0026amp; the LA Lakers  in 1977, All-star Rudy Tomjanovitch raced to break it up.  He met Kermit Washington's fist, which delivered 1 of the most ferocious punches ever seen in sport.  It deslodged his skull \u0026amp; he required years of surgery \u0026amp; therapy to get him back to normal but he was never the same.  Washington was an average player,  6' 8 \u0026amp; one of only 6 athletes to be both an Academic all-American \u0026amp; a basketball all-American.  By all accounts he was an exemplary man but the split-second in which he threw his fist devastated his reputation. No team in the NBA would employ him in any coaching capacity. Tomjanovitch, on the other hand, is a star: head coach of the 2-time world championship Rockets \u0026amp; coach of the 2000 Glympic Gold winning  team. With his unique insight, style \u0026amp; bone-deep knowledge of basketball, John Feinstein finally reveals the truth of that night \u0026amp; how it changed basketball forever.  Through this one cataclysmicevent he casts light on the NBA's darkest secrets, exploring race, violence \u0026amp; how 1 mistake has haunted 2 good men for 25 years.","brand":"World of Books ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53669224677649,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780316735636.jpg?v=1781506976","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/books-the-punch-by-john-feinstein","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}