What do you get when you mix world-class ballers with boatloads of cash? Well, most of the time you get a helluva basketball game but other times there can be issues both on and off the court. It doesn’t always involve only the players so let’s count down our top five NBA scandals.
5. Sucker Punched
In an uneventful game between the Lakers and the Rockets during the 1977 season, a scuffle broke out at midcourt between LA’s Kermit Washington and Houston’s Kevin Kunnert. Kareen Abdul-Jabbar was trying to defuse the situation while the Rockets’ captain, Rudy Tomjanovich, raced to help his teammate.
Washington happened to turn and see Tomjanovich approaching and instinctively unleashed a right hand that found its mark. The ensuing damage resembled more of a detonation than a simple punch to the face as Washington’s nose and jaw were broken along with a fractured skull while spinal fluid was leaking into his mouth.
Tomjanovich almost didn’t survive but after facial reconstruction surgery, Rudy T would play four more years and go on to a distinguished coaching career. As for Washington, he was fined $10,000 and suspended for 60 days. When interviewed about the incident, Kareem said, “It sounded like a melon that had been dropped on the floor”.
February 1, 1978: Kermit Washington is reinstated after serving a 60-day suspension for punching Rudy Tomjanovich.
Washington was also fined $10,000 for the punch—which caused eye damage and broke the jaw & nose of Tomjanovich, who needed facial reconstruction surgery.
📺WSB-TV pic.twitter.com/mCCeG4h47b
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) February 1, 2023
4. Over Before it Began
If you’re a hoops fan who knows a thing or two about the old-school ballers then you might have heard about 5x All-Star Brad Daugherty, a 7-foot center picked No. 1 in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But it was the second overall pick that you might not know about. The ‘86 draft was loaded with talent, although not all of it panned out. However, it is known for two things: It remains to this day as the NBA draft with the most draftees ever to debut in the league with 66, and, on a more ominous note, it was the year that the No. 2 pick, Len Bias of Maryland, died two days after being selected by the Boston Celtics from a cocaine overdose.
In 1986, Len Bias was drawing Michael Jordan player comparisons from NBA scouts.
He was a 6’8 220 lbs point forward with a 40 inch vertical who could do it all.
Unfortunately, two days after being drafted 2nd overall by the Celtics, Bias passed away from a cocaine overdose. pic.twitter.com/tvMxaoEf6j
— JustAnotherNBAFan™ (@AnotherNBAFan) April 23, 2020
3. MJ Loved the Action
Addictions come in all varieties and not all of them are bad. Working out is one addiction we could all learn to love but most are fraught with soul-crushing consequences. But what if you have an addiction that might have been misconstrued by the media?
The legendary Michael Jordan is just such a case as his voracious appetite for gambling has been covered ad nauseam. However, addiction is only a problem if it affects you or others around you, but MJ had all of that NBA and Nike money to fill that void and keep him lighting up the scoreboard throughout his illustrious career.
Some of the tidbits that have been reported was a 36-hour gambling spree at the casino tables that allegedly cost him a cool million. Betting tens of thousands in a golf match was par for the course if you’ll pardon the pun. Jordan has insisted he has an addiction to competition, not gambling, but no matter how you slice it, the man goes big or goes home.
Michael Jordan wearing sunglasses inside saying he doesn’t have a gambling problem: “it’s a hobby” pic.twitter.com/Fqv19Eyxk1
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) May 4, 2020
Hey, hey, hey @JaredQuay, Michael Jordan didn’t have a gambling problem…he had a competition problem! #TheRush #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/2usfWwxBpy
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 4, 2020
2. Malice in the Palace
Nine players and 146 games worth of suspensions equaling roughly $11 million in fines was the result of a full-out brawl that extended beyond the lines and into the stands.
The date was November 19, 2004, when the Pacers and the Pistons threw down at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The winner was already decided as the Pacers were drawing away to victory, leading 97-82, when Detroit’s Ben Wallace was fouled from behind by Indiana’s mercurial Ron Artest with under a minute to play in the game.
Wallace was furious, shoved Artest, and a fight broke out. But mayhem was still waiting right around the corner after the fight dissipated, as a fan in the stands tossed a drink at Artest who was lying on the scorer’s table to catch a break from the madness.
Artest proceeded into the stands but mistook another fan for being the culprit and it was pure havoc from thereon. Players and fans were brawling, security was running for cover, and one of the most jaw-dropping events in NBA history left many fans, as well as the league, with a black eye.
1. The Fix is In
Forget about on-court fistfights, domestic abuse, steroids, or gunplay, the biggest threat to any professional league is cheating, in any form. If the fans believe the games are rigged or intentionally unbalanced then the league becomes a joke, fans lose interest, and it’s only a matter of time before the curtain closes.
And because of that, the Tim Donaghy betting scandal takes the top spot on our list. Donaghy was an NBA referee from 1994-2007 who officiated 772 regular season and 20 playoff games during his tenure with the league. An FBI probe into a broader criminal investigation landed Donaghy on the feds’ radar and revealed he bet on NBA games and made calls with the point spread in mind.
Donaghy would plead guilty to two counts and serve 15 months in federal prison. The commissioner at the time, David Stern, said, “the Donaghy matter is an isolated case… it’s the most serious situation and worst situation that I have ever experienced”.
Must listen podcast on this scandal:
I’m outta here. Let’s ride!
