5 most horrific injuries in the NBA

#1 Rudy Tomjanovich

Rudy Tomjanovich coached the Rockets for two seasons

During a Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets game in 1977, an unsporting event took place on the court which resulted in Rudy Tomjanovich suffering a blow on the face. During an altercation between the players of both teams, Kermit Washington was trying to protect his players when he saw Tomjanovich sprinting towards them. As a result, he threw a hard punch to his face which led to his head bouncing off the court.

The court was bloodied with Rudy's spills. The blow shattered Tomjanovich's jaw and face, resulting in life-threatening head injuries, leaving him sidelined for five months. This is one of the most traumatizing punches in the history of sport. The entire incident is recounted in a book by John Feinstein: The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever.