If you were faced with a similar question of naming the biggest villain in NBA history, you’d have a few names handy. In a similar fashion, the Nuggets veteran Kenyon Martin when asked the same question had a name ready who engaged in the “most disgusting punch ever”. So, who was it and why did he engage in on-court violence?

In a recent interview, Gilbert Arenas sat with his team to share insights about the NBA world and also its villains. A glimpse of this was posted on a YouTube channel titled ‘Gil’s Arena Names The GREATEST NBA Villains‘. While everybody was taking turns to voice their choice, the 46-year-old Martin revealed his. He said, “Kermit Washington. But still, he got balled. He didn’t get a job like it was tough. He was going places and getting booed.”

But, why did he name Kermit Washington as the greatest villain? The incident dates back to December 1977. During a matchup between the Lakers and the Houston Rockets, both Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjanovich contended for a rebound. After battling a more physical battle than usual, Tomjanovich got the ball and passed it to his teammate.

After this, a scuffle broke out between the two teams. Though Washington stayed behind to watch over, after Tomjanovich got disengaged, Washington ran to grab him by his shorts so that he couldn’t get back. Within seconds, Tomjanovich threw an elbow that eventually hit Washington and spun him around. As expected, Washington returned the favor to the head that brought him down on his knees. But what followed was even more disgusting!

The most infamous punch in NBA history!

Kermit Washington did not stop there. The next moment, Washington saw Tomjanovich running towards him. Without knowing his intentions, he hit him with a right-hand punch. Blown up by surprise, Tomjanovich fractured his face just 8mm away from his skull and lay unconscious on the court.

Once the sound of the punch resonated, the arena filled with shocked fans. However, Tomjanovich was able to get up and make it to the locker room, where he aggressively asked Washington why he punched him. Though he wasn’t able to fight back as he suffered a fatal injury, he had the taste of spinal fluid in his mouth.

This incident was why Gilbert awarded Washington as the biggest villain in NBA history. Moving on, Tomjanovich recovered from the injury, but it cost a lot to Kermit Washington. He not only became a part of fervent debates but also suffered from depression afterward.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.