NBA History: Year of Violence, Record-Breaking Shows, and Washington’s First Title

December 29, 2024

The 1977-78 NBA season was marked by two violent incidents that cast a long shadow over the league.

In one of the most infamous moments, Los Angeles Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, already the league’s dominant force, broke his hand after punching rookie center Kent Benson of the Milwaukee Bucks.

The altercation occurred during a game in which Abdul-Jabbar was frustrated by Benson’s play. The punch led to a $5,000 fine from commissioner Larry O’Brien and forced Abdul-Jabbar to miss 20 games, severely hampering the Lakers’ playoff chances.

Benson, on the other hand, missed fewer games but never fulfilled the promise he had shown during his college career at Indiana.

The season’s most tragic incident occurred in December when Kermit Washington of the Lakers got into a fight with Houston’s Kevin Kunnert. As Houston star forward Rudy Tomjanovich rushed toward the fight to break it up, Washington turned and swung a brutal punch that fractured Tomjanovich’s jaw, cheek, and eye.

The violent blow sidelined Tomjanovich for most of the season. Washington, who had been a key contributor for the Lakers, was fined and suspended for two months, costing him more than $50,000 in salary.

Despite these controversies, the season was filled with remarkable individual performances. San Antonio’s George Gervin won the scoring title by the narrowest of margins — .07 points — over Denver’s David Thompson.

Gervin’s final-day 63-point explosion propelled him to a 27.22 points per game average, while Thompson had earlier posted a 73-point performance in his season finale.

In the playoffs, Portland had won an NBA-high 58 games but suffered significant injuries, including to their MVP candidate Bill Walton. With Portland out of contention, two Cinderella teams — Washington and Seattle — advanced to the NBA Finals, with Washington ultimately winning its first and only championship.

The Bullets, coached by Dick Motta and featuring 10-time All-Star Elvin Hayes, overcame a 3-2 deficit in their series against Seattle, eventually clinching the title in Game 7.

1977-78 Season Award Winners:

Most Valuable Player: Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers
Rookie of the Year: Walter Davis, Phoenix Suns
Coach of the Year: Hubie Brown, Atlanta Hawks
All-Star Game MVP: Randy Smith, Buffalo Braves
Finals MVP: Wes Unseld, Washington Bullets

Season Leaders:

Points: George Gervin, San Antonio Spurs (27.2)
Assists: Kevin Porter, Detroit Pistons-New Jersey Nets (10.2)
Rebounds: Truck Robinson, New Orleans Jazz (15.7)
Steals: Ron Lee, Phoenix Suns (2.74)
Blocks: George Johnson, New Jersey Nets (3.38)
Field Goal Percentage: Bobby Jones, Denver Nuggets (57.8)
Free Throw Percentage: Rick Barry, Golden State Warriors (92.4)

Despite the violence and injuries, the 1977-78 season was full of great moments and performances, including the stunning playoff run by the Washington Bullets, who were able to balance a mix of veteran leadership and youthful talent to claim their only NBA title.