You can’t pay tribute to the face mask without talking about Rudy Tomjanovich. If you don’t know about the Kermit Washington Punch, grab an old-timey bullet, bite on it and watch.
I make fun of almost everything, but I’m uncomfortable watching that clip. Tomjanovich almost died that night. If anyone deserved to wear a face mask for the rest of his life, it’s Rudy T.
That is sexy as hell. Beyonce and Jay-Z look good too. #Dream
![[back story]
@gotem_coach](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrgylnBPml1qcmnsoo1_1280.png)
IT’S OFFICIAL: Shaq is joining TNT’s Inside the NBA.
And to celebrate, the Shaq vs. Barkley fight in ‘99-‘00. Watch the rest of this very entertaining scuffle here.
So close, Shaq.
![MUST READ: Dinner at Yao’s
When NBA legends Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Yao Ming eat dinner together, plates are emptied, and food gets mashed. What you can’t account for is the conversation, and all the swearing.
Read the first-hand account of this magical dinner, by Sports Illustrated’s Gene Menez. Excerpt below:
EWING: [Rubbing belly] I gotta go work out tonight. I’m full. You got a treadmill for me?
YAO: Leave your car keys here and run home. I’ll give you the keys tomorrow.
MUTOMBO: I’m so full too. Somebody may have to drive me home.
YAO: Keep eating. You can stay here all night.
*The waiter enters and asks if they need anything.*
EWING: I need a take-out menu.
MUTOMBO: Look at this motherf——-. [Laughter]
@gotem_coach
(via @SIPabloTorre)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lo18ooPoHz1qcmnsoo1_r1_1280.jpg)
MUST READ: Dinner at Yao’s
When NBA legends Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo and Yao Ming eat dinner together, plates are emptied, and food gets mashed. What you can’t account for is the conversation, and all the swearing.
Read the first-hand account of this magical dinner, by Sports Illustrated’s Gene Menez. Excerpt below:
EWING: [Rubbing belly] I gotta go work out tonight. I’m full. You got a treadmill for me?
YAO: Leave your car keys here and run home. I’ll give you the keys tomorrow.
MUTOMBO: I’m so full too. Somebody may have to drive me home.
YAO: Keep eating. You can stay here all night.
*The waiter enters and asks if they need anything.*
EWING: I need a take-out menu.
MUTOMBO: Look at this motherf——-. [Laughter]
(via @SIPabloTorre)
This, to me, is the single greatest representation of why Yao Ming had to retire from basketball: He was just too big. I mean, look at that television. It’s so small.
What made him unique, was his downfall. The legs, knees and feet just can’t take the beating, the pounding, when you’re playing a professional sport that requires you to run, jump, and bang for rebounds with other top flight athletes.
He was a giant in this league, and even bigger in the globalization of the NBA. In time, he will be recognized as the most influential and important international player ever in the National Basketball Association.
