He played for the Lakers, Boston Celtics, San Diego Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors.

Kermit Washington's mother Barbara[2] graduated from Miner Teachers’ College (later subsumed into University of the District of Columbia); his father Alexander was an X-ray technician.

[7] After some rare positive feedback by his biology teacher, Barbara Thomas, he began to study and put forth a greater effort in that class.

[20] Pat helped him with his grades—despite the fact that he had done well his senior year of high school he was still far behind; he did not even know what a paragraph was when he entered college or how to write a report.

[22] Between his sophomore and junior years he began lifting weights with Trey Coleman, a former football player from the University of Nebraska who was studying as an undergrad at American.

Coleman admonished him, telling him he could not afford to be "cool" on the court given his talent level if he wanted to join the pro ranks.

[20][24] He was drafted after his junior season by the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and offered a four-year contract for $100,000 a year, which astonished him.

[18][27] The game set American University attendance records, and Washington felt light on his feet when he was introduced before the raucous crowd.

[32] He arrived on a team which had legend Jerry West, who was in the waning stages of a career that would result in his becoming the silhouette seen on the NBA's logo.

[35] Entering his fourth season, Washington knew the only thing keeping him in the league was his guaranteed contract and that the Lakers had essentially written him off.

[41] Newell was a retired pro and college coach who worked in a front office position with the Lakers,[42] and had drafted Washington when he was then the team's GM.

[43] In truth, while Newell says he felt some responsibility considering he drafted him, he was involved in many player transactions over the course of his long career, and was not especially attached to Washington.

[42] He was surprised by this request, however, and unhappy with his new highly marginalized job within the organization, so Newell agreed to meet Washington for individual drills.

[42][44] He scheduled the practices very early in the morning to test Washington's dedication, thinking a professional athlete would not bother to get up at that hour every day.

[42] Newell had Washington watch tapes of Paul Silas, who was a rebounding forward for the Boston Celtics, and convinced him to have more confidence in his offensive game.

[20] He had been featured in the NBA preview edition of Sports Illustrated (which was dedicated to enforcers that year) before the season and was praised therein for his intimidating nature and fighting skills.

[57] The magazine had posed Washington shirtless in a boxing stance as part of a picture layout entitled, "Nobody, but Nobody, Is Gonna Hurt My Teammates.

[64] Players involved say that right after Tomjanovich collapsed, the absence of sound at the arena, which was filled with shocked fans, was "the loudest silence you have ever heard.

[69] Washington was fined $10,000,[74] and suspended for 60 days, missing 26 games; then the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history.

[79] Washington received no support from the Lakers front office, aside from a single call the day after the fight from Cooke,[80] and was sent torrents of hate mail filled with racial epithets.

[71] Larry Fleisher, head of the Players' Association, wanted Washington to appeal his suspension, an idea which he originally considered,[74] but ultimately rejected.

[71][94] His acceptance was aided by a glowing article Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe wrote on the player after researching his life and spending some time with him.

Since the Blazers and Clippers could not agree on compensation, the commissioner's office made the final decision, sending Washington, Kunnert, and Randy Smith to Portland in exchange for Walton.

Portland had strongly desired Washington, and their general manager Stu Inman, was a close friend of Pete Newell's.

[105] While the two were playing for San Diego their wives became close friends, but their relationship only worsened over time; Washington believed the NBA was keeping Kunnert on the team to prevent him from suing him.

[106] Jack Ramsay, Portland's coach, however, said that he chose Kunnert over San Diego center Swen Nater when his team was asked by the league to submit a list of players they considered fair compensation for Walton.

[108] He played three seasons in Portland, during which he earned a spot in the 1980 NBA All-Star Game, after some of the top players sat out due to injury.

[111] He has also served in a coaching role with Stanford University, and worked at Pete Newell's "Big Man Camp" for 15 years.

[112] In August 1994, Washington accompanied a team of doctors and nurses on a humanitarian mission to Goma, Zaire, working in a refugee camp for people fleeing the Rwandan Civil War.

[116] On December 4, 2017, he pled guilty to three counts: one of aggravated identity theft, and two of making a false statement in a tax return.