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Like in any sport, weird things are bound to happen in a course of a game. Just take Tim Duncan getting a technical for laughing on the bench for example. Referees tend to lose their patience eventually, especially if a player or coach is yelling in their ear for most of the game. But on November 8th, 1978, NBA referee Richie Powers took it way too far, and it led to the only player in NBA history to score for both teams in the same game. And before you jump to conclusions, this does not mean that one NBA player accidentally scored on the opponent's rim.
The Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets were pretty much playing a typical regular-season game in November. That is, until the 5:50 mark of the third quarter. When Bernard King drove hard to the rim, referee Roger McCain whistled King for an offensive foul, and he let McCain have it. King, who already had a technical foul from earlier, got his second of the game from McCain, which meant an automatic ejection from the game.
But as King made his way to the locker room, he kicked a courtside chair in frustration. This triggered the other referee, Richie Powers, to give him his third technical of the game. Nets coach Kevin Loughery couldn't believe Powers gave his star player another tech in such a tight ballgame. So he jumped from the bench demanding an explanation. Powers responded by giving Loughery three technical fouls as well. The Sixers eventually win the game in overtime. 137-133… Or so they thought.
The Nets filed a protest to the NBA after the game regarding Powers' negligence to the rules. NBA rules do not allow anyone to have more than two technicals in one game, and Powers gave three to two people on the same team in a matter of seconds. The Nets won the protest and league commissioner at the time, Larry O'Brien, not only suspended Powers for five games, but he also agreed to have the game replayed from when the technicals were assessed.
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However, due to scheduling issues, the only time the game could be played was in late March. As the season went on, the Sixers and the Nets engaged in a minor trade on the deadline. The Sixers swapped Harvey Catchings, Ralph Simpson, and cash to the Nets in exchange for Eric Money and Al Skinner. When the game resumed on the rescheduled date, all the players involved in the trade played for their new teams. Every player involved in the trade except Skinner played in the second leg of the game. However, Money was the only one that scored for both the Sixers and the Nets.
Despite the Nets' protest, the outcome didn't change. The Sixers won by six, and the fans got to see two games for the price of one.
Eric Money might not be a hall of famer, but at least he has a record not even Wilt, LeBron, or Michael could ever have.
ONLY Player To Score For BOTH Teams In Same Game 😲 I Clutch #Shorts – YouTube
