What is the most tragic injury story in NBA history?

[moe94]

In your opinion, of course. If it was up to you and any player could have a career unhindered by injury, who would you pick?

I'm going to Hill.

[Inferno]

Gotta go with Brandon Roy. At least Hill was able to still have a very respectable career after all of the injuries.

[Clifton]

There's no question, it's gotta be Brandon Roy.

At least Hill got to ****ing play. He didn't get to be a star for very long, but he was suited up at age 40. Did Roy even make it to 30? Roy might not be able to walk when he's 40.

Hill is close, though. But he had a lot of seasons as an above-average player.

[moe94]

Len Bias
Drazen Petrovic
Reggie Lewis
Grant Hill
Penny Hardaway
Brandon Roy
Tracy McGrady
Derrick Rose
Greg Oden

IMO that I know of or experienced through.

What about Yao?

[Fresh Kid]

what about 2012 baron Davis?

[Meticode]

Brandon Roy
Grant Hill
Greg Oden

There's a number of others, but those come to mind recently.

[Clifton]

Yao was a pretty sad story too. I thought we were looking at a Kareem-style iron man for the first few seasons, when, IIRC, he played 82 games each of his first 3 years. His play style could have been that of a 40-year-old. And he has a strong lower body. What was it that ruined him? Was it is his back? Being 7'6 is tough.

[Meticode]

Yao was a pretty sad story too. I thought we were looking at a Kareem-style iron man for the first few seasons, when, IIRC, he played 82 games each of his first 3 years. His play style could have been that of a 40-year-old. And he has a strong lower body. What was it that ruined him? Was it is his back? Being 7'6 is tough.
Like any huge person his height it was his feet. His feet couldn't handle his huge frame and 300+ pound body.


Injury-plagued seasons (2005–2011)

After missing only two games out of 246 in his first three years of NBA play,[4] Yao endured an extended period on the inactive list in his fourth season after developing osteomyelitis in the big toe on his left foot, and surgery was performed on the toe on December 18, 2005.[61] Despite missing 21 games while recovering,[4] Yao again had the most fan votes to start the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.[62]


In his fifth season, Yao averaged a career-high 25 points per game.
In 25 games after the All-Star break, Yao averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.7% from the field and 87.8% at the free-throw line.[63] His final averages in 57 games were 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.[44] It was the first time that he ended the season with a so-called "20/10" average. However, Tracy McGrady played only 47 games in the season, missing time because of back spasms.[64] Yao and McGrady played only 31 games together,[65] and the Rockets did not make the playoffs, winning only 34 games.[66] With only four games left in the season, Yao suffered another injury in a game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, 2006, which left him with a broken bone in his left foot. The injury required six months of rest.[67]
Early into his fifth season, Yao was injured again, this time breaking his right knee on December 23, 2006, while attempting to block a shot.[68] Up to that point he had been averaging 26.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, and had been mentioned as an MVP candidate.[69][70] Yao was unable to play in what would have been his fifth All-Star game;[71] he was medically cleared to play on March 4, 2007, after missing 32 games.[72]
Despite Yao's absence, the Rockets made the playoffs with the home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round.[73] The Rockets won the first two games, but then lost four of five games[74] and were eliminated in Game 7 at home; Yao scored 29 points—15 in the fourth quarter.[75] Although he averaged 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds for the series, Yao said afterwards "I didn't do my job".[76] At the end of the season, Yao was selected to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career, after being selected to the All-NBA Third Team twice.[77]
On May 18, 2007, only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed as head coach.[78] Three days later, the Rockets signed former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman,[79] who was thought to focus more on offense than the defensive-minded Van Gundy.[80][81]


Yao advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the only time in his career in 2009.
On November 9, 2007, Yao played against fellow Chinese NBA and Milwaukee Bucks player Yi Jianlian for the first time. The game, which the Rockets won 104–88, was broadcast on 19 networks in China, and was watched by over 200 million people in China alone, making it one of the most-watched NBA games in history.[82] In the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference.[83] Before the All-Star weekend, the Rockets had won eight straight games, and after the break, they took their win streak to 12 games. On February 26, 2008, however, it was reported that Yao would miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. He missed the 2008 NBA Playoffs, but he did not miss the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing, China in August.[84] After Yao's injury, the Rockets stretched their winning streak to 22 games, at the time the second-longest such streak in NBA history.[85] Yao underwent a successful operation on March 3, which placed screws in his foot to strengthen the bone, and recovery time was estimated at four months.[86] Yao's final averages in 55 games were 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks a game.[44]
The next season, Yao played 77 games, his first full season since the 2004–05 season, and averaged 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds, while shooting 54.8% from the field, and a career-high 86.6% from the free throw line.[44] Despite McGrady suffering a season-ending injury in February,[87] the Rockets finished with 53 wins and the fifth seed in the Western Conference.[88] Facing the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, Yao finished with 24 points on 9 of 9 shooting in the first game, and the Rockets won 108–81, in Portland.[89] The Rockets won all their games in Houston,[90] and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and the first time in Yao's career.[91]
The Rockets faced the Lakers in the second round, and Yao scored 28 points, with 8 points in the final four minutes, to lead the Rockets to a 100–92 win in Los Angeles.[92] However, the Rockets lost their next two games,[93][94] and Yao was diagnosed with a sprained ankle after Game 3.[95] A follow-up test revealed a hairline fracture in his left foot, and he was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs.[96] In reaction, Yao said the injury, which did not require surgery, was "better than last year".[97] However, follow-up analysis has indicated that the injury could be career threatening.[98] The Yao-less Rockets went on to win Game 4 against the Lakers to even the series 2–2.[99] The Rockets eventually lost the series in seven games.
In July 2009, Yao discussed the injury with his doctors, and the Rockets applied for a disabled player exception, an exception to the NBA Salary Cap which grants the injured player's team money to sign a free agent.[100] The Rockets were granted the exception, and used approximately $5.7 million on free agent Trevor Ariza. After weeks of consulting, it was decided that Yao would undergo surgery in order to repair the broken bone in his left foot.[101] He did not play the entire 2009–10 season.[102]
For the 2010–11 season, the Rockets said they would limit Yao to 24 minutes a game, with no plan to play him on back-to-back nights. Their goal was to keep Yao healthy in the long term.[102] On December 16, 2010, it was announced that Yao had developed a stress fracture in his left ankle, related to an older injury, and would miss the rest of the season.[103] In January 2011, he was voted as the Western Conference starting center for the 2011 All-Star Game for the eighth time in nine seasons. Injured All-Stars are usually required to attend the All-Star functions and to be introduced at the game, but Yao was not in Los Angeles because of his rehabilitation schedule after his surgery.[104] Yao's contract with the Rockets expired at the end of the season, and he became a free agent.

[FKAri]

Greg Oden was more tragic then BRoy. Roy atleast got to show the world what he could do. Oden never got a chance to shine. He showed a ton of potential too.

[chocolatethunder]

Andrew Toney
Bernard King

[L.Kizzle]

Maurice Stokes, and it's not even really close.

Dude was paralyzed after a fall on his head in a game (I believe the last game of the 58 season.) Became a vegetable and died 12 years later after Jack Twyman became his caretaker.

[KobesFinger]

What does Yao do now?

[Vancouver-Grizz]

Rudy Tomjanovich. Dude go punched in his face and had his face shattered!!! He played ball again but retired shortly after. It was life threatening injury.

[Psileas]

Maurice Stokes, and it's not even really close.

Dude was paralyzed after a fall on his head in a game (I believe the last game of the 58 season.) Became a vegetable and died 12 years later after Jack Twyman became his caretaker.

I was going to type this, in these words.
At least if we're talking about in-game injuries.

[MP.Trey]

Greg Oden was more tragic then BRoy. Roy atleast got to show the world what he could do. Oden never got a chance to shine. He showed a ton of potential too.
Oden nearly posterizes Jeff Green in the Final Four (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_oXlvSmp4o)

I remember that like it's yesterday, I jumped out of my seat so fast when I saw him go up for that :oldlol:. I loved watching Oden's game during his college days but it's a shame this is his most memorable "high"light of his to me. I feel like we were robbed of so much.

[fpliii]

Maurice Stokes, and it's not even really close.

Dude was paralyzed after a fall on his head in a game (I believe the last game of the 58 season.) Became a vegetable and died 12 years later after Jack Twyman became his caretaker.

This x1000, nobody else is in the same ballbark in terms of sheer tragedy IMO.


I was going to type this, in these words.
At least if we're talking about in-game injuries.

Same...

[Clifton]

In his fifth season, Yao averaged a career-high 25 points per game.
In 25 games after the All-Star break, Yao averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.7% from the field and 87.8% at the free-throw line
Wow. 88% FTs. If his body could have held together he could have been a factor into his 40s.

He was an underrated passer too. That aspect of his game was never fully brought out.

Best touch from ten feet of any player I can think of.

And a great guy. He was every bit as cool as Shaq was not.


Greg Oden was more tragic then BRoy. Roy atleast got to show the world what he could do. Oden never got a chance to shine. He showed a ton of potential too.
Oden seemed like a good dude (his personality would have been perfect with Roy), with tons of potential, but we don't really know if he would have shined or not. He could have been Lamar Odom. He was prone to depression and was known to be lazy.

Roy on the other hand was basically the basketball version of Batman. He was icy-cool, high-IQ, and a deus-ex-machina in the 4th quarter. The Tim Duncan of SGs. Remember what he did to Dallas on his last legs? Roy is a true fallen hero. He got five minutes of fame to show us what he had in him and then he was just struck down by fate.

Oden could've been just another okay but disappointing big guy for all we know.

[reppy]

Maurice Stokes, and it's not even really close.

Dude was paralyzed after a fall on his head in a game (I believe the last game of the 58 season.) Became a vegetable and died 12 years later after Jack Twyman became his caretaker.


I just looked this up on Wikipedia:

[quote][B]On March 12, 1958, in the last game of the regular 1957

[La Frescobaldi]

I just looked this up on Wikipedia:



The worst part about this is the fact that they were so cavalier about the injury. Could this have been prevented with proper care after the injury? :mad:

Closed cranium trauma is often not seen for several hours, days, or even months after the injury. The person can seem pretty normal during that time, but the effects get worse and worse. Doctors, especially before about 1985 or so, really would prescribe for concussion and all they could do was "wait and see."

The person can fall into the worst kinds of state, descending in a dismal spiral, from desperate sadness and despair, to lack of cognition, loss of logical speech patterns, to catatonic schizophrenia and eventually a vegetative state which can't be treated nor cured.

[reppy]

Closed cranium trauma is often not seen for several hours, days, or even months after the injury. The person can seem pretty normal during that time, but the effects get worse and worse. Doctors, especially before about 1985 or so, really would prescribe for concussion and all they could do was "wait and see."

The person can fall into the worst kinds of state, descending in a dismal spiral, from desperate sadness and despair, to lack of cognition, loss of logical speech patterns, to catatonic schizophrenia or even a vegetative state which can't be treated nor cured.

I kind of thought that might be the case. I mean, even today they miss it. But it also makes me wonder if he took any more blows to the head while playing? You know, an elbow here or there. Would that make the injury any worse?

[CavaliersFTW]

Maurice Stokes.

[edrick]

Penny, Hill, Roy, Ming.

[CavaliersFTW]

Penny, Hill, Roy, Ming.
No, Maurice Stokes.

[j3lademaster]

What does Yao do now?Yao's pretty business savvy and anything he touches turns to gold in the chinese market (which may very well be the biggest market in the world atm), so I wouldn't worry about him.

[j3lademaster]

Maurice Stokes, and it's not even really close.

Dude was paralyzed after a fall on his head in a game (I believe the last game of the 58 season.) Became a vegetable and died 12 years later after Jack Twyman became his caretaker.Didn't know this, but I googled him after reading your post and until further notice it's got to be him. Imagine becoming a vegetable at age 25. Depressing.

[fpliii]

No, Maurice Stokes.

Pretty much. The only other guy who you can even mention is Reggie Lewis, but I'd still go with Stokes (since Lewis wasn't really an injury, per se).

[CavaliersFTW]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DneEfLfgXGc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA0y6uUIoiY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTKKh7OeF-s

If anyone seriously mentions any name other than Maurice Stokes they are either unaware or cruel. Maurice Stokes suffered from brain damage and paralysis and needed to be cared for for the rest of his life after his injury. All the other 'tragedies' about injuries AREN'T REAL TRAGEDIES, they pale in comparison because those players lives outside of basketball remained completely intact and they had their whole life to live ahead of them. Maurice needed to be fed his own food, and his medical care costs depended on the kindness of others.

[CavaliersFTW]

Pretty much. The only other guy who you can even mention is Reggie Lewis, but I'd still go with Stokes (since Lewis wasn't really an injury, per se).
Damn I forgot about Reggie Lewis, that's another horrible one. These foot and knee injuries and stuff aren't real tragedies by comparison to what happened to Stokes and Lewis, those guys lives were either severely handicapped or ended entirely.

[fpliii]

Damn I forgot about Reggie Lewis, that's another horrible one. These foot and knee injuries and stuff aren't real tragedies by comparison to what happened to Stokes and Lewis, those guys lives were either severely handicapped or ended entirely.

Is there anyone else? I feel like we're missing someone.

[CavaliersFTW]

Is there anyone else? I feel like we're missing someone.
Len Bias maybe? Died of drug overdose which happened off the court not necessarily through injury so I don't know if that counts for what OP was getting at but he died before his pro career even happened and his story is definitely a tragedy.

[reppy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DneEfLfgXGc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA0y6uUIoiY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTKKh7OeF-s

If anyone seriously mentions any name other than Maurice Stokes they are either unaware or cruel. Maurice Stokes suffered from brain damage and paralysis and needed to be cared for for the rest of his life after his injury. All the other 'tragedies' about injuries AREN'T REAL TRAGEDIES, they pale in comparison because those players lives outside of basketball remained completely intact and they had their whole life to live ahead of them. Maurice needed to be fed his own food, and his medical care costs depended on the kindness of others.

The part at 7:00 in the second video. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[chips93]

im too lazy to look it up, but wasnt stokes injury caused by flying? im pretty sure i read that today, if you get the injury he got, they tell you not to fly, because the air pressure can make it much worse, as it did for stokes.

[PizzamanIRL]

Kobe of course.

[PizzamanIRL]

What does Yao do now?

Eats a lot by the looks of it.