The 5 Best NBA Careers Ruined by Injuries

[Rock Strongo]

The 5 Best NBA Careers Ruined by Injuries

 

[trojanfan12]

Pretty good list.

I don't know if I would replace anyone in the top 5 with them, but there's also Sam Bowie and Andrew Bynum.

 

[Rock Strongo]

Pretty good list.

I don't know if I would replace anyone in the top 5 with them, but there's also Sam Bowie and Andrew Bynum.

yeah i had trouble too.

if theres a 6-10 id put those guys there

 

[trojanfan12]

yeah i had trouble too.

if theres a 6-10 id put those guys there

Definitely.

I don't know if it exactly ruined his career since he still had some measure of success. But imagine what Bill Walton's career could have been if his feet didn't fall off.

 

[Rock Strongo]

maybe a dumb question, but does larry bird go here? what if not for his back those late years?

amare stoudemire?

penny?

T-mac?

 

[jontaejones]

I cannot include Oden since he was really bad when he did play and others had similar injuries and were guards and managed to have decent NBA careers.

My list goes like this...

Grant Hill

Randy Livingston

Penny Hardaway

Derrick Rose

Bill Walton

Walton is really at the top of the list. He's the only guy who could have delivered titles as a cornerstone, but I'll admit, that was before my time.

 

[bksballer89]

Brandon Roy was amazing.

 

[trojanfan12]

Walton is really at the top of the list. He's the only guy who could have delivered titles as a cornerstone, but I'll admit, that was before my time.

He really should be.

In his 13 year career, he lost 3 full seasons due to injury. He was only healthy enough to play in 65 or more games, 3 times.

In 2 of those years, his team won titles with him playing a large role.

In 1977 he led the Blazers to the title and was finals MVP.

In 1978, he won league MVP despite only playing in 58 games (his Blazers were 50-10 when he broke his foot).

In 1986, he won another title with the Celtics and was 6th man of the year.

It's kind of scary to think about what he could have accomplished if he had been healthy for even half of his career.

 

[Mecca]

Great list.

I wouldn't include Oden though.

Honorable mention Arvydis Sabonis.

Had he come over before he turned 60 and blown out both knees, he'd have been the prototypical stretch 5.

Think Jokic on steroids, uber Lambieer minus the extreme trolling,Better Sam Perkins with his eyes open more than half way...sticky icky.

Walton, Allen Houston, Jason Williams, Bulls version.

This is cheating unless we are counting death....

Gathers, Petrovic, Bias and Lewis had a chance to be special....

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Len Bias

 

[CitySushi]

Grant Hill has got to be at the top of this list. If he had not gotten injured I'm 100% sure right now we'd be talking about him as possibly a top 15 player of all time. He was that good. He was Lebron before Lebron.

Also not really sold on Greg Oden. I think he would have been a starting caliber center, but not in consideration for the Elite players in the game. I think he would have been a poor man's Dwight Howard (which would still be all-star level), but not a superstar.

Bill Walton
Brandon Roy
Derrick Rose
Yao Ming
Penny Hardaway
Aarvydas Sabonis (also would have helped if he came over to the NBA earlier)
Drazen Petrovic (not necessarily an injury but career cut short)


Couple other underrated guys who had careers cut short:

Geoff Petrie
Geoff Petrie Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

Brad Daugherty
Brad Daugherty Stats | Basketball-Reference.com

 

[logic]

Tracy McGrady

 

[Wamu]

Ralph Sampson

 

[CitySushi]

Brad Daugherty

I gotchu already on this one.

 

[Wamu]

I gotchu already on this one.

Yes you did. And by the time I realized you already mentioned him you quoted me before I deleted the comment.

 

[CitySushi]

Yes you did. And by the time I realized you already mentioned him you quoted me before I deleted the comment.

Daugherty was really good. Too bad he couldn't have had a longer career. Think he'd be in consideration for HOF given a run of more all star appearances and similar numbers.

 

[Wamu]

Daugherty was really good. Too bad he couldn't have had a longer career. Think he'd be in consideration for HOF given a run of more all star appearances and similar numbers.

Yeah his career was too short. Only 8 years. 5x All Star that put up good #'s. 19.0 ppg, 9.5 rebs, 3.7 asts (not bad for a big-man).

 

[Rock Strongo]

Len Bias

i was going to say reggie lewis but dying is a really long term injury.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Walton and Sabonis over Yao and Oden.

 

[CitySushi]

Walton and Sabonis over Yao and Oden.

Definitely over Oden, but I think a three way tie with Walton, Sabonis and Yao is arguable. Yao was an absolute beast in his prime and had to play injured all the time too.