Shaun Livingston's 2007 knee injury was one of the most gruesome on an NBA court in recent memory, and a significant blow for the Los Angeles Clippers at the time. And for the talented young guard, it very nearly proved to be career-ending.
Talking with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on SHOWTIME Basketball, Livingston recently provided more insight on the injury which kept him off the court for the better part of two years.
“I dislocated my knee, tore three out of four of my ligaments in my knee. They basically compared it to a car crash. A lot of skiers have that kind of accident. And of course, they were talking about the whole amputation and all that. They threw that around early because of blood flow and all that.”
It's an incredible insight into a horrible injury. When a player suffers a significant injury we invariably feel for them and specifically their NBA career, but rarely are the potential off-court implications as dire as Livingston's clearly could have been.
Livingston's story, of course, ended up with a far happier ending than what it could have had. The knee injury put a handbrake on his career and contributed to him being shopped around the league as a role player for much of his career, but he ultimately found a home with the Golden State Warriors in his 11th season. He played out his NBA years with the dynastic team, becoming a key component of their system and winning three championships alongside the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
He might have had one of the purest mid-range games going around, but Shaun Livingston's career certainly didn't reach the heights of which it appeared capable prior to his knee injury. But with amputation having been a consideration in the wake of the injury, a 15-year NBA career and three championships are a pretty good result.
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