The basketball world froze and held its breath Friday night while Boston Celtics point guard was strapped to a stretcher following a scary collision with teammate Semi Ojeleye. Fortunately, Walker avoided a serious injury, but in a Twitter thread, Jay King, the Celtics' reporter for The Athletic, explained how team doctor Tony Schena told him how bad it nearly was.
Celtics team doctor Tony Schena on Kemba Walker’s neck injury: “It looked like it was going to be a very serious injury. Thankfully it was not a very serious injury.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 25, 2019
Schena added that Walker stayed on the ground following the collision mostly as a precaution, but that he was experiencing numbness and tingling in his hands. Walker was unable to stop his momentum and stumbled head-first directly into Ojeleye's chest.
For some it seemed similar to the attempted tackle by former Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker Ryan Shazier that nearly paralyzed him in 2017. During a Monday Night Football game against the rival Cincinnati Bengals, Shazier suffered a spinal contusion that left him unable to move his legs initially, while Shazier has recovered enough to walk again, he hasn't been able to return to the football field.
Walker received a full neurological evaluation, an X-ray and an MRI after the injury and went through concussion protocol despite not showing any symptoms. Boston is holding him out of their game against the Sacramento Kings tonight as a precaution, he is expected to practice in full tomorrow.
In his first season with the Celtics, Walker is averaging 21.1 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 40% from the floor and 38.9% from three. Boston is a game and a half behind the Milwaukee Bucks for first place in the East with a record of 11-4.
After eight seasons in Charlotte with the Bobcats, then Hornets, Walker engineered a sign and trade to send him to Boston on a four-year $140 million dollar contract. Charlotte received Terry Rozier and a 2020 protected second-round pick for facilitating the deal, and Boston replaced point guard Kyrie Irving who left to sign with the Brooklyn Nets.
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