Per Grantland, the injury initially appeared so bad that amputation-though obviously a worst-case scenario-was mentioned. Note: Do not click this link if you are squeamish. Then he suffered one of the most catastrophic knee injuries in sports history. Like many other prep-to-pro players, Livingston was still a project in his third year, but he was showing sure signs that he could be L.A.'s point guard of the future. That's what convinced the Los Angeles Clippers to pick him fourth overall in 2004-the earliest selection of a high school guard in NBA history. Instead, he became a medical marvel.Īt 6'7", Livingston could see the court from angles that smaller point guards could not, and he still had the quickness and instincts to guard them. Shaun Livingston was going to revolutionize the point guard position. Though there are some historical punch lines here, the most tragic examples deserve that bit of dignity as we look back on what might have been. Out of respect for the men who lost more than a game, we will look at them in alphabetical order rather than determine a single greatest. This list isn't just for the future stars who never got the chance to shine-who squandered their talent-but also for the ones who had it untimely ripped away from them. Nor are we talking about Darko Milicic, a guy who was probably never going to be as good as misguided scouts made him out to be. We're not talking about a guy like Grant Hill, who displayed his stardom before injuries undercut him.
When circumstances sidetrack that skill, though, it casts an inauspicious shadow over your entire competitive legacy. It takes thousands of hours of practice and the proper mentorship to be a star, but it also takes a hefty dose of God-given ability. The annals of NBA history are littered with would-be great players whose careers didn't go according to plan.Ī lot has to fall in a young man's favor in order to even make it to the NBA, let alone thrive.
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