5 NBA players who've made successful comebacks from long-term injuries
The 2020-21 NBA season was dramatic in terms of injuries around the league, especially among star players. The LA Lakers' 2020-21 campaign was derailed by injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, with the injury bug also hitting several teams in the NBA Playoffs, including the champions Minnesota Timberwolves.
For the 2021-22 NBA campaign, many talented injured players will be back, and will look to have a huge positive impact for their teams. Klay Thompson, who has missed the last two seasons for the Golden State Warriors, is expected to return to action this campaign.
Thompson's return last year would have made the Golden State Warriors contenders for the championship, but he suffered an Achilles tear just before the campaign started. For the upcoming season, the Warriors could receive a huge boost from Thompson's return, but it remains to be seen if the player hits the ground running.
Many superstars, such as Bill Walton and Grant Hill, have been unable to perform at the same level after injuries hindered them for a long time, while Kevin Durant is the most recent example of the opposite situation.
On that note, here are five NBA players who were able to make successful comebacks from long-term injuries. Without further ado, let's get started.
#5 Paul George
Paul George has been in the NBA since 2010. Although he has missed many regular-season games in the last two years, PG was a durable player in the early part of his NBA career.
Unfortunately, George suffered a career-threatening injury while playing for Team USA in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. He was coming off leading the Indiana Pacers to consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In a Team USA scrimmage on August 1st, 2014, George sustained a fracture in the tibia and fibula on his right leg after crashing against the stanchion of the basket while playing transition defense.
George underwent surgery that same night, and returned to NBA action on April 5th, 2015. He played the final six games of the 2014-15 season, and has since played 414 games with averages of 23.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game with a 44/39/85 shooting split.
He has also made it to five All-Star Games, finished third in the MVP voting after the 2018-19 campaign, and received four All-NBA selections and two All-Defensive selections.
#4 Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is one of the biggest superstars in the current NBA and also an all-time great player. However, he had to fight through ankle injuries early in his career, before turning into a world-beating superstar.
After helping the Golden State Warriors to five consecutive NBA Finals and three NBA titles between 2015 and 2019, Curry had to endure a long-term injury again.
Just after starting his 2019-20 NBA campaign, Curry suffered a left-hand fracture in only the fourth game of the regular season. The injury practically ended Curry's and the Warriors' season, as the team was already without superstar guard Klay Thompson after the latter's knee injury in the 2019 NBA Finals.
Curry ended up playing only five games in the 2019-20 NBA season, after returning late in the regular season, before the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Without Curry and the rest of their core, the Warriors struggled. and did not make the 2020 NBA bubble.
Stephen Curry went from March to December without playing NBA basketball, but managed to put up arguably his greatest regular-season campaign in 2020-21. Although the Golden State Warriors narrowly missed the playoffs, Curry won the NBA scoring title after scoring 32 points per game with a 48/42/91 shooting split.
He also averaged 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game in 63 appearances for Golden State during the season. Apart from taking his second scoring title, Curry made the All-Star Game and the All-NBA first team too.