5 NBA Players who suffered serious medical ailments during their career
The NBA has the best basketball players in the world. Top players from all over the world strive hard and compete to get in the NBA. Playing in the NBA requires a high level of mental and physical fitness. The players have to be at their peak to be competitive.
Despite this, we have seen throughout history that a lot of players have suffered serious medical ailments and have still continued their NBA career.
Let's have a look at some of the NBA players who suffered serious medical ailments during their career:
#5 Nene
Nene is a Brazilian basketball player who plays in the NBA. He was drafted as the seventh overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the New York Knicks and was later traded to the Denver Nuggets.
He played in Denver for 10 years but his career there was surrounded with injuries. He missed several games and months of action due to a torn ligament.
But there was another ailment that was much more concerning for Nene. He was suffering from testicular cancer and in 2008, Nene had to take an indefinite leave from basketball to get his testicular tumor removed.
Nene was traded to the Wizards in 2012 and played in Washington for four years. He was an important player for the Wizards and started many matches for them.
Last season, he played for the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have been looking to contend for the Western Conference crown in recent years and Nene is an important backup big man for them. He comes off the bench for the Rockets and adds energy and hustle to the team.
Nene has averaged 11.3 points per game on 55% shooting from the field for his career so far.