"The bullet missed my Achilles by a hair" - Former Grizzlies forward DeMarre Carroll reveals getting shot while rescuing teammate
Former Memphis Grizzlies forward DeMarre Carroll had a decent career as a role player. Most fans recognize him from the Atlanta Hawks team, which played incredibly during the 2014-15 season.
During his time in the league, however, his career was jeopardized when he saved a teammate from a potential career-ending incident.
Carroll was a guest on the Thanalysis Show, Thanasis Antetokounmpo's podcast. The role player shared one experience that he would never forget where he tried to save one of his college teammates.
The unfortunate incident took place while Carroll was playing for Missouri. According to his story, he was with his teammates partying at a nightclub when the episode happened.
"One night, we had a party," Carroll said. "My teammates and a couple other guys, got into it. I tried to jump in the way and get one of my teammates and say, 'Come on, let's go. Everybody, let's go. We need to get up out of here'.
"Somebody that he was into it with pulled out a gun. He attempted to try to shoot his leg. He was trying to shoot his leg to end his basketball career. So me, grabbing him and trying to get him pushed back, I end up getting shot."
Carroll shared that his teammate wasn't harmed during the event. However, he was the one who took the bullet and that almost ended his basketball career.
"I was being a good teammate. I took one step, I fell straight to the ground. They rushed me to the hospital. In my head, 'My career is over with'. The bullet missed my Achilles by a hair. He's (the doctor) like, 'You're the luckiest person on this planet at this moment.'"
Luckily for Carroll, he continued to play basketball and was drafted by the Grizzlies even after the event.
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How did Carroll perform for the Grizzlies?
Carroll was fortunate enough to be drafted by the Grizzlies with their 27th pick in 2009. His time with the team gave him a start in the league. However, he only played for the team for less than two seasons. The forward was traded halfway through his sophomore season.
The Alabama native only appeared in 78 games for the team during his career. Carroll averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds. His time in Memphis was early in his career and he hadn't honed his skills at a professional level at that time.
However, his time with the team was a great stepping stone as he eventually became a reliable 3-and-D role player later in his career.
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