“They basically compared it to a car crash” – Shaun Livingston reveals horrifying details about his knee injury
Despite never reaching his full potential, Shaun Livingston was still able to make an impact in the NBA by showing incredible determination. Known mostly for his devastating knee injury, Livingston was able to come back strong and stay in the league, even winning a title.
Livingston was drafted by the LA Clippers in 2004 as their fourth pick that year. He had an excellent start and many thought he would become the franchise star for the Clippers moving forward. However, his third season was cut short after suffering a shattering knee injury that held him back for a significant time.
A sneak peek of the upcoming episode of All The Smoke shows Livingston talking about his major injury.
"It is the mental journey because it really take a piece of your soul from fightint the injuries." Livingston said.
“They compared it to a car crash.”
At 21 years old, Shaun Livingston suffered one of the worst knee injuries in NBA history. He missed nearly two years of gameplay and says it took him almost a decade to feel like himself again on the court.
Full episode with S-Dot drops… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/3qmPUyiOCn
"Just going through the injury process, it's the mental hurdle of having to fight yourself, have to do the battle yourself. Because you're not laying aginast nobody. I didn't touch the court for about eight months.
"I dislocated my knee, my femur tibia, tore three of four of my ligaments. Tore three out of four of my ligaments in my knee. They basically compared it to a car crash... they was talking about the whole amputation and all that. They threw that around early because of the blood flow."
After he had fully recovered from the injury, the Clipper decided not to re-sign him to a new deal. From that point on, he bounced around the league, looking for a permanent home to trust him.
It took a while, but he was able to become a significant piece for the Brooklyn Nets back in the 2013-14 season. After his strong lone season with the Nets, the Golden State Warriors offered him a deal and the rest is history.
You might also be interested in reading this: Shaun Livingston: The backup option who both Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors needed
Shaun Livingston became a core piece for the Warriors early in their championship runs
Despite losing a ton of athleticism due to his injury, Shaun Livingston's determination to return to the court turned him into a valuable player. When he joined the Warriors in the 2014 offseason, not many paid attention. However, the acquisition paid off during the 2015 NBA playoffs, where he controlled the pace for Golden State's second unit.
With him at the helm, the Warriors were able to overpower their opponents. Back in the 2016 NBA Finals, Livingston led the way for the team as he scored 20 points off the bench in Game 1 of their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Also read: 2015-16 NBA Finals: Shaun Livingston, Green help Warriors take 1-0 lead