Top 3 NBA players who overcame early career injuries to make an All-Star team

Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after sustaining an injury during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors during Game Five of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on June 10, 2019 in Toronto, Canada

NBA players come into the league hoping to have amazing careers, win titles, individual awards and eventually make it to the All-Star teams and possibly be a Hall of Famer. But not all careers go as planned, most of them marred by injuries. Some of these injuries are career-ending and others are not so serious, but recurring. Often times players return and go on to have a struggling career.

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However, there have been some very peculiar cases of players in the NBA that suffered major injuries and came back to have great careers. Let's take a look at those who have had an early career injury, overcame them and proceeded to make it to the All-Star team.

Three NBA players who overcame early-career injuries to make an All-Star team

#3 Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls controls the ball ahead of David Nwaba #2 of the Houston Rockets during the second quarter of a game at the Toyota Center on February 22, 2021 in Houston, Texas.

The two-time NBA Slam Dunk champion pulled off one for the history books, returning from a serious knee injury with more fire than he had before the injury. LaVine developed amazing athletic abilities combined with much more acrobatic prowess than he had. Zach LaVine tore his ACL on February 4, 2017, during a game against the Detroit Pistons. The Minnesota Timberwolves lost 116-108 and LaVine was limited to only 47 games that season. He had an MRI the next day, was diagnosed and proceeded to undergo surgery on what was a season-ending injury.

The Chicago Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves and got in Kris Dunn and the injured Zach LaVine. The latter made a full recovery and made his Bulls debut against the Detroit Pistons in a close win for Chicago (107-105). LaVine made his presence known from the get-go, making a three-pointer just 37 seconds after checking into the game. He made 14 points and two assists having played for 19 minutes.

Zach LaVine returns to action with 14 points in his @ChicagoBulls debut! #BullsNation https://t.co/x7BgE5Vc5J

In the 2020-21 season, the Bulls' shooting guard was selected to the NBA All-Star team having recorded an average of 27.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.