NBA injuries are part of the game. No matter how hard it is for fans to see players we love and support suffer injuries, there’s nothing much we can do but send well wishes along their way, hoping they will return to their peak form.
Sadly, there are injuries that have resulted in a player retiring early or severely hampering their careers in the long run. It’s an inevitable fate for a lot of players and their careers will always be associated with it.
In today’s list, we will gather ten players whose careers were ruined by injuries.
Jay Williams
Injury: Multiple fractures caused by a motorcycle accident
After a stellar career at Duke – where he was a three-year starter – Williams was selected as the 2nd overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. Williams was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2003.
He lost his basketball career almost in an instant due to a motorcycle accident in 2003. Williams fractured his pelvis and tore three ligaments on his left knee, including his ACL. He did not play in the NBA again.
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Brad Daugherty
Injury: Back Injury
Daugherty was selected by Cleveland as the top overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. He is possibly the best big man the Cavs had throughout the history of their franchise. Daugherty was a 5x NBA All-Star and a member of an All-NBA Third Team in 1992.
Unfortunately, recurring back injuries forced the former Cavaliers star to call it a career at just 28 years old.
Ralph Sampson
Injury: Multiple knee and back injuries
Sampson came out hot and ready out of the gate as the number one overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft. He won Rookie of the Year in 1984 and was selected as an NBA All-Star for four straight years.
Sampson suffered multiple knee and back injuries throughout his career and played just 441 out of 820 games in his 10 years in the league. Had he stayed healthy, he would’ve been one of the best centers ever in basketball.
Greg Oden
Injury: Multiple Knee, foot and patella injuries
Back in 2007, there were a ton of heated discussions about whether Oden or Durant should go number one overall in the draft. Oden was selected first and the Blazers thought they had secured the best big man in college since Shaquille O’Neal.
However, Oden injured his knee before the 2007-2008 season started and that became a prelude to what would end up as a very disappointing NBA career. He would only play 105 games in the league in four seasons.
Brandon Roy
Injury: Lacked cartilage on both knees
Roy was a budding superstar with Portland from 2006 until 2011. He was selected as a three-time NBA All-Star and made two All-NBA teams during his short stint in the league.
His knee injury was already evident in college, but nobody predicted that he would suffer from it sooner than it was originally anticipated. Several doctors advised Roy to retire due to its severity or he’d lose the ability to walk had he continued his basketball career.
Pete Maravich
Injury: Partial tear of the lateral ligament (knee)
Maravich was a bonafide superstar in the 1970s. He was a 5x All-Star and a 4x member of All-NBA Teams during his heyday. Plus, he won the NBA’s scoring champion in 1977.
Sadly, everything changed for Maravich in 1978. Although he has suffered multiple knee injuries in the past, the knee injury he sustained in the 1977-1978 season eventually led him to his abrupt retirement in 1980, at just 33 years old.
Penny Hardaway
Injury: Torn meniscus (knee)
Hardaway was a young superstar of the Orlando Magic and was widely considered one of the faces of the league in the mid-1990s. He was already selected as a four-time All-Star and was named a three-time member of All-NBA teams during his first five years in the association.
But after bumping knees with Joe Dumars in the 1996 playoffs and initially shrugging it off, Hardaway’s superstar career slowly trended downwards. He never regained the athleticism he once had and became a role player for the latter part of his career.
Yao Ming
Injury: Stress fracture on ankle and leg injuries
Yao was an MVP-caliber player for the Houston Rockets during his heyday. He was an eight-time All-Star and was a member of five All-NBA Teams throughout his short NBA career.
The first-ever Asian to be selected as the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft, Yao immediately proved that he rightfully belonged in the world’s best pro basketball league. But due to his massive 7’5″ frame and limited time away from basketball, Yao’s body started to show some cracks in 2005.
While he still performed at peak level within the next few years, he finally decided to step away from the game in 2011 at just 30 years old.
Tracy McGrady
Injuries: Shoulder, back and knee injuries
During his peak years, there was a legitimate discussion about who’s better – Kobe or Tmac. McGrady was an absolute beast on the court and literally had no weaknesses in his game. Standing at 6’8″, he used his length and athleticism to destroy any defender in the league.
But as great as he once was, everything started to spiral downward in 2008. When his injuries piled up, he became a shell of his former self and was relegated to a bench player at just 30 years old.
Derrick Rose
Injuries: ACL, followed by multiple knee surgeries
Rose possibly had the biggest ‘what if’ career in league history. He was named league MVP at just 23 – the youngest-ever award recipient. He was a global icon and the undisputed face of the NBA in the early 2010s.
But after suffering a torn ACL in a playoff game in 2012, Rose’s game never looked the same. He lost much of his athleticism which was a major asset in his game. In the subsequent years after his devastating injury, it was relatively hard to watch him play because he looked like a very different player on the court.
He’s since become a veteran mentor for several teams today and now plays for the Memphis Grizzlies.
