(PHOTO CREDIT: Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group.)
Shaun Livingston, NBA player of many teams but, most notably, for the Golden State Warriors, has called it a career.
Livingston is the perfect example of what perseverance is. His NBA journey went from heartbreak to triumph. The former 4th overall pick in 2004 (selected by the Clippers) had flashes of stardom before he went down in a gruesome knee injury (don’t look that video up) in 2007. There was talk about his leg being amputated but thank goodness, it never came to that.
And miraculously, his NBA career resumed nearly 20 months after the injury. But since he was an injury risk, it was hard for him to stick to a team. Even when he played 73 games (a career-high at the time) in 2010-11, he still bounced around a bit. It was his season with Brooklyn (his 8th team) in 2013-14 that finally seemed to get him notice. Livingston was in action for 76 games and people seemed to become more aware of his defensive prowess.
The Golden State Warriors then signed Livingston. It seemed a little odd that the Warriors signed him; after all, the Warriors predicated their offense off three-pointers from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson while Livingston’s offensive game was mostly midrange jumpers. But he fit in seamlessly as his perimeter defense and calm demeanor in the offense helped the Warriors win three championships in his five years there.
While there were people that certainly rooted against Curry, Thompson, Draymond Green, and most of the Warriors, everyone seemed to root for Livingston. After all, his career could have easily been cut short 12 years ago. But him coming back AND THEN winning three titles is nothing short of inspirational. He got released by team after team but he never gave up the dream. Even though there was always that risk of reinjuring his knee, nothing seemed to faze Livingston. And it paid off by signing a deal with the Warriors and being part of three championship teams.
If any of us need motivation, we only need to look at Shaun Livingston. He was on the brink of losing his career AND his leg but he somehow beat all the odds and went on to have an overall stint in the NBA for 14 seasons in 15 years. His basketball savvy helped win rings for the Warriors and their fanbase. And last but definitely not the least, he got to retire in the NBA on his own terms.
Only the best in your post-NBA life, Shaun Livingston.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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