NBA Injuries: 20 Stars Who Deserve A Career Do-Over

When it comes to career-altering injuries and tragedies, here are the top 20 NBA stars we wish could get a do-over to reach their full potential.

In a sport featuring mammoth human beings running up and down a hardwood floor at blinding speeds for 48 minutes in an 82-game season, no one should be surprised that injuries are a recurring presence in NBA basketball. They swing title aspirations, spark debate and provide a source of frustrating hypotheticals for long-suffering fan bases on a yearly basis.

But in the worst case scenario, injuries can derail the career of an NBA star — no matter what age, no matter how talented, no matter how promising they might be — at a moment’s notice.

Throughout the course of NBA history, we’ve seen a plethora of injuries strike superstars, role players and benchwarmers alike. Those injuries have ranged from arms to legs to head to chest to pretty much every other body part imaginable, and they’ve ranged from day-to-day maladies to season-ending tragedies.

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For some players, it’s a matter of luck. For others, it’s a matter of having the misfortunate of being injury-prone. But in any case, every basketball fan has their one or favorite “What if?” players that might have reached spectacular heights in the annals of NBA history if not for career-disrupting injuries.

In an attempt to remember the fallen and those who never reached their full potential because of a health-related tragedy, it’s time to look back on 20 great players in NBA history that we would love to give a career do-over.

As we count down from 20 to No. 1 on the list, we’ll be factoring in the severity of the injury/career-derailing incident, the frequency of those injuries, the magnitude of what might have been otherwise, and the gap between that player’s potential and what they were able to accomplish before tragedy intervened (the larger the gap, the more favor they’ll receive in our rankings).

Let’s get started.

Honorable Mentions: Andrew Toney, Brad Daugherty, Micheal Ray Richardson, Gus Johnson, Tim Hardaway, Danny Manning, Arvydas Sabonis, John Lucas, Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson, Dajuan Wagner and (maybe in a year or two) Anthony Davis

Next: No. 20

20. Reggie Lewis

If you took a look at the raw numbers of Reggie Lewis‘ NBA career, the only thing that would stand out in a negative way is that he only played for seven seasons. Unfortunately, his unexpected death cut short a promising career right when it was starting to take off.

As the 22nd pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, Lewis was selected by the Boston Celtics to help the team’s aging Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish — the exact same way that Len Bias was supposed to when he was selected the year before.

But following Bias’ tragic death, the young Lewis began to pave his way despite rarely being used in his rookie season. He averaged around 17-20 points and and 4-5 rebounds in each of the next six NBA seasons, earning All-Star honors in 1992 on averages of 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Unfortunately, right when Lewis was starting to hit his stride, tragedy struck. On July 27, 1993, Lewis suffered sudden cardiac death during an offseason practice because of a structural defect in his heart.

Boston retired his jersey in 1995, making him one of only two Celtics players in franchise history to have their jerseys retired without winning a championship. Lewis was nowhere near the powerhouse that Bias was supposed to be, but his untimely death prevented fans from seeing what he was truly capable of right when he was hitting his prime.

Next: No. 19

19. Amar’e Stoudemire

During his prime with the Phoenix Suns, Amar’e Stoudemire was part of the most dynamic pick-and-roll duo the NBA had seen since the days of John Stockton and Karl Malone. Unfortunately, he never quite had the elite status he might have for his whole career because of a couple of key injuries.

They didn’t know it at the time, but the Suns dodged one hell of a bullet when they refused to pay up to keep Stoudmire in the summer of 2010. Though STAT was a perennial All-Star alongside Steve Nash, that warlock training staff down in Phoenix avoided a massive headache and constant presence in their training room when he signed with the New York Knicks.

The Suns had seen Stoudemire’s injury problems before, like during the 2005-06 season when he played a grand total of three games because of knee problems that required microfracture surgery. But after an All-Star debut season in the Big Apple in which he averaged 25.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, Stoudemire’s body began to break down on him.

In the following three seasons, STAT missed 19 games, 53 games and 17 games before he was bought out of his bench role. He signed with the Dallas Maverick before re-establishing himself this year with the Miami Heat. Still, for a guy who averaged 21 and nine in eight seasons with those powerhouse Suns teams, Stoudemire fell woefully short of his full potential.

Perhaps in ’06, since he missed virtually the entire season, he and Steve Nash might have gotten their rings. He was always an uncomfortable fit alongside Carmelo Anthony in the Knicks frontcourt, but perhaps he would have found success elsewhere. But even though he still managed to have a fine NBA career, Stoudemire’s rapid decline in New York was hard to watch given the athleticism and scoring ability from his youth.

Next: No. 18

18. Shaun Livingston

These days, Shaun Livingston is known for being an underrated and incredibly useful backup point forward for a Golden State Warriors juggernaut. His high basketball IQ, his length on the defensive end and his penchant for never ever missing turnaround jumpers have all made him vital to the Dubs’ championship-caliber depth and versatility.

But people forget about the promising future he once had in this league as a star player, even if everyone remembers the grisly injury that nearly derailed his entire career in the first place.

It was easy to see Livingston’s potential in this league early on. As a 6’7″ point guard with a massive 6’11” wingspan, he could bully defenders in the post, play multiple positions and use his athleticism to get to the basket. But in his third NBA season, a debilitating knee injury that nearly required his leg to be amputated just for Livingston to survive nearly ended his career.

WARNING: The video below is graphic and not for the faint of heart/stomach.

In a game against the Charlotte Bobcats, the promising Los Angeles Clippers youngster snapped his ACL, PCL and lateral meniscus while also spraining his MCL and dislocating his patella and tibio-fibula joint. It took months of rehab just to get him walking again, and excluding the 2007-08 season that he missed entirely, Livingston missed 101 of a possible 246 games in his first three seasons.

Over the next five years, Livingston would play in 12 games, 36 games, 73 games, 58 games and 66 games while bouncing around between SIX different teams. He re-established himself during the 2013-14 season with the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 8.3 points per game in 76 appearances…which earned him the attention of the Warriors, where he soon thrived in a complementary role on a championship team.

All of Livingston’s pain, rehab and hard work had finally come full circle, and he still plays a vital role on a potential repeat champion. But even for all the well-deserved success that makes for a feel-good story, it’s hard to not think about what Shaun Livingston might have accomplished on an individual level if not for a gruesome injury that changed everything.

Next: No. 17

17. Hank Gathers

If you’re an avid fan of ESPN’s 30 For 30 series, you’re probably already aware of the story of Hank Gathers, a Loyola Marymount star who tragically died during a college game. As a high school stud, Gathers soon played at USC with his childhood teammate and friend Bo Kimble before both transferred to LMU following their freshmen seasons.

After missing the subsequent season due to NCAA regulations, Gathers and Kimble led the Loyola Marymount Lions to a stellar 28-4 record. The following season, Gathers became the second player in NCAA history to lead the nation in scoring (32.7 PPG) AND rebounding (13.7 RPG) in the same season.

A 6’7″, 210-pound power forward, Gathers didn’t really ever shoot beyond 10 feet. But even as a candidate for player of the year in his senior season, he wasn’t one of those typical NCAA stars who figured to peak before entering the NBA; he had a ton of upside and was projected as a lottery pick.

But Gathers had an abnormal heartbeat and felt the medication for his condition negatively affected his play and energy level during games. He gradually cut back on his dosage and missed appointments to check if the reduced amount of medication was still handling the arrhythmias properly.

On Mar. 4, 1990, he collapsed in a game against the Portland Pilots after a tomahawk dunk on an alley-oop and died in the hospital later that day, tragically ending a promising NBA career before it ever began. He never got to play in the association, and death can hardly be described as an “injury,” but he might have had a very promising NBA career if not for the condition that ultimately took his life.

Next: No. 16

16. Andrew Bynum

Remember back when Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum were the two dominant bigs in the NBA, and it was a legitimate discussion who would soon rule the league? As a two-time NBA champion who averaged 18.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks at the apex of his powers in a Second Team All-NBA season, it seemed like Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers had found a new star to mold.

Unfortunately, Bynum’s dedication to playing through a knee injury during the 2010 NBA Playoffs came at a price, especially since he postponed summer surgery until after attending the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and vacationing in Italy. The delayed surgery on his torn meniscus caused him to miss the beginning of the season.

He embraced more of a defensive, rebounding role that year, but the Lakers were humiliated by the Mavericks in the conference semifinals, with Bynum earning an ejection in the decisive Game 4 of the sweep for his revolting hit on J.J. Barea. Bynum had the best year of his career after that, but the following year he was included in the Dwight Howard trade that sent him to Philly.

He underwent a procedure on his knees a week before the season started, developed a bone bruise unrelated to those treatments a few weeks later, and then suffered a setback not long after that while bowling. He didn’t play a single game for the Sixers, undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery on both his knees in mid-March.

He played 24 games for the Cavaliers and two games for the Indiana Pacers in 2013-14, but was universally perceived as an injury-prone, washed up locker room cancer. He hasn’t played in the NBA since, but his double-double potential was always tantalizing — even if he lacked the proper attitude and work ethic to make it in this league, especially after the injuries changed his situation.

Next: No. 15

15. Maurice Stokes

For the younger generation of NBA fans, you may or may not recognize Maurice Stokes‘ name as the latter half of the league’s Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. But before we get to the role Jack Twyman played in all of this, here’s the first thing you need to know: Stokes was on track to have a DAMN fine NBA career before it was tragically cut short.

Named the Rookie of the Year during the 1955-56 campaign with the Rochester Royals, Stokes averaged 16.8 points and a league-leading 16.3 rebounds per game. A 6’7″ power forward/center, Stokes was a monster on the glass, but he was also an excellent passer for his position, averaging an impressive 16.4 points, 17.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game over his three-year career.

Unfortunately, the three-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA Second Teamer was knocked unconscious during the last game of the 1957-58 regular season after banging his head on the floor…and returned to the game after being revived by smelling salts. Three days later, after the first game of the playoffs, he fell ill on the team’s flight back to Cincinnati and suffered a seizure.

His encephalopathy — brain disorder that damaged his motor control — left him permanently paralyzed, though he could still communicate by blinking. Enter Jack Twyman, Stokes’ teammate and dear friend who became his legal guardian and cared for him after the incident until he died of a heart attack 12 years later.

Both Stokes and Twyman are enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and are one of the greatest examples of teammates and friendship in NBA history. But it obviously would have been much more preferable to see Stokes’ full career play out tragedy-free.

Next: No. 14

14. Chris Webber

Chris Webber‘s injuries weren’t as consistently intrusive as some of the guys on this list, but they were as ill-timed as his infamous timeout during the national championship game at Michigan.

Webber played only 15 games for the Washington Bullets in his third NBA season due to injury problems, but the biggest what-if of his NBA career didn’t come until after he and the Sacramento Kings had already established themselves as perennial title contenders.

Everyone remembers that memorable seven-game series against the Lakers in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, but the Kings were among the league’s title favorites again in 2003…until Webber sustained a non-contact knee injury in the conference semifinals. Sacramento would lose the series and Webber wouldn’t return to action until there were 23 games left in the 2003-04 season.

Despite missing Webber for so long, the Kings finished only three games behind the 1-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the standings…which hurt when they had to play Game 7 of the conference semifinals on the road against those same Wolves and lost. What if Webber had been healthy in 2003? What if he had led the Kings to the No. 1 seed in 2004 and they had home-court advantage throughout the playoffs?

After so many Game 7 heartbreaks, that promising Kings core was dismantled and Webber’s career ended four seasons later. He never got close to winning a title again and after that knee surgery in 2003, his game was never the same. Webber still had a Hall of Fame caliber career as one of the greatest passing bigs in NBA history, but it’s easy to wonder what might have been if not for that knee injury.

Next: No. 13

13. Greg Oden

Poor Greg Oden…although there was little to feel sorry about when he was charged for battery after allegedly punching his girlfriend in 2014. Strictly from a playing standpoint, however, Oden’s potential as an NBA double-double machine was disappointingly denied by an incessant barrage of injuries.

Taken with the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the former Ohio State star (who, consequently, looked like he was 40 back in college) did little to help the Portland Trail Blazers get over the bad memories of Sam Bowie from the late 80s when he missed his entire rookie season because of microfracture surgery on his ailing right knee.

In what should have been his second season, Oden averaged 8.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game, but he also missed 21 games due to a foot injury and a chipped left kneecap. The following year, he was limited to 21 games because of a left knee injury that ended his season in December, despite bumping up his averages to 11.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Oden wouldn’t play for the next three seasons because of a laundry list of various surgeries and setbacks on his knees that are too long and depressing to flesh out in full detail. He returned to action during the 2013-14 season for the Miami Heat, but ultimately played just 23 games as the team lost in the NBA Finals.

Though Oden has since worked out for the Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks, he most recently played 25 games in China for the Jiangsu Dragons. With a total of 105 games and three seasons to his NBA resume (when he should be in his ninth season), Oden’s career has been a sad, injury-stunted story for a long time now.

Next: No. 12

12. Drazen Petrovic

Larry Bird. Mark Price. Reggie Miller. Steve Nash. Ray Allen. Now Stephen Curry. Those are the names that frequently dominate the “greatest shooter of all time” discussion. But if Drazen Petrovic had lived long enough to enjoy a full NBA career, his name would probably enter that conversation more often.

For Croatians, 90s hoops fans and ESPN enthusiasts, Petrovic isn’t a foreign name. His friendship with Vlade Divac amidst the Yugoslav Wars was the subject of a terrific 30 For 30 film, but even before his story became so widely publicized, Petrovic was garnering a reputation for his overseas exploits.

A two-time Euroleague champion, two-time FIBA Saporta Cup champion, one-time FIBA World Cup MVP and one-time FIBA EuroBasket MVP, Petrovic didn’t join the NBA until the 1989-90 season with the Portland Trail Blazers at age 24.

Despite not getting much run time as a rookie with the Blazers, who mostly confined him to a role as a spot-up shooter, Petrovich’s angst for more minutes eventually led to a three-team trade that brought him to the New Jersey Nets. In two and a half seasons there, he quickly found his groove and lived up to his reputation as a cocky, fun and confident scorer.

In his first full season, he averaged 20.6 points, 3.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game on .508/.444/.808 shooting splits. The following season — his final NBA season — Petrovic earned Third Team All-NBA honors for his 22.3 points and 3.5 assists per game on .518/.449/.870 shooting splits.

Driving from Poland back to Croatia with his girlfriend over the offseason, Petrovic — who was not wearing his seatbelt — was killed in a car accident on the rainy Autobahn 9. It was a tragedy that struck deep at the heart of the NBA and the global basketball community as a whole.

From his borderline arrogant demeanor to his silky smooth jumper, Petrovic was a delight to watch, one of the most memorable players in the history of international basketball, and an all-time NBA what-if.

Next: No. 11

11. Brandon Roy

His career may not have ended all that long ago, but people have quickly forgotten how freaking good Brandon Roy was in his prime. Though he only spent five seasons winning over those long-suffering Portland Trail Blazers fans, those were a memorable five seasons that forever endeared him to a rabid fan base.

It didn’t take long for Roy to start winning over the fans, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2007, earning his first of three All-Star appearances in 2008 and Second Team All-NBA honors in 2009, when he helped lead Rip City back to the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Rip City lost that first round series in six games, but Roy averaged a stellar 22.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game on efficient .480/.377/.824 shooting splits in what would ultimately prove to be his best season. Though Roy technically appeared in three more NBA seasons, he was limited to just 117 games in that span, missing the 2011-12 season entirely.

The reason? Roy’s degenerative knees that didn’t have enough cartilage in them to withstand the toll of an 82-game season. Arthroscopic knee surgery in early 2011 limited him to a bench role when he returned weeks later, with Roy posting career lows of 12.2 points, 2.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game for the season.

Though Rip City lost to the Mavs in six games in a first round playoff series that year, Roy’s improbable heroics off the bench — including a 16-point Game 3 victory and an 18-point fourth quarter in a Game 4 win that tied up the series — were genuine feel-good moments for a player whose career was coming to an end before anybody knew it for certain.

Before training camp began the following season, there was no cartilage between the bones in Roy’s knees, forcing him into retirement at age 27. He announced a comeback in 2012 after undergoing the same plasma procedure that Kobe Bryant once had, but he played a grand total of five games for the Minnesota Timberwolves before having to call it quits for good with a season-ending knee surgery.

From his late-game heroics to his well-rounded play to his unassuming demeanor to his final hurrah in 2011 when he was quite literally on the last legs of his career, Roy’s five seasons with Rip City were a memorable but ultimately sad tease. Just imagine what might have been with a core of Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez and an experienced Brandon Roy.

Next: No. 10

10. Tracy McGrady

Aside from being an injured reserve for the Houston Rockets and an unused insurance policy with the San Antonio Spurs, Tracy McGrady never won a playoff series. He never won an NBA championship, earned an MVP Award or became renowned for his playoff heroics. And yet, he still had a Hall of Fame career that might have panned out differently if not for injuries.

T-Mac’s resume is staggeringly impressive otherwise: A seven-time All-NBA selection, seven-time All-Star, two-time scoring leader, and a mastermind of a season that belongs in the basketball pantheon, when he averaged 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game with a Player Efficiency Rating of  30.3 in 2002-03.

McGrady became one of only nine post-modern players to post a single-season PER that high (though it’ll be 10 if Steph Curry keeps his masterful 2015-16 campaign up), he had a 62-point game,he  led the Rockets to a 22-game win streak and he even had that unforgettable 13 points in 35 seconds game.

And yet, T-Mac is constantly remembered for his shortcomings in the postseason. Despite the fact that he averaged 29.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game during the playoffs in Orlando and Houston, and despite the fact that the best teammates of his prime were the oft-injured Grant Hill and Yao Ming, it’s no wonder he never found himself in a conference finals.

Never making the second round when healthy is a bad look, but throw McGrady’s own injury problems into the mix and it becomes a little more understandable, even as he racked up undeniable individual numbers.

Though McGrady was mostly healthy during his years with the Magic, he and Ming could never get healthy at the same time in Houston. T-Mac only played 47 games in 2005-06, while Ming only played 57. T-Mac missed 11 games the following season, but Yao could only suit up for 48 games and 55 games the next two seasons.

Meanwhile, McGrady was banged up for the 2008 NBA Playoffs with a shoulder and knee issue. Ming was healthy in 2008-09, but that was the season T-Mac missed 47 games because of knee surgery. He was limited to six games the following season before being traded to the New York Knicks.

In his prime, T-Mac was impossible to defend because of his speed, athleticism and passing ability. He was as well-rounded a player as we’ve seen in NBA history, but because of Hill’s injuries in Orlando and T-Mac and Ming’s inability to stay healthy at the same time in Houston, we never got to see him at the full height of his powers.

Next: No. 9

9. Bernard King

You know what’s scary? Bernard King is a Hall of Famer, universally renowned for his innate scoring ability…and he might’ve had an even better career if not for nagging injury problems.

A four-time All-NBA selection and four-time NBA All-Star, King was an absolute scoring machine for the New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Washington Bullets. It didn’t take long for King to establish himself as one of the league’s best scorers, averaging 24.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his first season en route to All-Rookie Team honors.

During the 1984-85 season, King posted a monstrous 32.9 points per game 53 percent shooting, but what’s terrifying about that figure is that he did it while making a grand total of one three-pointer for the entire season. But because of his speed on the fast break, slashing to the rim and releasing his jump shot, King was virtually unstoppable on the nights he started heating up.

But even with his 60-point game and his career averages to 22.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, Bernard King’s undeniable coolness couldn’t overcome a horrible knee injury in the middle of his prime that included a torn ACL, torn knee cartilage and a broken leg bone. He missed the entire 1985-86 season, just after posting a career high in scoring the season before.

At that point, no player had ever returned from a knee injury of that magnitude, and even after returning for six games to close out the 1986-87 season, King was released by the Knicks.

This story ends on a happy note (sort of, since King only played 32 games over his final two seasons), with King averaging 22.0 points per game over his last four seasons with the Bullets. But he played 32 games or less in five different seasons, so if he hadn’t been so injury-prone, how many scoring milestones would have his name inscribed on them?

Next: No. 8

8. Sam Bowie

You might remember Sam Bowie as the guy that was taken just before Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft. Though Hakeem Olajuwon was taken ahead of Jordan as well, that decision led to two titles and the greatest player in franchise history for the Rockets, so not many people fault Houston for taking him over the eventual G.O.A.T.

Bowie, on the other hand, became the poster child whose face appears on every red flag that pops up whenever a seven-footer with bad knees/feet enters the draft. Taken second by the Blazers in one of the greatest draft classes of all time, Bowie figured to help a Portland team looking for frontcourt help for the ailing Bill Walton. Rip City also didn’t need a guard, since they already had Jim Paxson at the point and had drafted shooting guard Clyde Drexler the year before.

Unfortunately, Bowie would go on to become one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history despite the undeniable potential he showed in college. The Blazers probably should have put more stock in his extensive injury history leading up to the draft, since Bowie had missed not one, but TWO collegiate seasons due to a stress fracture in his left tibia.

The injury-prone tag didn’t attach itself to Bowie right away. As a rookie, he averaged 10.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game in 76 appearances, earning All-Rookie First Team honors. But in his second season, that feeble left tibia broke again, with Bowie only playing 38 games.

Five games into his third season, Bowie’s other tibia was broken after he landed awkwardly going up for another rebound, effectively ending his season. He didn’t play a single game in 1987-88, and other than his rookie year, Bowie played a grand total of 63 games of a possible 328 during his four last seasons in Rip City.

Bowie was subsequently traded to the New Jersey Nets and stayed relatively healthy there, averaging 14.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 68 appearances during his best season there. But he obviously never lived up to Jordan or Hakeem’s legendary careers and had problems staying healthy in his final two NBA seasons after he was traded to the Lakers.

Bowie clearly had the talent to play in the NBA, and his professional career technically lasted until 1995. But as the second overall pick in the draft whose career was tormented by injuries and dreams of “What if?,” it’s impossible to not wonder what might have been if the Blazers had drafted by talent rather than need.

We’re cheating a bit here, since part of Sam Bowie’s what-if factor is the mere fact that Portland bungled their 1984 draft selection, but there’s no question that when it comes to injury-related NBA hypotheticals, Bowie belongs high up that list in every sense.

Next: No. 7

7. Yao Ming

Would Yao Ming have lived up to the massive hype surrounding him as the first Chinese superstar in NBA history? Maybe not. But there’s no question the talent was there, since “Shaquille O’Neal vs. Yao Ming” was a legitimate question for awhile there.

As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets got their hands on a gargantuan 7’6″ center who would provide their fan base (and fans all over the world) with plenty of memories through the duration of his eight NBA seasons. Unfortunately, there were also quite a few unpleasant, injury-related memories that went with them.

Were his eight All-Star appearances influenced by the multitude of Asian fans who voted him into the starting lineup as a rookie (despite his good but not great averages of 13.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 1.8 BPG)? Undoubtedly. But it didn’t take long until he became a global ambassador for the game, with solid play that eventually backed his standing up.

Ming played 80 games or more in each of his first three seasons, but he developed osteomyelitis in his big toe that limited him to 57 games in his fourth year. He came back healthy and averaged 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game that year, but broke his foot with four games left in the season.

The following year he was an absolute monster and was conjuring up some early MVP chatter until he broke his right knee and played only 48 games that season. Though he averaged a career-best 25.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game that year, his durability had become a major cause for concern.

He and Tracy McGrady could just never stay healthy at the same time, as proven the next year when Ming played 55 games and suffered a season-ending stress fracture in his foot. Two seasons later, he missed the entire season and was limited to just five games the season after that because of hairline fracture in his foot and a stress fracture in his ankle. Yao hasn’t played since, retiring after that season.

Ming is heading for the Hall of Fame and has solid career averages of 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, but you have to pity the Ming dynasty for not lasting longer considering what he might have been able to accomplish if not for a rash of foot and ankle injuries that befell him.

Next: No. 6

6. Len Bias

I’m starting to wonder if ESPN’s 30 For 30 series was driving force behind this piece in my subconscious. In any case, though Len Bias’ NBA career wasn’t derailed by “injury,” his shocking death had a significant long-term impact on the Boston Celtics and the presence of cocaine in the association in general.

Considered to be one of (if not THE) greatest basketball players to never play in the NBA, Bias was an absolute stud at the University of Maryland. As a 6’8″ forward, Bias averaged 23.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on 54.4 percent shooting in his senior season. He was renowned by scouts for his leaping ability, dynamic athleticism, smart playmaking and sheer physical stature.

Thanks to the Gerald Henderson trade with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1984, the defending champion Celtics owned the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. The rich were about to get even richer with a physical forward who could help Bird, McHale and Parish on the glass, while the veterans could share their championship experience with a moldable rookie.

The Celtics were about to have a future star to ease the load on Bird’s back (literally and figuratively), and Bias was about to benefit from learning from some of the game’s all-time great winners. But two days after the draft, when the Celtics selected him second behind Brad Daugherty, Bias was dead — the victim of cardiac arrhythmia due to a cocaine overdose.

A family had lost a son, the community had lost a local legend and the basketball community had lost the opportunity to witness greatness — both from a potential superstar like Bias and a championship-caliber Celtics team that might have kept chugging along and winning titles otherwise.

A process that general manager and head coach Red Auerbach had been planning for three years was over in the blink of an eye. Bias’ depth opened plenty of eyes as one of the most tragic events in NBA history, so even though this wasn’t an “injury,” per se, there’s no question that his sudden death is one of the greatest what-ifs in league history.

Next: No. 5

5. Ralph Sampson

Once upon a time, Ralph Sampson was supposed to be the next big thing coming out of college. A 7’4″ goliath, Sampson was a three-time College Player of the Year who thoroughly dominated his competition at Virginia, even if his team’s defeat in the 1983 NCAA championship game gave rise to yet another inspirational 30 For 30 on Jim Valvano.

Lack of NCAA hardware aside, Sampson was the hands down No. 1 pick of the 1983 NBA Draft, going to the Houston Rockets and winning Rookie of the Year honors on monster averages of 21.0 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. Like asking Sampson to raise his arms above his head, the sky was the limit for this kid’s potential.

When Houston added Hakeem Olajuwon to the mix with the top pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, the Rockets had created the first ever Twin Towers lineup of that magnitude. In an era where the three-point shot didn’t yet dominate the game, Houston swallowed up opponents’ shots in the paint and dominated them down low.

Statistically, however, Sampson peaked in his first season alongside Olajuwon, averaging 22.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 blocks per game, which was even more impressive since Hakeem’s arrival moved Sampson to the power forward spot. The Rockets improved their win total by 19 from the prior year, reaching the playoffs in a 48-win season.

Both members of the Twin Towers made the All-Star Game, and Sampson won MVP honors for the game with 24 points and 10 boards. The following season, he made an impossible game-winning turnaround jump shot in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to close out the Lakers and advance Houston to the 1986 NBA Finals.

The Rockets lost in a tough six-game series to the legendary Celtics, but they had proven themselves as talented up-and-comers under Sampson’s leadership. Unfortunately, a myriad of knee and back injuries limited Sampson to 43 games in 1986-87 and he fell out of favor with the Rockets’ head coach, subsequently being traded to the Warriors halfway through the 1987-88 season.

He played only 48 games total that season, with his numbers and minutes drastically declining in Golden State. He played 61 games over his final three seasons in the league, eventually being released by the Sacramento Kings and being waived by the Washington Bullets after a 10-day stint in 1991-92.

In 10 NBA seasons, Ralph Sampson played only 441 games. For a player once predicted to be one of the greatest NBA prospects of all time, his professional career was only injury-laden nightmare that prevented him from ever matching the hype.

Next: No. 4

4. Derrick Rose

Some people might have Derrick Rose higher up this list as a former MVP winner, but his what-if factor is somewhat diminished by the unavoidable presence of LeBron James looming over the Eastern Conference. But whether you believe a healthy Rose/Chicago Bulls team could have unseated LeBron’s Heat/Cavs, the impact and frequency of Rose’s injuries are undeniable.

As the No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, it didn’t take long before Rose was being hailed as Chicago’s first basketball superstar since the days of Michael Jordan.

He became an icon and local legend in the Windy City, and though his playing style has since been labeled as “reckless” or “inefficient,” anyone using those words to go anywhere NEAR his prime years has clearly forgotten how exhilarating it was to watch him play.

In short, Rose was like a poor man’s Russell Westbrook before there was Russell Westbrook. It was pedal to the metal, 24/7. The Bulls’ star point guard mesmerized audiences with his breakneck speed, array of acrobatic moves attacking the rim, strength in finishing through contact and unblockable floaters that found their mark in the most opportune moments of close games.

Rose was born with a knack for taking and making big shots, he went all out every time he took the floor, and during his MVP season, he averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. You could easily make the argument that LeBron deserved the award that year, but let’s not forget that Rose was the story of the 2010-11 season for a 62-win Bulls team.

James had his revenge in the conference finals, beating the Bulls in five games in his only playoff meeting with Rose (until this past season). Unfortunately, when the Bulls won the No. 1 seed again in 2011-12, Rose went down in the first game of the playoffs with the ACL tear that would alter his career — and the Bulls’ short-term title hopes — forever.

Since then, King James’ biggest competition out East has been an Indiana Pacers team that disbanded as quickly as it rose to prominence. The Bulls have kept the LeBron rivalry alive, but without Rose at full strength — plus so many players banged up and Jimmy Butler only emerging as a superstar now — the time may have passed for Chicago to knock King James off the mountain.

To be fair, Rose has shown signs of progression lately. He’s still averaging 16.8 points and 4.8 assists per game on 43 percent shooting this year and has been much better after a slow start to the season.

But between the ACL tear in 2012, his yearlong absence in 2012-13, his torn meniscus early in his 2013-14 comeback season and then another torn meniscus in 2014-15, it’s become easy to believe that A) Rose can’t stay healthy, B) Rose will never be the same player and C) Rose will never reach his sky-high potential because of all those career-altering injuries.

Perhaps he can still be a serviceable point guard, but Rose’s lack of a jump shot won’t help his game age well. He’s rediscovered his athleticism this season and last year was able to play in his first playoff series since 2012, but these are small comforts compared to what his prime should have looked like.

Next: No. 3

3. Penny Hardaway

For kids growing up in the 90s, it was hard NOT to be a fan of Anfernee Hardaway. Often compared to Magic Johnson for the speed, size and court vision he brought to the point guard position, Penny’s blue or black pinstriped throwback Orlando Magic jerseys with that nostalgic No. 1 donning the back can still be seen across the country.

As a rookie, Hardaway got to learn the ropes of the point guard position from Scott Skiles, taking over the job halfway through the season and finishing second to Chris Webber in Rookie of the Year voting.

In just his second NBA season, Penny was averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, earned All-Star and All-NBA honors, helped the Magic defeat the Chicago Bulls in Michael Jordan’s comeback season and served alongside Shaquille O’Neal on a 57-win team that went to the 1995 NBA Finals.

Though Orlando was swept by the Rockets in that championship series, Penny did all he could despite being so young, averaging 24.5 points, 8.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting in the Finals.

During his promising early years with the Magic, Penny was a three-time All-NBA selection and four-time All-Star, but once Shaq left for Los Angeles in free agency, Hardaway’s health started to give. He missed 23 games that first season as Orlando’s lone superstar, while a knee injury the following year limited him to 19 games.

That would become the story for Hardaway moving forward, with the once promising triple-double machine undergoing four different knee surgeries after the initial knee procedure. This prevented him from reaching his ceiling when paired up with Jason Kidd on the Phoenix Suns’ “Backcourt 2000” — especially in 2000-01, when he played only four games.

Over his final three NBA seasons with the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, Penny played a grand total of 57 games, with all those knee operations robbing him of his explosiveness. Hardaway had the size, skill, flash and charisma to be an unbelievable player, but he never made it back to the Finals — or even the peak of his own stardom — after his second NBA season.

Next: No. 2

2. Bill Walton

Bill Walton is one of exactly two players on the list to win an MVP Award, but he’s the only one to win both an MVP Award and an NBA championship. Bearing that in mind, it’s hard to feel too sorry for a guy enshrined in the Hall of Fame with two NCAA championships and two NBA titles to his name.

But there’s also no denying that the Portland Trail Blazers were well on their way to becoming an NBA dynasty until the first of an ongoing series of foot injuries ruined everything.

In his first two seasons, Walton was limited to just 86 games because of injuries ranging from his nose to his foot to his wrist to his leg. But by his third season, Walton was healthy enough to play in 65 games, earned All-NBA and All-Star honors and averaged 18.6 points, a league-leading 14.4 rebounds and a league-leading 3.2 blocks per game.

During that magical 1976-77 season, Rip City ripped off a Cinderella run that culminated in a comeback from a 2-0 deficit against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals. Walton earned Finals MVP honors, winning the Blazers the franchise’s first and only title in just his third season.

The Blazers carried that momentum forward into the following season, winning 50 of their first 60 games as a team that played basketball the right way. Walton was the catalyst as the team’s defensive anchor, monster on the glass and superb passer that kept the ball moving and helped get everyone involved (5.0 APG).

But that’s precisely when the foot problems surfaced, and even though Walton won the MVP Award that season, he was limited to 58 games. The injury resurfaced in Portland’s second round series against Seattle, forcing him to miss the series from the second game onward. Portland lost the series and unbeknownst to everyone, Walton had played his final game for the Blazers.

He sat out the 1978-79 season in protest of the way Portland’s front office handled his and other players’ injuries, eventually signing with the San Diego Clippers in free agency after it was over. But he rarely played there, logging a grand total of 14 games from 1979-82 (missing two entire seasons), then 33 games, 55 games and 67 games over the next three seasons.

Walton reinvented himself as a sixth man for the 1986 championship Celtics team, but by then he was a shell of his former self. Bill Walton had all the tools to be one of the greatest big men in NBA history, but his feet just didn’t have it in them.

Next: No. 1

1. Grant Hill

It truly is sad how many people are unaware of this next statement of fact, but here it goes: If it weren’t for injuries, Grant Hill may have gone down as one of the 10 or 20 greatest NBA players of all time. It’s no exaggeration to say he was LeBron James before there was LeBron James.

In his first six seasons in the league, Hill became a fantastic role model both on and off the court. Though he didn’t quite measure up to the greatness of Christian Laettner during his Duke days, he quickly surpassed him in the pros, displaying a two-way brilliance and all-around versatility that made him one of the game’s most unguardable triple-double threats.

Sharing Rookie of the Year honors with Jason Kidd, Hill averaged 19.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in his first season. Hill was never much of a three-point shooter, but in just his second NBA season, Hill was damn near posting a 20-10-7 stat line.

Seriously, if it weren’t for the fact that Hill is assured a Hall of Fame spot because of his college exploits (two NCAA championships and three NCAA title game appearances), he should get in anyway, if only for a “what-if” clause based on his first six seasons alone. During that span, he averaged 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game on 47.6 percent shooting.

He also earned five All-Star nods (including his rookie season, when he became the first rookie in any of the four major pro spots to lead all players in All-Star voting), five All-NBA selections (one First Team and four Second Team) and tallied an absurd 29 triple-doubles in that six-year span. He was a fantastic defender, an electric dunker and finished third in MVP voting in 1997.

Though his Pistons never found much playoff success, he also had very little help early in his career. From 1995-96 to 1998-99, he led all non-guards in assists, and he also joined Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the only players in NBA history to lead their teams in scoring, assists and rebounds more than once.

In his best season (1999-00), Hill averaged an eye-popping 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Unfortunately, heading into the playoffs that season, he sprained his ankle. Trying to play through the injury, Hill made it even worse, and was soon part of a sign-and-trade to the Orlando Magic, where he was planning on signing in free agency anyway.

But what began as a promising, budding partnership between Hill and Tracy McGrady was uprooted by Hill’s ankle injuries, which limited him to a meager four games, 14 games and 29 games in his first three seasons there before missing the entire fourth one entirely. Hill looked more like himself in 67 games during his fifth year in Orlando, but the season after that, he only played 21 games. By then, the dream was dead.

During those unbearably tough seven years with the Magic, Hill encountered numerous ankle injuries, a groin injury, a sports hernia, a bruised left shin, a nagging left knee injury, a sore tendon and a MRSA infection that nearly killed him, resulting from an ankle procedure. He literally almost died for the game of basketball.

For such a promising player, Hill’s NBA career was like a real life Series of Unfortunate Events. What might have been, oddly enough, doesn’t bother Hill that much — something he’s admitted in numerous interviews. But it’s certainly disheartening to the rest of us who wonder where he would have landed among the NBA’s all-time greats otherwise.

WHY COULDN’T YOU HAVE JUST SIGNED WITH NIKE INSTEAD OF FILA BACK IN 1997, GRANT? WHY???

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Hill is one of just 19 players in NBA history to get to 17,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists for his career. Of those 17, the 12 eligible for the Hall of Fame are currently enshrined. The other six — Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce and Jason Kidd — will be surefire Hall of Famers as well.

If you’re still somehow not convinced, consider that Oscar Robertson is the only player in NBA history other than Hill to average at least 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game through his first six seasons.

More hoops habit: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time

Hill will probably get into the Hall of Fame because of his prestigious college career and those first six years in Detroit, but among injury-related what-ifs in NBA history, what might have been for a healthy Grant Hill tops the list.