We’re going to take a deep dive into the ups and downs of the career of Shaun Livingston

Livingston hails from Peoria, Ill., home of the late comedian Richard Pryor. After starring at Peoria Central High and leading the school to back-to-back titles, Shaun was named “Mr. Basketball of Illlinois” and named a McDonald’s All-American. ‘Rivals.com,’ named him the ‘no.1 point guard’ in college basketball and the ‘no. 2 overall player’ in the country. He was offered a basketball scholarship to play for coach K at ‘Duke University,’ but he decided to skip college and went straight for the ‘NBA Draft – it was one of those rare moments in NBA history that a player was drafted directly out of high school. Shaun stood at 6’11 and had insane guard skills, so it’s safe to say that the right decision was made for him to take his talents straight to the league. He was drafted with the fourth overall pick of the 2004 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers at just 18 years old. His entry helped the Clippers to have their best season thus far in 2005-06, playing a huge role in his team’s success and being consistent whenever he stepped on the court. During his first two seasons, he played 91 games and scored with an average of 6.3 points per game. It was pretty good average considering the fact that he played point guard most games and wasn’t expected to stuff the stat sheet with points. While he did play well in his first two or three seasons, he did have some nagging injuries that kept him from being active as much as he’d like.

After some of the growing pains, the Clippers were hoping for a breakthrough season for Livingston until the nightmare of his life arrived on Feb. 26, 2007.

The Clippers were playing the Charlotte Bobcats, and Shaun was on a fastbreak. HE put up a contested layup, and landed really awkwardly on that left leg. Along with a dislocated left knee cap and broken left leg, Livingston tore his anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus. He also badly sprained his medial collateral ligament. Now I’m no doctor, but I’d say breaking your leg in 4 different places has got to be painful…

The replay was so horrific that ESPNEWS warned viewers before showing it. Tests were done to make sure there wasn’t a need for amputation. There was legitimately a point where Shaun thought the leg would need to be completely amputated.

Through this injury came a long road to recovery, starting with him having to learn to walk again. The bright side was that he was just 21 years old.

Livingston missed the entire 2007-08 NBA season, finally returning to basketball activities on June 16, 2008 about 16 months after the injury. The Clippers didn’t make Livingston a qualifying offer when his contract expired after the 2007-08 season and he became an unrestricted free agent.

Livingston considered playing overseas next, with a lot of uncertainty about the future looming over him. Instead, he parlayed two 10-day contracts with the Washington Wizards into a contract for the remainder of the 2009-10 season. Livingston started 18 of the 26 games with the Wiz, averaging about nine points and four assists in 26 minutes per game. This seemed like a turning point for a great bounce back. It eventually earned him a two-year, million dollar contract from Michael Jordan and the Bobcats — the very same team that his gruesome injury came against.

His stay didn’t last long, however. He was waived after being traded twice during the summer of 2012. He re-joined the Wizards on Nov. 15, 2012 and was cut two days before Christmas. The holidays were not very kind for Shaun Livingston, I mean golly! The Cleveland Cavaliers claimed him off waivers days later.

Nine years in to his NBA career, Livingston seemed finally healthy and able to reach his somewhat of his potential with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2013-14 season. He averaged 8.3 points and 3.2 assists off the bench while playing a then career-high 76 games. The Warriors were actually interested in signing Livingston before he signed with the Nets to be the backup to Steph Curry. Golden State inked Livingston to a three-year, .3 million contract on July 11, 2014. He ended up winning three championships, and was a vital role in each and every one of them.

“I want people to use my story to stand up, be strong-willed and persevere,” he says. When the chips are down, I want you to understand the type of person I am.”

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Narrator: Brian J. MacCalla Jr.

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Editor: Frédéric Brisson

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