No, we’re not talking about the ones that hurt the most or were the most gruesome, we’re talking about the ones that were most crippling to a franchise’s fortunes. The injuries that tormented franchises and changed the course of the league’s history.
(Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
This list is not for some great random player that got injured on a team that wasn’t going anywhere (i.e. Penny Hardaway), it’s about teams on the verge of taking a next towards a championship or setting up a potential dynasty that saw it all crumbling down.
Injuries have been one of the main themes of the 2024-25 NBA season and preservation to preserve peak performance has been the NBA motto in recent years. Nowadays, it’s not about what team is the best, it’s about which team is most healthy when it matters. The following five players (listed in chronological order) were right there before it came tumbling down.
Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers, 1978 (Age 25)
- Injury:
The big man from UCLA (who passed in May 2024) was having a historic season and the Blazers were 50-10 when Walton removed himself from a game against the Philadelphia 76ers because the foot and leg pain was just too great.
- What Happened Afterwards:
Portland had defeated the 76ers to win the 1977 NBA title and were one of the youngest teams in the league. Portland limped to a 8-14 finish without the Big Red Head and the budding dynasty was basically over after Walton could never get back on track. Walton was shot up with painkillers to try to return in the 1978 NBA playoffs, but all that led to was a legal battle between Walton and the team trainer and he never played another regular season game in Portland again.
- Conclusion:
Walton was still named MVP despite playing only 58 games, but his career as an elite talent was essentially over. Walton only played 14 games over the next four seasons in which would have been his prime years (age 26-29). The fallout was dramatic and player health and wellness as it relates to his relationship with a franchise was never taken for granted after Walton’s unfortunate situation.
Bernard King, New York Knicks, 1985 (Age 28)
- Injury:
In late March of 1985, the all-star forward in his prime tore his ACL and broke his leg in a gruesome injury that at the time, some felt would end his career. Most wings or guards who suffered ACL injuries before King were never the same or didn’t return.
- What Happened Afterwards:
The Knicks obviously had high hopes with one of the best players in the game, but finished 24-58 in last place in the tough Atlantic Division, including a 2-22 record in division play. The former Tennessee All-American missed all of the 1985-86 season and only played six games of the 1986-87 season before the Knicks released their once franchise player.
- Conclusion:
The Knicks went on to win the first ever NBA Draft Lottery and were able to secure the rights to Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing, one of the most coveted college players of all-time. The 1985 No. 1 pick helped restore the Knicks to respectability and they took the Houston Rockets to Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals. King went on to return to all-star form with the Washington Bullets (28.4 ppg) at age 34, but only played two more games after that season. King is an inspirational player for coming back from a big-time injury, but if he didn’t get injured would Ewing have played for the New York Knicks?
Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets, 1987 (Age 26)
- Injury:
The generational prospect entered the NBA in 1983-84 with much fanfare and lived up to the acclaim. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year and an all-star his first four seasons. After the Rockets drafted No. 1 overall again in 1984 and landed Hakeem Olajuwon, they were well on their way to being a major NBA title contender. In Sampson’s third season, Houston made it to the NBA Finals with its Twin Towers leading the way, and it looked like Houston was going to be the team to challenge the 1980s Showtime Dynasty and take over the
Western Conference
when that team aged. It never happened. In March 1986, Sampson injured his back on an awkward landing vs. the Celtics (the team it met in the NBA Finals a few months later) and although he missed only three games, the 7-foot-4 franchise was never the same.
- What Happened Afterwards:
Sampson played in 91 games (out of 164) in 1986-87 and 1987-88 between the ages of 26-27 and was never the same player. He fell out of favor with the Rockets and coach Bill Fitch and was traded in December of 1987 to the Golden State Warriors for Joe Barry Carroll and Sleepy Floyd, two All-Star level players. A year earlier, it would have been unfathomable to trade Sampson for those two (plus cash), as he would have gone No. 1 over Carroll as the No. 1 pick in 1980 (after one year at Virginia) and No. 1 overall in any draft between 1980-83.
- Conclusion:
The Celtics really wanted Sampson to come out of college in 1980 after one season and he changed the course of
NBA
history each year for three years when he decided to return to the University of Virginia. He got off to a terrific start, but after that back scare, he returned to action too soon the next season for the 1987 playoffs and things just got worse from there. Sampson tried to gut out his injuries, but he never came close to returning to all-star form. Sampson’s career is a reminder that the window to win for franchises can be short and business moves can be gut-wrenching decisions.
Danny Manning, L.A. Clippers, 1989 (Age 22)
- Injury:
Just after New Year’s 1989, the No. 1 pick of the 1988 NBA Draft was going up for a rebound and tore his ACL. A unique talent who was a consensus Top 3 talent out of the 1984 class who led Kansas to two NCAA Final Fours and the 1988 NCAA tourney title, simply was never the same again.
- What Happened Afterwards:
Yes, Manning did recover to be a two-time NBA All-Star and one of the most respected players in the league, but the blinding talent wasn’t there anymore for a lowly franchise that had some much optimism the day it won the draft lottery. That’s how good Manning was; the optimism he brought to a franchise that had the worst reputation in the league. To make matters worse, budding star guard Ron Harper also tore his ACL in January of 1990 and that was another crushing blow for a franchise that still hasn’t won an NBA title nearly 40 years later.
- Conclusion:
Manning is a college coach now and on the recruiting trail he’s a humble person and one you would never know was considered a franchise-changing prospect. The incredible thing is, Manning turned down a large multi-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks to win with a Phoenix Suns team that had a legit chance to win the 1994-95 NBA title. They started 36-10 before Manning tore his ACL, the same one he tore his rookie season with the Clippers.
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls, 2012 (Age 23)
- Injury:
The NBA’s youngest MVP ever (at age 22) led Chicago to the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals and in 2012 finished 50-16 to win the Central Division. In the first round of the playoffs vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, he tore the ACL in his left knee.
- What Happened Afterwards:
Rose missed the rest of the playoffs and the entire 2012-13 season. Individually, Rose was never again the explosive guard that made him the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Chicago was a legitimate contender with a nice, defensive-oriented team around its star guard, including forward Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and Taj Gibson, along with all-star Carlos Boozer and future star Jimmy Butler.
- Conclusion:
Rose played in only 62 games in the two seasons following the one he sat out. He eventually rebounded to become a valuable Sixth Man of the Year type who played until he was 35 years old. Fans fell in love with his grit and toughness after the injuries. Rose’s plight reminds us to enjoy elite talent when it’s around because players like that might be here today and gone tomorrow.
Check out
Ballislife Bets
for picks and predictions for upcoming NBA matchups.
BALLISLIFE.COM
