Shaun Livingston dunks on Jennifer Robin Lopez
19/11/13 Portland @ Brooklyn
As formative Leaners, we were more susceptible to the hype surrounding young players and one who sent the mind racing back in the early 00's was Shaun Livingston. His type - 6'8" point guards with vision and flair - don't come along often. Comparisons to Penny and even Magic followed him into the draft. The next Showtime pass throwing highlight machine was upon us, said the scouts, and we were determined to get on the bandwagon early.
Shaun skipped a career at Duke and was selected by the LA Clippers, a franchise potentially under punishment by the Gods at the time, and it wasn't long before his promising career (as part of a promising team we've all forgotten) was derailed by a sickening knee injury (Baseline Leaner refuses to link to footage.)
Shaun immediately became a "What If," as captured in this excellent Grantland piece. In his early 20's, with 10+ NBA seasons potentially ahead of him, he was written off. The knee damage was too extensive to fully recover from, said the scouts, and Shaun would struggle to make it back at all - let alone become a star.
He may not be Magic but Shaun is definitely back. The truth, as usual, can be found in the middle.
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