25 NBA Careers Cut Tragically Short to Injuries

The NBA is the place where amazing happens, but it is also the place where tragedy strikes.

There are few things worse than seeing a player with a lot of promise or accolades already to his name forced to retire as a result of injuries.

This past summer, Yao Ming fell victim to such circumstances, and more recently, Brandon Roy has been forced to retire after he was deemed to have degenerative knees.

Yao and Roy may be the latest NBA athletes forced into retirement as a result of injuries, but they are not the first, nor will they be the last.

Aleksandar Radojević

Standing at an astounding 7'3", Aleksandar Radojević entered the league in 1999.

The Toronto Raptors selected him in the first round of that year's draft in hopes that he would be the low-post defensive stalwart they were craving. 

After appearing in only three games in his first year, he suffered a season-ending injury. He attempted a comeback the following season, but to no avail. He wound up being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks prior to the 2001-2002 campaign before he was waived.

Injuries prevented him from having a career in the NBA, and he was forced to head overseas for work. 

Jamal Mashburn

Jamal Mashburn boasts a career average of just over 19 points per game and was one of the more prolific scorers to watch over his 12-year career.

Unfortunately for Mashburn, after more than a decade of hard work and offensive accolades, he had microfracture surgery on his knees and was forced into retirement soon after.

Although he spent a good chunk of time in the league, it was nowhere near enough.

Harold Miner

Selected in the 1992 NBA draft as the 12th overall pick, Harold Miner is best known for winning the Slam Dunk Contest twice.

In the 1995 contest, he outleaped the incredibly athletic Isaiah Rider for his second dunk title in three years.

Despite his dunking accolades, he never made a dent in the production department and retired in 1996. His athleticism was clearly there, and this made his struggles very puzzling.

Miner later cited that he fell victim to knee injuries over the course of his short career. His tenure in the NBA was far too short given how athletic he was.

Cuttino Mobley

After the New York Knicks acquired Cuttino Mobley in 2008, he was forced to retire after his physical revealed he suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart disease that could prove fatal.

Mobley spent 11 seasons in the league, but even the fact that he had to retire when he was still a more-than-capable scorer is a tragedy.

Mobley is now suing the Knicks claiming that they pressured him to retire so they could save money, but regardless, it's shame he didn't play longer.

Todd MacCulloch

Todd MacCulloch only lasted four years in the NBA being forced into retirement in 2004 due to a chronic foot condition.

MacCulloch was never a superstar, but he could rebound well and had a great touch around the basket. When he got minutes, he was effective.

It is painful to think how much of an impact he potentially could have had if he never developed that foot condition.

Brad Daugherty

Brad Daugherty spent eight seasons in the NBA before retiring in 1994 because of plaguing back injuries.

Standing at seven feet tall, Daugherty proved to be an scoring and rebounding machine. He excelled in the low post, but constantly being limited in action because of back injuries.

Had he been able to stay healthy, Daugherty may have emerged as one of the most productive centers in the game. 

Ronnie Lester

Ronnie Lester enjoyed a successful college career at the University of Iowa before being drafted 10th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1980 NBA Draft.

He played six seasons in the league, most of which were shortened due to recurring knee injuries. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, he won an NBA title in 1985 in the highlight of his career.

Lester, when healthy, proved that he could score and direct an offense, but unfortunately, he was rarely healthy and retired after the 1985-1986 campaign.

Pete Maravich

Pete Maravich spent 10 seasons in the NBA, most of which consisted of him putting up incredible numbers.

However, knee problems were also prevalent throughout his career and forced him into retirement after the 1979-1980 season. 

A decade in the league was not nearly enough for an athlete that once averaged 31.1 points per game. It was sad to see him go so early.

Rick Weitzman

Rick Weitzman only lasted one season in the NBA before being forced into retirement as a result of knee injuries.

He won a championship in his only year with the Boston Celtics, and even hit the final game's last bucket. 

Prior to the 1967-1968 season, no one even expected him to make the team, but he proved his critics wrong by not only making the team, but showing promise when he got playing time as well.

His would have been a true underdog story had it not ended so abruptly.

Matt Harpring

After being named the Utah Jazz's captain prior to the 2003-2004 season, Matt Harpring's season ended after just 31 games when he suffered a knee injury.

Harpring was averaging over 16 points and eight rebounds per game at the time, and though he returned the following season, he was never the same player.

In 2009, he retired, citing the various injuries he suffered as the cause.

Terrell Brandon

Terrell Brandon was one of the most effective Cleveland Cavaliers of all time, though he is rarely recognized as such.

For his career he averaged 13.8 points and 6.1 assists per game. He spent 11 seasons in the league, but was plagued by leg injuries far too often. He went under the knife numerous times, most recently in 2001.

In February of 2002, he was placed on the injury list while with the Minnesota Timberwolves and never returned. 

Gheorghe Muresan

Gheorghe Muresan's NBA career was marked by a series of back, ankle and nerve injuries, preventing the Most Improved Player of the 1995-1996 season from gaining any kind of momentum.

After only six seasons in the league, he retired. He went on to have a short stint with a professional team in France, but could never remain healthy.

Standing at 7'7", Muresan is monstrously tall. When he wasn't battling injuries, he could make quite an impact on the floor. It's unfortunate that the world never got to see what he could truly do. 

Maurice Stokes

Maurice Stokes' career came to one of the most tragic endings that the NBA has ever witnessed.

For his career, which lasted only three seasons, Stokes averaged 16.4 points and an eye-popping 17.3 rebounds per game. He was poised to set unbreakable records, but then it all went wrong.

In the last game of the 1957-1958 season, he fell to the floor hard and was rendered unconscious. He wound up returning to the game, and it wasn't until days later that he was feeling the effects of the fall.

Stokes was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy, which is essentially a chronic injury to the brain. And that was the last the NBA ever saw from him. 

Dajuan Wagner

Dajuan Wagner spent only four seasons in the NBA before a case of colitis forced him to retire.

In 2005, Wagner had his entire colon removed. He attempted to make a comeback the following season, but was bought out by the Golden State Warriors early in the season. He would never play in the NBA again.

Wagner's career got off to a promising start, but his condition got the best of him, and it was a shame to see such a young athlete leave the game much earlier than he should have had to.

Bobby Hurley

Bobby Hurley had quite a career at Duke University, leading the Blue Devils to back-to-back national championships that should have set the stage for an incredible NBA career.

However, things never panned out for Hurley, as he was involved in a near-fatal car accident during his rookie season in which he suffered an array of injuries, some of which were life-threatening.

While Hurley returned to the hardwood, he was never the same. He lasted only five seasons in the NBA.

If that's not a damn shame, then what is? 

Yao Ming

Yao Ming's career was marked by both illustrious accomplishment and unfortunate injuries.

After eight seasons in the NBA, Yao called it quits this past summer, courtesy of injuries that were plaguing the lower half of his body, including a surgically repaired left ankle.

Yao is certainly the best player to ever come out of China, but his career should have consisted of a lot more accolades and certainly a lengthier tenure.

His inability to escape harm's way is nothing short of tragic.

Ralph Sampson

Ralph Sampson, thanks to various back and knee injuries, never amounted to the dominant type of center that he was thought destined to be.

After only nine NBA seasons and at the age of 32, Sampson called it quits. Had he been able to stay healthy, he had the tools to become one of the best big man the game had ever seen.

Not to mention he could have played for much longer.

Sam Bowie

Sam Bowie was drafted second overall in the 1984 NBA Draft, one spot ahead of Michael Jordan.

Such a fact is the only reason that Bowie has any kind of reputation at all. He lasted 10 seasons in the league, but his far-less-than-impressive career was marked by a string of leg injuries.

These injuries eventually got the best of him, and he retired after the 1994-1995 campaign.

Would Bowie have amounted to the caliber of player Jordan did? Most likely not, but Jordan was a player all his own.

Had Bowie been able to remain healthy, he would at the very least have been able to play longer and have a reputation for something other than being picked ahead of Jordan.

Jay Williams

Jay Williams' NBA career lasted only one year after a motorcycle accident severed a nerve in his leg.

Williams was in violation of his contract by riding a motorcycle, and when it became clear he wasn't going to return to action anytime soon, the Chicago Bulls were forced to waive him.

Since the accident, Williams has attempted multiple comebacks, but to no avail. His career at Duke University resulted in high expectations for him at the professional level.

Would he have met these expectations?

Sadly, we will never know. 

Andrew Toney

When healthy, Andrew Toney proved to be a very capable scorer, but the problem was he could never remain healthy.

Toney spent eight seasons in the NBA, appearing an average of 58.5 games per year.

A nagging ankle injury is what can be attributed to Toney's struggles. Prior to the damage, it was not uncommon for him to go on streaks where he would put up 30 or more points per game.

Based on Toney's performance before his injury-plagued period began, there is a lot we never got to see from the sharp-shooting guard. And that's a downright shame.

Jonathan Bender

Courtesy of reoccurring knee problems, Jonathan Bender was forced into retirement midway through the 2005-2006 campaign.

In seven seasons, Bender was restricted to just 237 games. He was one of the most versatile 7-footers to ever step foot on the hardwood and had high expectations set for him on both ends of the court.

Bender's left knee never allowed him to meet such expectations. He had cartilage removed and was never able to become the type of athlete the Pacers thought he could be.

In 2009, Bender attempted to return to the basketball court, but it just wasn't in the cards.

Injuries ruined what could have been a great career.

Bill Walton

Bill Walton spent 10 seasons in the NBA, but he should have played much longer than that.

The savvy defender and impressive scorer was constantly plagued by injuries throughout his career. He experienced issues with his nose, wrist, leg, foot and back while in the league, and missed a plethora of games as a result.

Eventually, his health forced him into retirement. The league was lucky enough to have Walton for a decade, but it's sad to think about what could have been was he not sidelined by injuries so much.

Allan Houston

Allan Houston's talents never warranted him becoming a $100 million man, but his sharp-shooting tendencies did deserve to be heralded.

After signing a maximum contract with the Knicks in 2001, Houston's slew of problems began. The shooting guard injured his knee in 2003, and despite attempting to return, he called it quits two years later.

Houston cited his injuries as what prevented him from finishing his career the way he wanted to. He was in the league for 12 years, but lost two of those to knee problems.

He may never have been worth the money New York was paying, but had he remained healthy, he would have definitely been worth watching.

Penny Hardaway

Despite 13 years in the NBA, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway's tenure among the league's elite essentially ended during the 1997-1998 campaign.

Hardaway suffered a season-ending knee injury during that season, and he was never the same prolific player. The versatile guard was plagued by knee problems the rest of his career, and even developed issues with his feet later on.

In essence Hardaway's career lasted only about five seasons. While he took the court for many seasons after, he was never able to return to form.

Injuries cut short what should have been an incredible career, getting the best of him eventually, as he retired after the 2007-2008 campaign.

Hardaway entertained the idea of a comeback in the summer of 2010, but to no avail. Had he remained healthy, perhaps he would still be playing. At the very least he would have been able to end his career on his own terms.

Brandon Roy

Brandon Roy is the latest player to be forced into retirement courtesy of injuries.

Degenerative knees have prevented the offensive savvy shooting guard from playing any further, and he announced his retirement only a few days ago.

Roy has been plagued by knee injuries for the past two seasons, and has incurred so much pain that he finally had to call it quits. At only 27, his injuries ruined what was still going to be a promising career.

It's more than a shame that we will never see him in the NBA again.

You can follow Dan Favale on Twitter here @Dan_Favale.