Baron Davis was known for his size, built more like a football player than the basketball player he was. The point guard who once ruled the league spent 15 years in the NBA. He was a fantastic player who often found himself playing for the wrong teams.
The Charlotte Hornets’ third overall pick in the 1999 draft, Davis played for the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.
In 2012, his long career came to a sudden halt when he suffered a gruesome injury that left everyone on the pitch shocked and incredulous.
A long battle with persistent wounds
The powerhouse playmaker has been plagued with persistent health problems for much of his career. In 2002, Baron Davis started having problems with back pain, which turned into knee problems. That season he sat out for 32 games. The following year wasn’t much better for Davis, who missed six games with a sprained ankle.
In 2005, Davis was traded to the Golden State Warriors. He felt stronger than ever, averaging 19.5 points and 8.3 assists. The Warriors were winning again and the crowd was returning to their seats to watch the basketball team blossom.
That was until a sudden losing streak turned into a season-ending injury when Davis once again injured his ankle. He lost 30 games during the 2005-06 season, and the Warriors never made it to the playoffs.
Over the next few years, the All-Star point guard was riddled with injuries to his hip, back and hamstring. Despite his incredible results, he never seemed to feel 100% back. He played with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2008 to 2010 and then moved on to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In 2011, the Cavaliers released Davis under the amnesty clause, according to ESPN. He signed with the New York Knicks for the veteran minimum and started seven weeks into that first season as a starting point guard.
The elderly player suffered from constant pain due to a slipped disc and had to work hard to overcome his deteriorating health. The 33-year-old suffered from recurring hamstring and knee problems for much of that year’s regular season.
A gruesome injury that led to the retirement of Baron Davis
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In the first game of the 2012 series against the Miami Heat, pain from a previous back injury started to flare up. During the fourth game of that series, Davis was dribbling the ball down the field and trying to get his way between two Heat players in the paint. His leg seemed to give under him and he fell hard.
Players were shocked when they saw what appeared to be Davis’ knee brace come out of his leg. The 6 foot tall guard was clearly suffering from an enormous amount of pain. The team’s coaches rushed to the ground and cared for his injuries for several minutes before he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher.
According to ESPN, “He pointed to the crowd as he was being pushed off the floor, to a loud ovation from the Madison Square Garden crowd. But it was shown on the cameras grimacing through the player’s tunnel.”
All the players on the field that afternoon were visibly shocked by Davis’ devastating injury. Amare Stoudemire knelt down and said a prayer while his friend lay sprawled on the wooden floor. He told ESPN: “I almost shed a tear on the pitch, to be honest with you. He was sad.”
The abrupt end of a legendary career
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Medical reports indicated that Baron Davis “suffered a partial rupture of the patellar tendon of his right knee and complete injuries of the right anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments.”
In May 2012, Davis underwent extensive surgery to repair the damage. Recovery time was estimated at 12 months and during that time he became a free agent. Despite his desire to return to the NBA, he never made a comeback.
Those two seconds changed the trajectory of Davis’ career path and ended his career in professional basketball.
