Can’t look away: Remembering the most gruesome injuries in NBA history

While reliving the most horrid injuries in NBA history might not be an exercise for those with a weak stomach, there’s something to be said for the notion of people slowing down on the road to watch the aftermath of an accident. We’ll look back at the incidents that stopped players, coaches and fans dead in their tracks. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Perhaps the cringiest injury in NBA history took place in 2007, when the Los Angeles Clippers guard’s left knee bent in a way that was unsightly to say the least. The injury was so severe that it was revealed by ClutchPoints that Livingston and his doctors discussed amputation.

Livingston told Basketball Network that he tore three out of four ligaments on the play, as well as dislocating his knee and his femur tibia. It was believed at the time that Livingston may never play basketball again, but he proved to be an important part of three Golden State Warriors title teams in the 2010s.

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This injury technically didn’t occur on an NBA court, but it temporarily derailed the career of the one of the league’s brightest stars. During a USA Basketball showcase in the summer of 2014, George’s lower leg was broken when he tried to contest a shot. It hit the stanchion of the basket in a bizarre way, which bent his lower extremity.

After George went down, the discussion surrounding whether or not NBA stars should risk their body preparing for international competition was reignited. Sports Illustrated wrote at the time that this essentially was a freak accident, and should not be a reason why players of George’s magnitude elect to sit out FIBA tournaments or the Olympics.

It’s hard to believe that something as durable as one’s skull could be badly injured in an NBA game, but that’s exactly what happened to Najera in 2012. While going for a rebound, he took an elbow from John Brockman that left his skull fractured. The New York Times reported that he fortunately did not suffer any brain trauma from the hit.

SB Nation noted that the injury was actually much worse than it seemed live, as Brockman’s elbow only seemed to glance Najera’s head. However, Najera’s forehead sustained a significant bruise immediately, which signalled that something more serious could be taking place.

The next two injuries were caused by the same person, which may lead to further chatter about whether Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone was actually a dirty player. In an April 1998 game, Malone swung an elbow high behind him that struck Robinson in the head. Frighteningly, Robinson collapsed to the floor with a loud thud that could be heard on television.

The announcers said that Robinson got struck like a boxer would, and commented that his arms went limp. The Chicago Tribune reported that Robinson was unconscious for two minutes, and was diagnosed with a concussion. It was difficult to watch the San Antonio Spurs center fall to the floor like a ton of bricks.

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Malone was at the center of another incident in 1991, where an elbow he threw at Thomas resulted in a wound that needed at least 40 stitches to repair. Malone would later tell Basketball Network that he meant to make a physical play on Thomas as he drove down the lane, but definitely did not mean to cause that level of harm.

Thomas called the foul “the dirtiest play” he had ever been a part of, and was not happy with the incident for decades. However, according to Deseret News’ website, Malone would eventually reach out in 2020 to discuss the matter with the Detroit Pistons Hall of Famer. Thomas says that the disagreement is now closed.

Bogut had an impressive career renaissance with the Golden State Warriors and Australian basketball internationally, but had to overcome a difficult elbow injury suffered in 2010. He was with the Milwaukee Bucks at the time, and he was not able to land on his feet after a dunk. Bogut put his arm out to brace his fall, but his elbow twisted violently trying to support his weight.

Bogut told Australian website Pick and Roll that it felt like someone stabbed him in the elbow when he would go up to shoot early in the next season. The center admitted that he probably came back from the injury too soon, but his competitive nature put him back out on the court.

Six minutes into the 2017-2018 NBA season on his new team, Hayward’s campaign ended abruptly. He jumped to try and catch a lob attempt from Kyrie Irving, when he came down awkwardly and fractured his ankle. The Boston Celtics had to do move on without the versatile forward’s services.

Hayward would end up playing two more seasons for Boston, but the ankle injury seemed to rob him of the ability he showed he had with the Utah Jazz. He’s struggled to remain healthy since that fateful night in October 2017.

In 2001, Anderson drove the ball hard to the basket for the San Antonio Spurs during Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs. He went up to dunk the ball, but was taken out of the air by Dallas Mavericks forward Juwan Howard. Anderson violently came crashing down to the floor.

After the play happened, it seemed like Anderson could have sustained a severe injury that would end his basketball career. ESPN reported at the time that his shoulder was damaged, but the separated shoulder would only cost the guard three to six weeks of playing time. Still, the footage is hard to watch even to this day.

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