Everyone knows that when it comes to basketball, it's all about who makes the winning shot. Yet, even if you are in perfect physical condition and the star of the team, a detrimental sports injury can have a lasting effect on your career. Between all the jump shots, layups and rebounds, players typically come into close contact with their opponents and even closer to utilizing their strengths in rigorous and constant training.
Here's the latest in a series from FitWAR of sports most famous injuries.
If you're a fan of the New York Knicks, then you have probably heard about Bernard King. Serving as one of the most explosive scorers during his era, King experienced a quick rise to stardom only to have it ruined by one of the most dreaded injuries for an athlete – a torn anterior cruciate liagament (ACL).
King, who came from a distinguished basketball family, was a prep star at Brooklyn's Fort Hamilton High School and moved on to the University of Tennessee where he was marked by stardom on the court. Ultimately in 1977, King declared himself eligible for the 1977 NBA Draft after his junior year, during which he had scored an average of 25.8 points per game. As a rookie for the New York Nets (which moved to New Jersey before the 1977-78 season), King was selected as the seventh overall pick leading the team in scoring and placing 10th in the NBA with 24.2 points per game.
While serving as an dynamic player with the New York Knicks, King played four seasons and made two all-star appearances with them only to be heigtened by his success in 1985, when he lead the NBA in scoring with 33 points a game. One of King's most historic moments was in 1984 when he made NBA history by becoming the first player since 1964 to have back-to-back 50 point games, including a franchise record 60 points.
Yet, his entire career came to a hault when King tore his ACL in his right knee while playing for the Knicks in a game against the Kansas City Kings (now Sacramento Kings) on March 23, 1985. After being out for the rest of the season and most of the next, the Knicks traded King to the Washington Bullets (now Wizards) where he would try to redeem himself. Despite making a successful return to the NBA, coming in third in the NBA in scoring in 1990-1991 with 28.4 points per game, King wound up retiring after the 1992-1993 season with the Nets, but not before undergoing another knee surgery, this time to take out cartilage.
Luckily, athletes today have help for a full recovery with rehabilitation services for sports injuries like a torn ACL. With FitWAR, you can make progress towards building strength, endurance and overall wellness for a smooth transition out of injury and into rehabilition.
FitWAR also works with insurance companies to provide the best rehabilitation services without complicated planning and pricing. Corrective exercises are a vast component of rehabilitation and helps to train atheletes to maintain their body's healthy state after rehab is complete. It is important to build overall strength and supporting muscles around the problem place with conditioning for a stronger support system to prevent reoccuring injuries.
FitWAR has a team of physicians, personal trainers and complete rehab services to get you back to scoring big, so don't wait until you're next sports injury hits you to know how to make a quick and easy recovery.
