On Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers revealed center Anthony Davis would miss the next month due to a foot injury. Davis has been prone to injury his entire career between stints in New Orleans and Los Angeles. When it comes to injuries, Davis has had his share, but there are plenty of others who have had their fair share of time on the injured list. Here is a look at five athletes who had injury-plagued careers.
Grant Hill
The first on the list of athletes with injury-plagued careers is Grant Hill. Grant Hill was regarded as one of the best college basketball players of the early 1990’s. He helped the Duke Blue Devils win the first two of their five NCAA national championships. Hill was selected third overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He garnered comparisons to players such as Scottie Pippen as a “point forward.” In his first seven seasons, Hill was elected to the All-Star Game six times. An ankle injury towards the end of the 1999-2000 season would become the thorn in his side for the rest of his career. Over the next three seasons, Hill played a total of 47 games and missed the entire 2004-2005 season due to this ankle injury.
Hill returned in 2005-2006 and started in 67 games for Orlando, earning his seventh and final All-Star appearance. He played in only 21 games in 2006-2007, but over the next five seasons, appeared in at least 65 games. Hill retired after the 2012-13 season as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. Basketball fans are often left wondering what kind of a career Hill would have if that ankle injury hadn’t plagued him. Today, you can find Hill in Atlanta as part of the ownership group of the Hawks.
Ken Griffey Jr.
The second on the list of athletes with injury-plagued careers is Ken Griffey Jr. George Kenneth Griffey, Jr. debuted with the Seattle Mariners in the 1989 season. Early in his career, Griffey established himself as one of the best young baseball players in the game. His iconic swing lit up the highlight reel on a nearly nightly basis during the baseball season. His injury problems started in the 1995 season when he broke his right wrist chasing down a fly ball. This was the first and only significant injury while in Seattle. In 2000, Griffey was traded to Cincinnati, which is where the injuries began to pile up.
From 2001 to 2004, Griffey’s seasons would end prematurely due to injury. He would be on the disabled list on a consistent basis due to reoccurring issues with his hamstring. This included a rupture of his right hamstring in 2004, which ended that season. Griffey underwent surgery following the season to reattach his hamstring. Injuries continued to plague Griffey during his tenure in Cincinnati and he was traded to the White Sox in 2008. Griffey returned to the Mariners in 2009 and retired after the 2010 season, finishing with 630 HR. Baseball fans, however, wonder if Griffey would have been the all-time leader if he hadn’t been injured as often as he was. Griffey is now part of the Mariners’ ownership group.
Rick DiPietro
The third on the list of athletes with injury-plagued careers is Rick DiPietro. DiPietro became one of three goaltenders in NHL Draft history to be drafted first overall in 2000 by the New York Islanders. Lauded for his puckhandling ability, DiPietro drew comparisons to Martin Brodeur. His injury concerns started in his first training camp as he suffered a groin injury. DiPietro wouldn’t play his first NHL game until January 2001 and didn’t join the Islanders on a full-time basis until the 2003-2004 season. He remained a part of the club until the injuries started to manifest during the 2006-2007 season. DiPietro suffered a concussion in a March 2007 game and underwent hip surgery at the end of the same season. DiPietro returned to the Islanders for the 2007-2008 season and was elected to the All-Star game in 2008. However, he injured his hip during the All-Star Skills Competition.
The 2008 season would be the final full season of DiPietro’s career. He played in 13 games over the next two seasons while struggling with injuries to both his knees. DiPietro returned for the 2010-2011 season and played in 26 games as a backup. On February 2, 2011, he suffered a broken jaw during a rare ‘goaltender fight’ with Pittsburgh goaltender Brent Johnson and missed the remainder of that season. He appeared in eight games of the 2011-2012 season before undergoing hernia surgery and missing the remainder of the season. DiPietro’s last NHL season came in 2012-2013 as he appeared in three games before being waived and subsequently demoted to Bridgeport. On July 1, 2013, he was placed on unconditional waivers. DiPietro called it quits in 2013. He is now a co-host on ESPN Radio New York’s “DiPietro and Rothenberg” and an NHL analyst for ESPN.
Ronaldo (the OG, not Cristiano Ronaldo)
The fourth on the list of athletes with injury-plagued careers is Ronaldo. Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima broke onto the world’s soccer scene as an 18-year-old wunderkind in 1994 with PSV Einhoven. Ronaldo scored 30 goals in his first season as a professional soccer player and scored 54 goals in 58 games with the Dutch club. In 1996, FC Barcelona paid a record $19.5M transfer fee for Ronaldo to join their club. At only 20 years old, Ronaldo scored 47 goals in 49 games in all competitions with Barcelona. A year later, Inter Milan paid a new record $27M transfer fee for the striker to join their club. It wasn’t until 1999 when the injury issues started to rear their ugly head.
Two seasons into his time at Inter Milan, Ronaldo suffered his first of a series of ugly knee injuries. In November 1999, he ruptured a tendon in his left knee. In his first game back in April 2000, he suffered a completed rupture of his patella tendon. Ronaldo missed the 2000-2001 season for his club, but played for his native Brazil for the 2002 World Cup. He led the tournament in scoring with eight goals helping Brazil win the World Cup. The same Summer, Ronaldo signed a massive contract with Real Madrid, but his battles with trochlear dysplasia kept him off the pitch. He spent time with AC Milan and Corinthians before retiring in 2011. Ronaldo is second on the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring list with 15 goals in 19 games. Post-playing career, he is president of La Liga club Real Valladolid and owns Brazilian club Cruzeiro.
Greg Oden
The final on the list of athletes with injury-plagued careers is Greg Oden. Greg Oden’s sizable frame and massive wingspan made him a dominant force for Ohio State during the 2006-2007 college basketball season. Following a successful freshman season, Oden joined fellow freshmen Kevin Durant and Ohio State teammate Mike Conley and declared for the NBA Draft. Oden was selected first overall by the Portland Trailblazers in the hope he could turn the franchise around. Before what was supposed to be his rookie season, Oden underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee and missed the entire season. Oden finally made his NBA debut on October 29, 2008 – and left 13 minutes into the game with a foot injury. He missed the next two weeks before returning on November 12 before suffering a knee injury in February. Oden played in 61 games his rookie season.
Oden returned for the 2009-2010 season, but only appeared in 21 games. On December 5, Oden suffered a knee injury in a game against Indiana. It was later reported that he suffered a fractured patella and underwent season-ending surgery. Oden was slated to return for the 2010-2011 season, but he would have microfracture surgery on his left knee and miss another season. Odom suffered setbacks in his recovery during the following season and in February 2012, he underwent arthroscopic surgery. Another season was missed and in March, he was waived by the Blazers. In August 2013, Oden signed with Miami in hopes to resurrect his career. He spent one season with Miami before signing with Jiangsu of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2015. Oden called it quits after being released in February 2016. Post-playing career, Oden is the director of basketball operations at Butler University.
