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3 Shocking NBA Head Injuries to Know About

NBA is a popular sport that people across the world pay lots to see in person. It might surprise you to learn the injuries that can happen during matches, including head injuries. In this article, we’ll tell you the three shocking NBA head injuries to know about. 

Suffering from a head injury can be catastrophic for an individual, having the potential to leave them with life-changing injuries or, in some cases, be fatal. The head is such a precious part of the body and, because of this, it can experience some serious damage. 

The NBA, and other professional sporting arenas, are notorious for head injuries. Making a head injury claim is a solution that sportspeople can take to provide them with compensation to assist their recovery. It can also help fund any adaptations they may need to make their lives easier.

The question is, which NBA professionals may have considered this solution due to their head injury? To find out about the three shocking NBA head injuries to know about, keep reading…

  1. Maurice Stokes

The injury Maurice Stokes, a player for Cincinnati/Rochester Royals, suffered from in 1958 might just be one of the most tragic incidents in NBA history. It was, unfortunately, an injury that ended his career and his life as he once knew it.

During a match, Stokes drove to the basket, drew contact, and unfortunately crashed to the floor, smacking his head on the floor at the same time, leaving him unconscious. 

Stoke’s injury didn’t come across as severe to begin with, with him regaining consciousness and continuing to play the remainder of the match. But, three days later, after a match against the Detroit Pistons, he became unwell on the team’s flight home, during which he suffered a seizure that left him permanently paralysed. Stoke’s spent weeks in a coma, where he was diagnosed with post traumatic encephalopathy. 

His paralysis state meant he could not move, was unable to speak and was left with a shattered career. The tragedy came 12 years later, when Stoke’s suffered from a heart attack on April 6th, 1970, and sadly died. 

  1. Joe Johnson

In 2005 during a Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks match, with 19.7 seconds left on the clock for the first half, Joe Johnson hit the floor face first after a basket foul by Jerry Stackhouse. This led to Johnson suffering from a displaced fracture of his left orbital bone, or better known as the eye socket – ouch! 

Despite the fall that left him covered in blood and visibly shook for a few minutes, Johnson surprisingly rose and proceeded to take his free shoots, although it was clear to everyone watching that something was not quite right. 

Once transported to a hospital, it was found that Johnson had a mild concussion, a left orbital bone fracture and other injuries. He underwent surgery to repair the fracture.  

Johnson didn’t return to the Phoenix Suns once he recovered from his injuries, instead signing with the Atlanta Hawks.

  1. Rudy Tomjanovich

On December 9th 1977, during a Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets game, Rudy Tomjanovich received a punch that very nearly killed him. This occurred during a brawl that broke out between his teammate, Kevin Kunnert and Kermit Washington.

Although the head injury was not caused during the match, we still consider it as an NBA head injury and had to include it, especially because of how famous the punch is even 45 years on due to the sheer damage it caused poor Rudy.

The punch to Tomjanovich led to him immediately falling to the floor, with his head bouncing like a basketball – ironic, right? Unfortunately for Tomjanovich and Washington, who was the culprit who carelessly threw his fist, he suffered from a fractured skull, broken jaw, broken nose, other facial injuries, and of most concern, a spinal fluid leakage. 

Washington received a $10,000 fine for his actions on that night. Despite original fears that Tomjanovich wouldn’t survive the injuries he sustained, he was fortunate enough to make a full recovery. Much to many people’s surprise, he managed to play for a further three NBA seasons until his retirement in 1981. 

Head Injuries Aren’t the Only Injuries NBA Players Have Experienced

Who would’ve known that NBA could be such a dangerous sport? These poor souls suffered traumatic injuries, some of which fortunately could come back better from. Unfortunately for Stokes, his injury was a tragedy the NBA community have never forgotten about. 

While there haven’t been many head injuries in NBA history, you’d be surprised to learn of the sheer volume of other injuries that NBA players have experienced over the years, with many of the most serious ones being injuries to legs and, more specifically, knees

What NBA injury have you heard about that shocked you the most? Let us know in the comment box below.

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