Former NBA player Shawn Bradley was paralyzed after being hit by a car while riding his bike on January 20.
Bradley, a 2.13-meter pivot who played for the Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, revealed his injuries through a statement issued by Mavericks.
The 48-year-old, one of the tallest players in NBA history, says he was hit in the back while riding a bicycle near his home in St. George, Utah. The accident caused a traumatic spinal cord injury, resulting in neck fusion surgery that left him hospitalized for the past eight weeks and in rehabilitation.
“We are sad to hear about Shawn’s accident,” said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. “Shawn has always been incredibly determined and has shown a fighting spirit. We wish him only the best in his recovery. He will always be part of our Mavs family. “
The second overall choice in the 1993 NBA draft, Bradley is in a “good mood” with his wife, Carrie, at his side “24 hours a day”.
Although he does not plan to provide further updates on his health journey, Bradley expressed a desire to use the incident to “bring great public awareness to the importance of bicycle safety”.
The 12-year-old NBA veteran led the NBA in blocks during the 1996-97 season with the Nets and had a co-protagonist role in the 1996 film “Space Jam”.