5 NBA Players who suffered serious medical ailments during their career

Jame
Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson
Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson

#4 Chris Wilcox

Chris Wilcox
Chris Wilcox

Chris Wilcox was selected as the number eight pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. He played power forward and center positions. He averaged 8.2 points and 5 rebounds per game for his career.

After playing for the Clippers for four years, Wilcox was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics. He also played for the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons before ending his career with the Boston Celtics.

In 2012, the Doctors diagnosed Wilcox with a heart irregularity and deemed him unfit to play in the NBA. He was later on cleared to play and was re-signed by the Boston Celtics. He last played in the 2012-13 NBA season. He was on a decline and only averaged 4 points per game for the Celtics. The Celtics made the playoffs that year but Wilcox found it tough to get playing minutes and only averaged 3 minutes per match in the playoffs.


#3 Steve Nash

Steve Nash
Steve Nash

Steve Nash is one of the most revolutionary point guards in NBA history. He was selected as the number 15 overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 1996 NBA Draft.

Nash enjoyed a stellar NBA career with the Suns. He couldn't win a championship but won two regular-season MVPs and directed a very high tempo offense for the Suns. His efficiency was always off the charts. Nash finished multiple seasons with 50-40-90 splits (shooting 50% from the field, 40% from the 3PT line and 90% from the FT line).

Nash joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012 to combine forces with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. But his time in LA was filled with injuries. He suffered from a medical condition called spondylolisthesis which caused him muscle tightness and back pain. He missed too many games with the Lakers and finally decided to retire in 2015.

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Edited by Raunak J