Top 5 active NBA players who bounced back following an ACL tear

Recovery from an injury is always tough and it takes a lot from a player to bounce back and make their way back into competing at the highest level. An ACL tear- is one such injury that takes a long time to recover from. The severity of an ACL tear differs from case to case and it could be different for each person.

However, healing would normally take somewhere around 6-12 months. Sometimes the player is never the same after an ACL injury. However, there are also examples of a few hoopers that have overcome an ACL injury and made their way to the league. In today's article, we focus on five such players that made their way into the league despite career-altering injuries.

NBA players who excelled despite ACL injury

#5 Spencer Dinwiddie

Spencer Dinwiddie first suffered an ACL injury back when he was in college. The point guard starred for the Colorado Buffaloes in a match against Washington. Playing his junior year, Spencer was one of the team's key players alongside Askia Boker.

He recovered from the injury and decided to take his talent to the NBA, where he was drafted 38th overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2014. He later had a spell with the Chicago Bulls, but nothing seemed to work for Dinwiddie up until he moved to the Brooklyn Nets in 2016.

Dinwiddie became a vital part of the Nets team and played a lot of minutes for them through the years. When the team added a few big pieces like Harden, Durant and Irving to the roster, things were looking interesting for them. However, just days after the season resumed Dwinwiddie suffered another ACL injury which kept him out of the whole season. The 28-year-old moved to the Washington Wizards in free agency and will be all set to prove his capabilities there.

#4 Danilo Gallinari

Danilo Gallinari was drafted sixth overall by the New York Knicks in 2008. However, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets as part of a three-team trade in 2011. In his first full season at the Nuggets, Gallinari averaged 14.6 PPG. He signed a contract extension with the Nuggets in 2012, but later suffered an ACL injury that kept him out for the remainder of the 2012-13 season and the whole of the 2013-14 season.

However, Gallinari bounced back strongly on his return. The Italian averaged 19.5 PPG in the 2015-16 season and proved the doubters wrong. He then moved to the Clippers and became a regular there before moving to OKC and eventually to the Atlanta Hawks for the 2020-21 season.

#3 Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine was one of the most talented players in the 2014 draft. He was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves and made a huge name for himself there. After winning two slam dunk trophies during the All-Star game, things looked very interesting for LaVine.

However, his career looked to be taking a steep turn after an ACL injury in 2017. He was ruled out for the 2016-17 season and only made his comeback for the Bulls in 2018. Since his comeback, LaVine's career has elevated and gone on to reach new heights. In his first whole season as a Bulls player, he averaged 23.7 PPG. He kept improving on that and eventually ended up averaging 27.4 PPG for the 2020-21 season.

His brilliance throughout last year helped him get to the All-Star team and also bag a place in Team USA that won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

#2 Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry suffered an ACL injury back in college when he represented Villanova. The young guard injured himself without even playing a game. However, he recovered after only four months and returned to play for Villanova later that season. His sensational career with Villanova was honored by the college as they decided to retire his #1 jersey.

Lowry has had a fantastic career, post ACL injury. He was drafted by the Grizzlies but moved to the Houston Rockets in 2009 before eventually settling with the Toronto Raptors. He was an integral part of the team that won the championship in 2019. During the NBA finals against the Golden State Warriors, Lowry averaged 16.2 PPG and 7.2 APG to help the franchise to their first NBA championship.

After an eight year stay with the Raptors, Lowry moved to the Miami Heat for the 2021-22 season.

#1 Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose was the number one pick in the 2008 draft. He was impressive from the word go and won the Rookie of the year award in 2009. His explosiveness and athleticism helped him get three all-star selections. D-Rose and his best for the Bulls came during the 2010-11 season.

He averaged 25.0 PPG, 7.7 APG and 4.1 RPG throughout the season. Those stats helped him win the MVP award for that season and made him the youngest player in basketball to achieve this feat. He was terrific throughout the postseason, however, during their series against Philly, Rose suffered an ACL injury and was subsequently ruled out for the playoffs and the 2012-13 season.

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He returned for the Bulls during the 2013-14 season. After showing glimpses of brilliance, Rose again received a setback as he tore his meniscus this time. He returned stronger, but injuries kept hampering his reach to full potential.

He was later traded to the New York Knicks for the 2016-17 season. Rose lasted a season there, but he then moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons before finally settling with the New York Knicks. He was one of the most important players for the New York Knicks in their playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. The veteran averaged 19.4 PPG, 5.0 APG and 4.0 ROG in the Knicks'4-1 loss over the Atlanta Hawks.