NBA vagabond Livingston overcomes odds to help fuel Warriors

NBA vagabond Livingston overcomes odds to help fuel WarriorsMILWAUKEE — Shaun Livingston slowly lowers himself down the steps of the team bus and is almost immediately greeted by familiar faces that begin offering hugs and tributes as he walks toward the Warriors' locker room.Something similar usually occurs when he enters an arena in one of the nine cities on his NBA career path.No matter how long Livingston has been with a franchise during his 11-season career, he's always made a lasting impact by offering a congenial personality, a respectful makeup and an inspirational story of overcoming what experts had said would be a career-ending obstacle."The darkest part was the day after the surgery, just seeing what they had done to my knee," Livingston said.Looking at my knee and seeing that it had been completely reconfigured.The first paragraph of Livingston's obituary will probably include a description of one of the most gruesome injuries in NBA history, but his ability to make a remarkable comeback is the reason he's in the Bay Area, helping fuel the Warriors' best season in franchise history.On Feb. 26, 2007, the 21-year-old was playing for the Clippers, all knees, elbows and potential as he sprinted toward what appeared to be an innocuous transition dunk.In 7½ strides, Livingston glided toward the rim, but when he realized he had gone a bit too far, his left foot planted awkwardly.The landing forced his knee in directions that the joint wasn't designed to go, and he fell to the floor, shrieking in agony."The second he went down, you could tell that something really bad happened," said Warriors head athletic trainer JoHan Wang, who was the Clippers' associate athletic trainer at the time of the injury.Livingston tore his anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate, lateral meniscus and medial collateral ligaments.The tissue surrounding his kneecap had been ripped to shreds, and he dislocated his femur, tibia and patella.Dr. Steven Shimoyama raced onto the court and popped Livingston's knee back into place, knowing that decreased circulation could result in gangrene or even worse — amputation.After X-rays at Staples Center, Wang rode in the ambulance with Livingston to Centinela Hospital Medical Center.Wang said Livingston was incredibly calm during the ride, believing the injury was similar to a dislocated right kneecap suffered as a rookie that cost him about two months.Wang let Livingston believe that as long as he could and talked about how quickly he'd bounce back this time.When they got to the hospital, Wang had to start telling the truth.The attending physician didn't believe Livingston had dislocated his knee, because he wasn't writhing in pain.Wang took her into the hallway to emphasize the severity of the situation.Only when she saw a replay of Livingston's knee twisting and folding, Wang recalled, did she say, "Oh, I get it."Experts said Livingston might never walk again, let alone play basketball.There would be no meeting of the expectations that go with being the No. 4 overall pick, having a $10 million shoe deal and the presumption of imminent stardom."It's absolutely amazing that he's playing at this level," Wang said. look at him.Even guys with ACL injuries have hard times bouncing back.Imagine multiplying that by 10.Today, Livingston is the backup point guard for the Warriors, owners of the NBA's best record, the Western Conference's No. 1 playoff seed and the franchise's first 60-win season."I could have looked at the guaranteed money I had at 21 in L.A. and just said, 'I have what I need,' but it was about the game," said Livingston, a player once compared to Magic Johnson and Penny Hardaway."I've overcome in a very different way," he said.Basketball, and the expectations that come with the game, have always been inside of Livingston.Livingston started playing and thinking the game when he was 5.By the time he was in high school, when he led Peoria Central to consecutive state titles, his team was like a traveling rock band.Folks came from everywhere to get a glimpse, get an autograph and form an opinion about the latest in the high school-to-NBA wave.Pick a cliche.There are always smiling faces waiting when he takes the last step off the team bus.Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.E-mail: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChronLivingston's pathPtsClippersClippersClippersHeatWizardsHornetsBucksCavaliersWizardsNetsWarriors

NBA vagabond Livingston overcomes odds to help fuel Warriors

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