Los Angeles (AFP)
Former NBA player Shawn Bradley announced Wednesday that he was paralyzed after being struck by a vehicle in January while riding his bike.
The 2.29m "giant" was struck from behind by an automobile while riding a bicycle one block from his home in St. George, Utah. The accident resulted in a traumatic injury to the spinal cord that left him paralyzed, "read a statement from the former player on the Dallas Mavericks website, a franchise for which he played eight seasons.
After neck surgery, Bradley, 48, has spent "the last eight weeks in rehabilitation," according to this text.
He is now undergoing "exhausting physical therapy" during which he "learns to cope with the challenges of paraplegia".
Bradley, who is of American and German nationality, attended Brigham Young University in Utah for a year before spending two years in Australia as a Mormon missionary and then making his NBA debut.
In 12 NBA seasons and 832 games in the 1990s and 2000s for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets and especially the Dallas Mavericks (9 seasons), the pivot recorded an average of 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.
"Shawn has always been incredibly determined and has shown a fighting spirit. We wish him nothing but the best for his recovery. He will always be a part of our Mavs family," commented Mark Cuban, franchise owner.
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