Sports Illustrated Offers Update On BYU Legend Shawn Bradley
Jan 12, 2022, 1:07 PM
Former BYU great and longtime NBA center Shawn Bradley (Credit: ALLSPORT USA/Allsport)
(Credit: ALLSPORT USA/Allsport)
SALT LAKE CITY – Sports Illustrated offered an update on BYU legend Shawn Bradley who was paralyzed after he was hit while riding his bike in January of 2021.
Bradley was riding his bike near his St. George home in Utah when he was hit by a minivan, suffering significant injuries according to a release from the Dallas Mavericks, his former team in the NBA.
“The accident caused a traumatic spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed after undergoing neck fusion surgery,” the release read. “Bradley has spent the last eight weeks hospitalized and undergoing rehabilitation.”
Shawn Bradley will never walk again. He wakes every three hours to avoid bedsores. A caregiver cleans him and moves him with a small crane. Often, he stops mid-sentence to grit his teeth and wince. @brianburnsed, one year after Bradley's bike accident: https://t.co/Dfj4sk5iMv pic.twitter.com/LfwYvruS4u
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 12, 2022
According to Sports Illustrated’s feature on Bradley, the longtime NBA center is paralyzed from the chest down after he was hit while riding his bike by a woman driving a minivan, throwing his 7-foot-6 frame into a parked car in front of him.
Bradley’s wife Carrie helped the former center with his long rehabilitation treatment, even bribing the Cougar great with McDonald’s french fries to push him to use his arms to feed himself.
“How much do you want it?” Carrie asked, according to the article.
Gradually, Bradley’s ability to perform functions like holding a fork has improved, but due to his unique size and the seriousness of his injury, he requires near round-the-clock assistance to aid in day-to-day activities like getting out of bed and showering.
Former @BYUbasketball legend and 14-year NBA veteran Shawn Bradley is paralyzed after he was hit by a car while riding his bike in St. George, Utah. https://t.co/OZdnTutFrq
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 17, 2021
Bradley, who spent his college career at BYU averaged 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and an NCAA record 5.2 blocks per game as a freshman before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the second overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.
Bradley was traded by the 76ers to the New Jersey Nets in 1995, before being sent to the Mavericks in 1997 where he would play the final seven seasons of his 12 year NBA career.
The center had career averages of 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks during his professional career.
