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Comment by 725686 | Hacker News Reader

"Basketball was good for Walton but it also ruined his body"

How so?

Bill was one of the 4 best college players ever and was the best player on one of the best NBA teams of all-time (1974 Portland Blazers). But he missed more games than he played during his career, 680 and 488 respectively, due to a laundry list of injuries. He had 39 orthopedic surgeries. His chronically injured foot led him to file a malpractice suit against the Blazers for due to his dissatisfaction for the care. He needed XLIF (fusion) surgery for his back in 2009. Despite his missed opportunities in the NBA and chronic pain, he chose to live his life with joy as is apparent to anyone whose listened to his interviews or call a broadcast. RIP to a legend.

He was prone to broken bones starting in high school, but kept playing basketball because he was quite good at it despite all the recovery downtime. ESPN did a writeup: https://web.archive.org/web/20240528203417/https://www.espn....

Doesn't sound like basketball was the root of the problem, then.

It was combination. His body was not build for that, but he continued damaging his body even more.

From this: "I have not been able to walk for enjoyment or pleasure or exercise in 41 years" - I'd guess the usual way basketball ruins bodies - it's probably fucked up his hips and knees.

Edit: From one of the links:

“I have had 38 orthopedic operations,” Walton told Bicycling. “Both my ankles are fused. I have an artificial knee. I have a new spine. I have broken countless bones. Every bone in both hands. Every bone in both feet; both legs. I have broken my back. I’ve had countless facial and cranial fractures. I spent my life falling down, getting hacked and fouled and getting in fights.”

At some point, you would think maybe he would quit the sport of his own accord?

Were I to break a single digit number of bones in a foot or hand, I am done.

If you enjoy something enough, you keep doing it in spite of some setbacks or pain.

Over 25 years I've cracked ribs a few times and dislocated a shoulder once from not being a good enough motorcycle rider. I am still riding motorcycles.

If you enjoy something enough _and_ are making a shitload of money doing it, I'd guess some people's injury list would get quite horrifying before they chose to be "done".

Hardwood floors take a toll on knees, for one thing. My brother had a 15+ year professional career and can't sit for very long (plane, cinema, etc) without needing to extend his leg. And that's after missing almost no games in-season through injury; it just built up over time.

I assume you meant "installing hardwood floors" and not just walking in them...

Running and training daily on hardwood floors with constant changes in direction. Versus sports on turf or with less shock on the knees.

Or mat vs hardwood. I have a friend who practiced savate for years on hard floors (rural kid, we had no money for full equipment at the gym, also savate is practiced with shoes which are often forbidden on mats) and he said recently that one of his regret was not insisting to train on the judo mats/tatamis, and not because he fell often, but because it ended up straining his knees.

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