In 2004, a scrawny lanky point guard had dreams of playing in the NBA. Those dreams came to frutition as the Los Angeles Clippers selected Shaun Livingston out of Peoria Central. The 6-foot-7 guard followed the footsteps imprinted by Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and many NBA stars before him by making the leap from high school into the pros.
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Now that he’s an NBA Champion, Livingston has returned to Illinois with something special, the Larry O’Brien trophy. From winning state titles to NBA Champion, Livingston has finally reached the peak of professional basketball:
In 2003 and 2004, Livingston led his team and won Class AA state titles. In his senior year he was named Illinois Mr. Basketball. The accolades continued as he was a five star recruit and was lined up to play for Duke.
Just because he was drafted as a lottery pick and fourth overall doesn’t mean it was easy for Livingston. He suffered a gruesome and horrific leg injury in 2007. Not only was his career in jeopardy, his ability to walk was in doubt too. Livingston’s drive to return is inspiring as he faced adversity and accomplished something special; he contributed and became a member of the 2014-15 NBA Champions.