WITH SHAUN LIVINGSTON, POINT

GUARD FOR THE NBA BROOKLYN NETS.

>>THE STORY, SHAUN LIVINGSTON

STORY STARTS WITH A VERY, VERY

YOUNG AGE, CARRYING BOOKS AND

YOU LEARNED TO WALK REAL EARLY

IN YOUR LIFE.

WHAT WAS THAT, SHAUN, VERY

YOUNG?

>>VERY YOUNG, PROBABLY EIGHT,

NINE MONTHS.

>>AND YOU WERE WALKING, AND

FRANK, YOUR GRANDFATHER--

>>YES.

>>THE MARINE STORY.

WHAT IS THE MARINE STORY?

>> HE SERVED IN THE WAR, AND YOU

KNOW, HE WAS A GUY THAT WAS

ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, GOT YOUR BED

MADE UP, DID YOU PUT YOUR SHOES

BACK WHERE YOU FOUND THEM.

YOU KNOW, I MEAN HE WAS ON ME

ABOUT EVERYDAY DUTIES, YOUR

CHORES, DISCIPLINE.

I MEAN HE WAS VERY HIGH ON THAT,

TRAINING ME FROM A KID TO A

YOUNG MAN TO A MAN.

SO THAT WAS WHERE HIS STORY

REALLY CAME IN, AND HE

INFLUENCED MY LIFE.

>>NO EXCUSES, DO YOU RECALL THE

STORY, HIS SUGGESTION THERE IS

NO EXCUSES?

>>ABSOLUTELY.

>>PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING.

>>ABSOLUTELY.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, HE USED TO

COME IN-- I MEAN HE ASKED WHY I

WOULDN'T HAVE MY HOMEWORK DONE,

BEFORE I GAVE AN ANSWER, RIGHT

AWAY "NO EXCUSES."

(LAUGHING) THINK ABOUT IT BACK

THEN, IT GOT ON YOUR NERVES AND

WAS ANNOYING AS A KID.

I WAS, MAN, I HAVE ALL THIS

STUFF TO DO, AND YOU ARE

THINKING OF THE ALTERNATIVES.

ONCE YOU GET OLDER, ONLY THING

THAT MATTERS IS THE RESULTS.

IT IS LIKE DID YOU GET IT DONE

OR DID YOU NOT GET IT DONE.

AGAIN, THAT COMES FROM, YOU

KNOW, HIS BACKGROUND SERVING,

THE END RESULTS BECAUSE THEY HAD

LITTLE MARGIN FOR ERROR.

>>CONCORDIA, YOU GUYS DID REAL

WELL.

TWO TITLES, THEN RICHWOODS, THEN

CENTRAL, TWO TITLES,

McDONALD'S AND YOU WERE CO MVP

AT McDONALD'S HIGH SCHOOL.

YOU LOOKED AT, WHAT, DUKE,

ILLINOIS?

>>ARIZONA AND NORTH CAROLINA.

>>AND YOU DECIDED TENTATIVELY

DUKE.

AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?

>> AND THEN IT WAS JUST A ROLLER

COASTER, MAN.

IT WAS ALL DOWN-- OR ALL UPHILL

I WOULD SAY.

I DECIDED TO GO TO DUKE, SERVED

OUT MY SENIOR YEAR.

I COMMITTED AT THE BEGINNING OF

MY SENIOR YEAR, AND FROM THERE,

WE WON A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

I PLAYED IN TWO ALL AMERICAN

GAMES.

THAT WHOLE YEAR I WAS BEING

SCOUTED FROM PRO SCOUTS.

THERE WAS CHRIS MULLINS FROM

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS, JOHN

PAXTON FROM THE BULLS.

THESE GUYS ARE COMING TO MY HIGH

SCHOOL GAMES WHICH WAS CREATING

A LOT OF BUZZ IN A CITY LIKE

PEORIA, ILLINOIS, WHICH IS MORE

OF BIG TOWN, SMALL CITY.

SO FROM THERE, I JUST DECIDED TO

GO-- I DECIDED TO JUMP FROM

COLLEGE TO NBA BECAUSE I HAD A

POSSIBILITY OF BEING A TOP FIVE

DRAFT PICK.

>>AND YOU WERE?

>>FOUR.

>>ROUND NUMBER FOUR.

>>THAT'S RIGHT.

>>WHAT WAS IT LIKE, THE

TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO

THE PROS?

>> IT WAS AMAZING.

>>WHAT WAS THE STORY.

TELL ME THE STORY.

>>IT WAS AMAZING.

I MEAN, AGAIN, EVERYTHING

HAPPENED SO FAST.

SO IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IF I COULD

GO BACK JUST THINKING ABOUT

BEING IN THE MOMENT BECAUSE I

WAS ENJOYING THE RIDE.

BUT ALSO, TOO, I WAS TRYING TO

PREPARE MYSELF FOR THE FUTURE.

I KNEW WHAT I WAS DOING, ONLY

THREE OTHER GUYS THAT DID IT

BEFORE ME, STARTED WITH KEVIN

GARNET, DARIUS MILES, AND EDDIE

CURRY.

ALL THESE GUYS JUMPED FROM HIGH

SCHOOL TO THE PROS.

BUT I WAS GOING TO BE THE FIRST

POINT GUARD EVER TO JUMP FROM

HIGH SCHOOL TO THE NBA, AND SO

THAT WHOLE EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW,

I WAS NERVOUS, BUT AT THE SAME

TIME, I KNEW I WAS MAKING THE

BEST DECISION FOR ME AND MY

FAMILY.

I ENDED UP GOING NUMBER FOUR TO

THE LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS,

STRAIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL.

BEING IN THE BIG CITY OF NEW

YORK, HAVING MY FAMILY WITH ME,

REPRESENTING MY HOME TOWN OF

PEORIA, ILLINOIS, YOU KNOW, THAT

WAS THE GREATEST FEELING IN THE

WORLD.

>>BUT THEN WHAT HAPPENED?

>> WELL, FROM THERE, I SERVED

OUT MY ROOKIE YEAR. I STARTED

OFF KIND OF ON ROCKY TERMS, JUST

WITH INJURIES.

I WAS SO YOUNG, BEING IN THE

NBA.

I THINK MENTALLY I WAS READY.

PHYSICALLY, I COULD HAVE TOOK

SOME TIME TO DEVELOP MORE.

THAT'S WHAT COLLEGE WOULD HAVE

PREPARED ME MORE. BUT

SKILL-WISE, I THOUGHT I WAS

READY, BUT I HAD SOME INJURIES.

AND I GOT OFF TO NOT SO FAST

START.

AND THEN BY MY THIRD YEAR, I HAD

A BIG KNEE INJURY THAT KIND OF

REALLY SET MY CAREER BACK.

>> BIG INJURY.

VIDEO OF THE INJURY IS PREFACED,

IF YOU ARE AT ALL QUEASY, DON'T

LOOK AT THIS VIDEO.

IT WAS DEVASTATING.

>>YES.

>>THE SURGERY ALABAMA, TWO

PHYSICIANS, IF THAT HAD HAPPENED

TEN YEARS BEFORE THAT, SHAUN

WOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT.

I UNDERSTAND, CORRECT ME, THAT

ONE OF THE PHYSICIANS IN FIRST

SEEING THE RESULTS SUGGESTED

THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE YOUR LEG

AMPUTATED.

>>EXACTLY.

>> SO IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN A

WORSE INJURY, AND, YET, YOU NOW

ARE STARTING A THIRD OF THE TIME

WITH THE BROOKLYN NETS.

>>RIGHT.

>>HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT

TRANSITION.

>>I FEEL GREAT.

(LAUGHING) I FEEL GREAT, MAN.

IT IS A BLESSING.

I MEAN TO GO FROM WHERE I WAS TO

POSSIBLY HAVING A LEG AMPUTATED.

YOU TALK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY

OF NEVER BEING ABLE TO WALK

RIGHT OR TO HOLD YOUR KIDS, TO

GO OUT AND DO THE SIMPLE THINGS

IN LIFE, NOT JUST BASKETBALL.

LET'S THROW BASKETBALL OUT THE

WINDOW.

WE ARE TALKING JUST ENJOYING THE

ESSENTIALS.

YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE WHERE I

COME FROM.

I UNDERSTAND THE WORK THAT WENT

INTO IT, AND SO NOW I THINK THE

PASSION THAT I PLAY WITH OR THE

APPRECIATION THAT I HAVE FOR THE

GAME HAS HEIGHTENED BECAUSE OF

MY EXPERIENCES.

>>HOW DID YOU DO IT?

HOW DID YOU REHAB?

WHAT WAS THE TYPICAL DAY IN

REHABBING.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT

IT, I UNDERSTAND.

I AM CURIOUS, DEVASTATION TO

STARTING IN ONE OF THE MOST

ELITE AREAS OF ATHLETICS.

>>YEAH.

>>FROM LYING ON FLOOR, ON THE

HARDWOOD FLOOR TO STARTING.

WHAT WAS THE REHAB PROCESS LIKE?

>> IT WAS GRUESOME BECAUSE FIRST

TWO WEEKS WAS THE WORSE. YOU

TALK ABOUT SLEEPING.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BEING ABLE

TO GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP.

COULDN'T DO THAT. I SLEEP ON MY

SIDE, MY STOMACH.

I GOT STAPLES UP AND DOWN MY

KNEE.

GOT TO SLEEP ON MY BACK.

SLEEP WITH SIX OR SEVEN PILLOWS

BETWEEN MY LEGS OR UP UNDER MY

LEGS TO PROP MY KNEE UP. NOW I

AM CRANKY EVERY DAY I AM WAKING

UP, GOING TO REHAB SEVEN DAYS A

WEEK.

START OUT SIX DAYS, SEVEN DAYS A

WEEK EVERY DAY.

THEN ONCE YOU GET DOWN THERE, WE

ARE TALKING PROBABLY FROM THE

TIME I HAD SURGERY 20-- NOT

EVEN, MAYBE 20-- MAYBE 18

HOURS, 24 HOURS FROM THE TIME

THAT I HAD SURGERY, THEY OPENED

ME UP, WHEELING ME DOWN TO THE

REHAB, TO START MY REHAB.

BECAUSE THE KEY WAS MOBILITY TO

GET MY KNEE BACK MOVING.

ONCE YOU HAVE SURGERY, IF YOU

HAVE-- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD

SURGERY BEFORE, BUT SCAR TISSUE

SETS IN.

AND THAT'S THE HEALING PROCESS.

ONCE THE STAR TISSUE STARTS TO

SET IN, IT IS INITIALLY LIKE

STIFF.

USED TO PUT YOU IN A CAST FOR

WHATEVER, EIGHT WEEKS, TWO

MONTHS, THREE MONTHS.

ONCE YOU GET OUT OF THE CAST,

THEY START REHABBING YOU.

THEY LEARNED THAT WASN'T

WORKING.

ONCE YOU GET OUT THE CAST, YOU

CAN'T MOVE YOUR LEG.

IT IS INITIALLY STIFF.

IT IS LIKE STUCK.

SO THEY HAD ME SITTING DOWN

THERE IN THE REHAB CRANKING ON

MY LEG.

I MEAN I WAS PROBABLY SOME OF

THE WORST PAIN I HAVE EVER

EXPERIENCED.

PROBABLY EVEN MORE SO THAN MY

INJURY BECAUSE THAT PAIN WAS

NONSTOP FOR-- I MEAN, YOU KNOW,

PROBABLY TWO YEARS, A YEAR.

AND IT DWINDLED, IT WENT DOWN.

BUT INITIALLY IT STARTED OUT

VERY HIGH.

I HAVE A HIGH PAIN TOLERANCE,

BUT THE REHAB PROCESS GOING

THERE EVERY DAY, WAKING UP IN

THE MORNING, WHEELING MYSELF OUT

OF BED, ON CRUTCHES.

ON CRUTCHES THE FIRST SIX WEEKS.

BUT IT WAS DAILY, LIKE, YOU

KNOW, A MIND SET, MENTALLY

STRUGGLE TO, YOU KNOW, WAKE UP

KNOWING THAT YOU CAN'T PLAY

BALL, KNOWING YOU ARE NOT GOING

TO TOUCH A BALL.

CAN'T BE ON THE COURT.

YOUR TEAM IS PLAYING WITHOUT

YOU.

YOU HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO BE THIS

PLAYER THAT MAYBE EVERYBODY

THOUGHT.

YOU DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S

POSSIBLY EVER GOING TO COME

BACK.

YOU KNOW, A THEN YOU ARE TRYING

TO SHOOT FOR YOUR PERSONAL

GOALS.