NBA Players That Almost Died Including LeBron James, Damian Lillard

NBA players, impress their fans and earn titles. But the other side of the story is not so bright. Some NBA players almost died, and their stories could easily fit in horror movies. LeBron James, Grant Hill, Damian Lillard, and many others had a close encounter with death.

Early on in his career, everyone thought that Hill would be the next Michael Jordan. However, he was plagued with injuries.  But, none of his injuries could compare to his 2003 staph infection that kept him away from the floor in the 2003-04 season. Hill almost died.

Nikola Vucevic and his father Borislav survived a deadly train crash in Montenegro. According to reports, 47 people died and 200 were injured. The train’s braked had failed, and 250 passengers could easily lose their lives.

“For a crash like that, I was lucky,” Vucevic said. “It’s very scary. You don’t know if you’re going to live or die. It makes you look at life differently, not take things for granted. It makes you think about a lot of things. You try to appreciate life more.”

Another basketball player from a different age group lost his life in the train crash.

Lillard, LeBron almost died

Damian Lillard grew up in Oakland. It was a game full of gang violence. Crime rates were really high.

In the song Roll Call on his rap album The Letter O, the player recalls an event where he almost died. He could have been shot in the head during a 2008 robbery. Three men attacked him as he was waiting for a bus after practice. Lillard tried to fight off his attackers, but that only increased his risk of dying. Luckily, he survived the attack.

Jay Williams was the second overall pick for the Chicago Bulls in the 2002 NBA draft. He had an inconsistent play and had to share minutes with Jamal Crawford. But he was a promising prospect who posted a triple double during his rookie campaign.

He wasn’t allowed to ride a motorcycle. However, Williams rode his and didn’t even wear a helmet. He crashed into a light post on the north side of Chicago and suffered a severed main nerve in his leg. Williams fractured his pelvis and dislocated three ligaments in his left knee. This put an end to his career in the NBA, but he survived.

LeBron James almost died too. He was a target of burglars who roamed around LA. This happened right before he arrived in Los Angeles. LeBron was next on the list, but police officers prevented a potential attack.