<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Some things we just don't know and we'll never know. No matter how close we get to them or how approachable they may seem, there is still a considerable divide between the general public and professional athletes. Even if we talk to them every day and study all of the information available on them, that distance will remain. And if they sign our autographs and smile for our pictures, we'll still never know the whole story with our favorite players unless events become so tragic and circumstances so dire that their private lives begin affecting their jobs. Only then, and many times after the fact, do we discover why they might have disappointed us with their athletic shortcomings or why they fell short of expectations. In the past week, two players with ties to the Portland Trail Blazers revealed information that explains why they didn't perform as many believed they should have on the basketball court. Shawn Respert, a former first-round pick in the 1995 draft who had been labeled a bust after a brief NBA career, told The Associated Press: "I had cancer." "I don't want people to feel sorry for me, or think I'm making an excuse about why it didn't work out for me in the NBA," he said. "I just want people who have wondered, 'Whatever happened to Shawn Respert?' to know that I wasn't strung out on drugs or anything bad like that." He was drafted by Portland and immediately traded to Milwaukee, but the only people who knew about his illness were Bucks trainers, doctors and coach Mike Dunleavy. "We regarded his wishes and I never told anybody," Dunleavy said last week. "I had no idea at the time why he was playing poorly." As a rookie, Respert felt discomfort in his stomach. He altered his diet, but the cramps didn't go away. After a series of medical test in May 1996, doctors told him of the cancer in his abdomen. He underwent radiation therapy every day for three straight months and lost 20 pounds, but the condition didn't improve. He said his condition isn't the only reason why he didn't stick with Milwaukee, but it might explain why he never averaged 26 points per game like he did at Michigan State. In 172 games over four seasons with Milwaukee, Toronto and Dallas, Respert averaged 4.9 points in 13.7 minutes per game.</div> <font size="1">Full Story courtesy of Percy Allen and the Seattle Times.</font> A super article from one of my favourite writers in Percy Allen, which basically labels that we only eat what the media feeds us. I was one of the many who labelled Respert one of the biggest lottery busts of all-time, and of course, I naturally assumed he was always healthy and just a bad fit for the NBA. The article also goes on to talk about Derek Anderson's poor form this season and some of the off-court problems he's had, which haven't been known to the public. Well worth reading.
This is really sad. We are so quick to criticize a player. We'll say all types of stuff that is negative about him but, we really don't know the whole story behind it. Now because of this article, tt will make me think twice before I criticize a player.
These are some truly sad stories, I won't be as quick to get on players anymore after I have read this. Shawn Respert was a great player, and it's sad that cancer ended his career. I feel sorry for Derek Anderson also, but that isn't as big as having cancer IMO.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting S.Livingston14:</div><div class="quote_post">I feel sorry for Derek Anderson also, but that isn't as big as having cancer IMO.</div> With all due respect, that is an outrageously stupid comment. Why you even feel the need to compare the two cases is beyond me, but how does anyone know what Derek went/is going through? Do you think he says "Well, my mom might have relapsed into her alcoholism, but at least I don't have cancer"? Respect the two tragic cases for what they are, but do it separately. Sheesh.
