Rebuilding Everything

by Todd Spehr Shaun Livingston’s most valuable asset is his vision. How do I know that? Because he has told us numerous times – as a teenage lottery pick or a twentysomething vagabond, owner of a healthy left knee or not, with or without a guaranteed contract. Livingston’s vision, his foresight, his ability to see; it was always there. And yet, ironically, the thing that motivates him most is the unseen. Something he’s never consumed on film, maybe never even in his mind. By now you know the story. In February 2007, Livingston, during his first stretch of professional stability – he was starting for the Clips, playing consistently, playing in rhythm, showing more than just glimpses of that awesome potential – saw his left knee collapse like a sandcastle in a game against Charlotte. The ACL, PCL, MCL, the meniscus, whatever they are, were concurrently GONE. Livingston claims to have never watched the incident, and one can’t blame him. It’s nauseating, heartbreaking, wrenching – name ...