Shaun Livingston: Playing and post-playing careers examined
SAN FRANCISCO (BVM) – From Kevin Garnett to Dwight Howard, there were certain prep to pro players that turned out to be future hall of famers. For others, such as Kwame Brown, they weren’t as lucky and might’ve been better off going to college to help their games’ mature.
But what about a player whose career could be considered a what-if had he not sustained an injury that almost had his leg amputated?
That player is Shaun Livingston and his career, as an Illinois high school and Warriors’ legend, will be examined as will how he was able to beat the odds to become a three-time NBA champion.
High school and early NBA career
Livingston was a promising prospect even from grade school, leading Concordia Lutheran Grade School to an 87-0 record and two LSA state titles in 1999 and 2000.
In high school, after spending his first two years at Richwoods High School, Livingston transferred to Peoria Central. In 2003 and 2004, he led the Lions to back-to-back Class 2A state championships.
It was during his senior season that the second-ranked prospect in the nation was named 2004 Illinois Mr. Basketball after averaging 18.4 points, six rebounds and six assists. As a tall point guard with vision that some NBA scouts compared to Jason Kidd, it’s no wonder why he would become a five-star prospect that committed to Duke on Nov. 5, 2003. However, he would change his mind and enter the 2004 NBA Draft after his final season for Peoria.
The Los Angeles Clippers would make Livingston the fourth overall pick in the draft. For his first three years, he would play at the shooting guard position due to the addition of Sam Cassell.
During his first two seasons, Livingston only played 91 of the 162 regular season games, averaging 6.6 points, three rebounds and 5.3 assists while splitting starting time with the likes of Marko Jaric and Cuttino Mobley. However, he showed promise in the Clippers’ 2006 playoff run, averaging 7.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 12 games.
The 6-foot-7 guard carried that momentum into the 2006-07 season. In 54 games, in 29.8 minutes per game, he averaged 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game, all career highs. He also started in 31 games, another then career-high, and it looked like the former fourth overall pick was starting to show the promise he had coming out of high school.
Injury and the years prior to Golden State
However, disaster struck in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 26, 2007, when Livingston would slip while going up for a layup. On the landing, he would land awkwardly on his left leg, causing a torn anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, lateral meniscus, and a partially torn medial collateral ligament among other ailments.
Thankfully for Livingston, he would not suffer any damage to the artery in his knee, which could have resulted in the leg being amputated. He would also have his surgery done by Dr. James Andrews, known as the “father of ACL reconstructive surgeries”, and William Clancy that would repair all three ligaments, including using a patellar tendon graft to replace his ACL.
However, Livingston would have to work with Judy Seto five days a week for a year during the rehabilitation process, which included regaining the ability to walk and run. He would miss the rest of the 2006-07 season along with the entirety of next season.
After 16 months, the former phenom would be cleared for basketball activities.
After returning from his injuries, from the 2008-09 season to 2013-14, Livingston played for nine different teams, including a stint in the formerly known D League for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Tulsa 66ers in 2009. The veteran would have several notable seasons during this stretch, including averaging a second-best 9.2 points a game in 26 games for the Washington Wizards in the 2009-10 season.
However, Livingston’s most notable season came with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013-14 season. In his first season playing over 70 games, he would start in a career-high 54 games after Brook Lopez’s season-ending injury forced him to play shooting guard alongside point guard Deron Williams. His averages rounded out to 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and a career-high 1.2 steals.
With Livingston on the court, the Nets were 8.5 points better per 100 possessions defensively. His value would only increase in the following 12 playoff games, as he would average a playoff-best 9.7 points per game.
Warriors tenure
After the season, Livingston signed with the Warriors on a 3-year/$16-million-dollar contract. At the time, it was the biggest contract he’d signed in his career. It would also be the final team that he’d play for, ending the previous years of consistent change.
For the Warriors, Livingston became a key bench contributor as the backup point guard behind Stephen Curry. He provided efficient scoring, including a knock-down mid-range shot that made Shaquille O’Neal call him the “Mid-range assassin”. He shot over 50% from the field in every season he played for the team.
Most importantly, Livingston’s durability improved drastically, as he would play in more than 70 games in four of the five seasons. To put that into context, he played in 70-plus games just twice in the previous nine seasons before joining Golden State.
With his 6-foot-7 frame and experience, Livingston also provided defense and veteran leadership needed for the Warriors to become a championship-level team. And they would become that, making the NBA Finals five straight years and winning it all in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
In 102 of 105 games Livingston played during the five-year run, he would prove to step up his game come crunch time, scoring double-digit points in 21 matches. Some notable performances include averaging 12.1 points the first eight games of the 2016 playoffs while Curry was dealing with a sprained ankle, scoring 20 points in game one of the 2016 Finals, and shooting 13–for–15 in the 2018 Finals. He would also score 10 points in two games during the 2017 Finals.
After the 2018-19 season, Livingston announced his retirement on Sept. 13, 2019. His averages over his 367 regular season games played for Golden State rounded out to 5.3 points, two rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. In the playoffs, his points improved to 5.8 points while averaging 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 51% shooting from the field.
Net worth and where he is now
As of 2021, Livingston’s net worth is projected to be $22 million. In terms of the total earnings for his career, he earned $58 million, $34 million while in Golden State. His largest contract that he’d receive would be after the 2016-17 season, where he would get a 3-year/$21-million-dollar contract.
As far as what the 15-year veteran did after retiring, he would take a course starting in February 2020 at Harvard University that focused on the business of sports and how to build the brands of younger athletes. It would feature doing case studies with his classmates, including a Dwyane Wade marketing portfolio.
After a year away from basketball, Livingston was hired to become the Warriors’ director of player affairs and engagement. He would become a mentor to the young players, including Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga. In the future, Livingston hopes his front office role will help him in becoming a general manager.
On June 16, 2022, Livingston would win his first ring as an executive and fourth overall after the Warriors beat the Boston Celtics, 4-2, in the NBA Finals.
Whatever Livingston plans to do going forward, it’s safe to say he overachieved considering the injury he sustained. Through perseverance and hard work, he became a beloved role player that contributed to winning basketball for a dynasty. His story is one of inspiration and one that others that suffered the same fate can learn from.
