Shaun Livingston’s challenging NBA career and enduring legacy
By Jade Johnson
NBA early years
In the 2004 NBA Draft, Livingston was picked fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers and soon after signed a shoe deal with Reebok.
In the fifth game of Livingston’s career when the Clippers were on the road against the Indiana Pacers, Livingston showed a little bit of what he might be able to accomplish in his career. In 24 minutes off the bench, the 19-year-old recorded a +35 performance that included six points, six assists, four steals and a block.
A few games later he recorded his first game with double-digit points when he scored 13 against the Houston Rockets on November 20, 2004. On March 23, 2005, Livingston got his first career start in a Clippers win against the Milwaukee Bucks and would go on to start for the rest of the 2004- 05 season.
Livingston suffered the first injury of his young career during practice on November 22, 2004, when he dislocated his right kneecap. He wouldn’t return to the court until February 13, 2005. During the first two years of his career, various injuries would cause him to miss games including torn cartilage in his right shoulder, and a stress reaction in his lower back.