What happened to Brandon Roy? A career that turned to stone

One of the worst things that can happen to an athlete is to have a career-breaking injury. It can either have a long-term effect that can determine how a player’s career progresses or, if worst comes to worst, end. So, what happened to Brandon Roy? This is the question that most people ask because Roy’s career suddenly stopped. This is what we are going to talk about in this article.

Who is Brandon Roy?

Brandon Roy, or Brandon Dawayne Roy, was the Portland Trail Blazers star from 2006 to 2011. He was born on July 23, 1984, in Seattle, Washington. His parents were Tony Roy and Gina Roy, with siblings Ed Roy and Jameela Roy. He played for Garfield High School and the University of Washington before going pro. His outstanding talent in the game of basketball quickly made an impact and earned him the name B-Roy,” which changed later on to “The Natural,” as per Trail Blazer announcer Brian Wheeler.

Roy’s high school and college career

Before he became a star, Brandon went to the African-American Academy and played for the Amateur Athletic Union, more commonly known as the AUU. This is where he first took the game of basketball seriously. After this, he went to Garfield High School, and because of his outstanding talent, he became one of the state’s best high school players during his time there.

When he went to college, things got a little challenging for Roy. His family is not fortunate when it comes to academics. His parents and his older brother did not go to college. Because of this, Roy was having a hard time completing his Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT. His reading comprehension was so slow that even with tutors, it took him several times to pass the test before meeting the requirements of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. Roy even had doubts if he could actually finish four years of college, so he worked as a shipping container cleaner on the Seattle docks for eleven dollars ($11) an hour.

Finally, in 2002, the University of Washington and the NCAA allowed him to play. Here, he played for Lorenzo Romar, the head coach of UW, for four years. He considered entering the NBA draft after his junior year, but he changed his mind when he learned that both of his former teammates, Nate Robinson and Martell Webster, were entering the draft too. He took this opportunity to further increase his college stats and have a better draft position in one of the most prestigious sports leagues in the world, the NBA.

Going pro

Brandon Roy was the first pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft. However, the Timberwolves quickly traded Brandon Roy to the Blazers for fellow draftee Randy Foye. Here he began his journey and hoped for a good career. In his first few games, he averaged 14.5 points, which later on got him the award for rookie of the year. He defeated Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Shannon Brown, Andrea Bargnani, Tyrus Thomas, and Rudy Gay for the title. During this time, many saw him as one of the future greats of the NBA.

The injury curse

What seemed to be a promising career quickly tumbled into a downward spiral. Roy was bombarded with numerous injuries that slowly took a toll on his athletic capabilities. It all started with a knee impingement that made him miss several games in his rookie year. In the 2007-2008 NBA season, he was selected as a reserve in the All-Star Game. But before the All-Star Weekend, He injured his ankle, but he played through the pain that eventually affected his performance for the rest of the season.

After the 2007-2008 season, Roy underwent surgery to remove cartilage from his left knee. Because of this, he again missed several games at the start of the 2008-2009 NBA season. However, he recovered and even ranked ninth for Most Valuable Player of the season.

Because of this, The Portland Trail Blazers are eager to keep Brandon Roy on their roster. The management offered him a five-year contract extension that will give him an opportunity to show his greatness as a blazer. Despite this encouraging news, a slight meniscus tear on his right knee foiled everything again. He immediately underwent another surgery and was expected to miss the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets. But miraculously, after eight days, he returned in game 4 and scored 31 points.

After that, Brandon Roy shocked the basketball world when he announced his retirement on December 10, 2011. The doctors advised him to stop playing. They told Roy that his knees were in really bad shape. It has no more cartilage after being operated on six times. However, he returned in 2012 to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was almost going to be a comeback story, but after playing five games, a career-ending injury struck him again. This marks his final game in the NBA.

Where is Brandon Roy now?

His love for basketball never ended. After his retirement, he became the head coach of Nathan Hale High School, which he led to a perfect record of 29-0 during the regular season. He was awarded the Naismith National High School Coach of the Year award.

Then he returned to Garfield High School as head coach when Jontay Porter, Michael Porter Jr., and P.J. Fuller opted out. Until now, he has been the current head coach at Garfield High.

His career might have ended, but his career is probably one of the greatest what-ifs in the history of basketball.

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