Former Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand has served as an inspiration to many and now he is extending a helping hand to former NBA star Shawn Bradley.
Bradley was recently paralyzed after he was hit by a car while biking in his home state of Utah. The 48-year-old underwent neck fusion surgery and has spent the last eight weeks hospitalized and undergoing rehabilitation.
LeGrand can somewhat relate to what Bradley is going through.
The former Rutgers athlete was paralyzed after a freak accident during a football game in 2010 and offered some encouraging words to Bradley, via TMZ Sports.
“People think when spinal cord injuries happen, that life is just over,” LeGrand said. “And, in the beginning, when you go through an adjustment period, you’re going to have those moments and it’s understandable.
“As time starts to go on, you start to realize, ‘OK, this is my new life. This is my adjustments to it, I can still make a difference.’ And, that’s why I want to offer whatever I can offer.”
LeGrand has spent the last decade as a motivational speaker and has written multiple books about his experience as well as hosting a web series about individuals battling adversity. He’s received multiple awards, including the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs in 2012.
Bradley was a 7-foot-6 center who played 14 seasons in the NBA with the Mavericks, 76ers, Nets and starred in the Michael Jordan film “Space Jam.”
“My thoughts and prayers definitely go to him and his family and I truly do mean that,” LeGrand said. “Because when you suffer something like this, it’s life-altering and it flips and turns your life upside down.”
Per a statement released by the Mavericks, Bradley is in “good spirits,” but a “long and arduous” road remains ahead.
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