The Most Unusual Injuries in NBA History: Dog Bites, Collapsing Beds, Self-Punching Walls

Denver Nuggets’ forward Aaron Gordon will have to take some time off to recover from his peculiar injury: being bitten by a dog on Christmas Day. Specifically, Gordon suffered facial and right arm lacerations after Denver’s 120-114 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

There hasn’t been a specific announcement regarding Gordon’s return timeline; however, the latest information indicates that he is recovering well.

Apart from Aaron Gordon, Philadelphia 76ers’ forward Kelly Oubre Jr also experienced a rather “unusual” injury when he was hit by a car near his home, resulting in a rib fracture. He had to stay off the court for nearly a month to recover.

Let’s take a look at some of the most bizarre injuries in NBA history with Sporting News.

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Aaron Gordon (NBAE via Getty Images) Derrick Rose Self-Cuts His Hand with a Knife

The former Chicago Bulls MVP had to undergo 10 stitches on his left arm after accidentally cutting himself with a knife while peeling an apple in bed. Immediately after, he called then-Chicago Bulls coach Fred Tedeschi to be taken to the hospital. As a result, he missed a crucial game against the Knicks at the United Center.

Drew Gooden Gets Infected Hair Follicles Gooden had played 83 consecutive games in 2004 until he was seen limping during practice. According to ESPN, Gooden had infected hair follicles due to spider bites.

Kendrick Perkins Injured by Collapsing Bed In 2007, a collapsed bed fell onto Kendrick Perkins’ toe, causing him to be sidelined for an extended period.

The “victim” himself described the accident as bizarre. Specifically, according to Perkins, the caretaker did not properly assemble the bed, causing one side of the bed to be misaligned. This forced him to try to adjust it, but unfortunately, a plank slipped in, causing one side of the bed to collapse onto Perkins’ foot while his other foot remained under the bed frame.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Misses Games After Self-Punching the Rim Abdul-Jabbar missed the first 16 games of the 1974/75 season due to a broken hand. The reason was quite “unusual” as he punched the rim after Don Nelson was poked in the eye during a preseason game.

Latrell Sprewell Injured by Self-Punching a Wall According to the New York Post, Latrell Sprewell broke his hand when he punched a man on his new yacht because the man had vomited on the carpet near the bar area.

The altercation occurred at 2:30 a.m. Sprewell felt helpless when he asked a couple to leave the yacht, but the man refused to cooperate. The NBA player then swung a punch at the man but missed, resulting in his fist hitting the wall. It was revealed that Sprewell was in pain, continuously cursing and threatening the guests on the yacht not to discuss or mention the incident that day.