THROWBACK : Bernard King

Bernard King was nasty. MSG Network in New York has been running this "Vault" series, where they go through old tapes that have been long forgotten, and today, they broke down some old Bernard King tapes. I remembered he'd come back from a terrible injury, but not that he went on to become and All-Star with the Bullets.

It's guys like Bernard King that make it hard to think that athletes aren't role models. Someone like King is a reminder that obstacles are made to be gotten through or around. I hope the kid from the Clippers, Shaun Livingston, can benefit from Bernard King's courage.

I really shouldn't talk about baseball on a basketball blog, so I won't. I also do not want to, in any way, make it seem like I have some dark info on B.K.'s past. But I will say, wouldn't you rather hear Bernard King took steroids to return to an All-Star career or that he used steroids to become an All-Star?

FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED:

Bernard King: He averaged 22.5 points over 16 seasons, but the explosive scorer was at the peak of his powers (32.9 ppg in 1984-85) when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in March 1985. That cost King a whole season and much of his explosiveness, but he adjusted and made a successful comeback with Washington, earning a final All-Star slot in 1991 at age 34. King sat out the 1991-92 season with more knee problems, then played just 20 games for New Jersey the following year. Great career, all things considered? Until King makes it into the Naismith Hall of Fame, it counts among the curtailed.