Background and career
Shaun Livingston (born September 11, 1985) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. He entered the league directly out of high school and was selected fourth by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2004 NBA draft. During his 15-year career, Livingston played 959 games for nine teams and won three NBA championships as a member of the Golden State Warriors—in 2015, 2017, and 2018. In February 2007, Livingston suffered a debilitating knee injury that damaged almost every part of his left knee. It took Livingston about a year and a half to return. Between 2008 and 2010, he played only 22 league games. Livingston also played for the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Brooklyn Nets. He played his last five seasons in the league with the Warriors and retired from professional basketball in September 2019.
Livingston was born in Peoria, Illinois. He led Concordia Lutheran Grade School to LSA state titles in 1999 and 2000. Livingston played competitive basketball in high school at Richwoods High School for two years and then transferred to Peoria Central High School, where he led his team to back-to-back Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, Livingston was named Illinois Mr. Basketball and played in the McDonald's All-American Game. In 2007, he was voted one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament for his superior performance in the tournament. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Livingston was listed as the No. 1 point guard and the No. 2 player in the nation in 2004. He committed to play college hoops at Duke, but opted instead to make the jump to the NBA straight out of high school.
Livingston committed to Duke, but opted to skip college and enter the 2004 NBA draft, where he was selected fourth by the Los Angeles Clippers. Livingston was 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) and was considered to be tall by point guard standards and due to the addition of Sam Cassell to the Clippers' roster, gained playing time as a shooting guard instead. Livingston recorded a career-high 14 assists on February 23, 2007, against the Golden State Warriors. In his first two NBA seasons, Livingston played 91 games and averaged 6.3 points per game. In his third season, Livingston averaged a career-high 9.3 points per game, being one of the few Clippers to improve from the 2005–06 season. Livingston missed 101 of 246 regular‑season games during his first three NBA seasons due to injuries.
In a game against the Charlotte Bobcats on February 26, 2007, Livingston suffered a debilitating knee injury, dislocating his left kneecap after landing awkwardly following a missed layup, resulting in a severe lateral dislocation of the knee. Livingston injured almost every part of his knee, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), and the lateral meniscus, badly spraining his medial collateral ligament (MCL), and dislocating his patella and his tibio-fibular joint. Livingston was told by a medical professional at the hospital that there was a chance that his leg would have to be amputated. Livingston required months of rehabilitation to be able to walk again.
Livingston's contract with the Clippers expired after the 2007–08 season, and the Clippers did not make him a $5.8 million qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. On June 16, 2008, doctors allowed Livingston to resume basketball activities; during the 2008 offseason, he tried to find a guaranteed contract to finalize his comeback. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers were interested, but it was reported Livingston eventually signed a two-year deal with the Miami Heat on October 3, 2008. In four games with the Heat, he averaged 2.3 points and 10.3 minutes.
On January 7, 2009, Livingston was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies along with cash considerations for a conditional 2012 second-round pick. He was then waived later that same day. On March 7, 2009, Livingston signed with the Tulsa 66ers, the NBA development league team owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
