Michael Redd has had a tough go of it. Twice since 2009 he's blown out the ACL in his left knee and twice he's gone through the full rehab process to get back to playing in the NBA.
The former All-Star and Gold Medal Olympian has struggled since signing with the Phoenix Suns early in the season but on Saturday night he got the surprise start when the team learned just a couple of hours before game time that Jared Dudley was a scratch.
Redd finished the game, a Suns win, with a team-high 17 points on 6-12 shooting in his first start since January 10, 2010. That was the night he re-injured his left knee when he tried to post up Kobe Bryant playing in Los Angeles.
Coincidentally, Redd and his Bucks team were in Phoenix the next day when he learned that his season was once again over and he would have to once again go under the knife.
A despondent Redd, on crutches, was admittedly shaken when he said in January 2010, "My faith is in the Lord and I'm going to stay strong in that the best I can but today has been a hard day today...Something in my heart won't let me give up. I came back this year when a lot of people thought I couldn't and I'm going to try it again."
For Redd to make it to this point over two years later was quite an accomplishment and he was very pleased.
"You know what, (it was) one of the proudest moments in my career...[T]o come back through the tears, through the hurt, through the hours of rehab, training, to come back and accomplish this is maybe the most proudest moment of my career actually."
Congratulations to Michael Redd on his comeback. Let's hope he stays healthy and finishes his career on his terms.
Michael Redd postgame video:
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