Former BYU men's basketball center and No. 2 overall NBA draft pick Shawn Bradley was paralyzed in a bike accident in January, according to a statement released by the Dallas Mavericks.
The statement by Bradley's former team details that he was riding his bike a block from his St. George home, when he was hit by an automobile on Jan. 20.
Bradley suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury in the accident, leaving him paralyzed. He has spent the last eight weeks hospitalized and undergoing rehabilitation after undergoing neck fusion surgery.
Bradley is in good spirits after the accident, according to his wife Carrie. The former NBA player plans to use his experience as a public platform to bring more awareness to bicycle safety.
'Shawn has always been incredibly determined and shown a fighting spirit,' Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. 'We wish him nothing but the best in his recovery.'
The 7-foot-6 Bradley played one season for the Cougars from 1990-91 before serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sydney, Australia. He was taken second in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and played in the league until 2005, spending his last eight years with the Mavericks.