Quincy Pondexter has missed his past two NBA seasons due to health concerns, but he is ready to make his return next month with the Chicago Bulls. The 29-year-old guard was traded to Chicago from New Orleans, where he sat out significant time after undergoing multiple knee procedures.
Little did people know, there was more involved than your everyday knee injuries: Pondexter developed a MRSA infection. He recently sat down and spoke with ESPN’s Chris Haynes in a fantastic article about what’s transpired the past two years:
“When I was in the hospital, I would look on Twitter and see all the nasty comments saying, ‘He’s stealing money. He’s at home chillin’ and all this s—. Nah, I’m fighting for my life.”
After the second procedure, Pondexter was aggressive with his rehab in the hopes of being ready for next season. But the season tipped off, and Pondexter was in street clothes yet again. He would remain sidelined for months.
Some fans began turning on him, questioning if he was just mailing it in. In reality, it was the exact opposite.
“[My knee] wasn’t making progress, but then there was this pain in a certain area that we couldn’t get over,” he said. “Again, I tried to do everything possible to play. I tried to pass physicals, I tried to do everything, and, a year of rehab, we didn’t know what to do.“We didn’t know if my career was over. We didn’t know where to go from there, and then we tried to find an answer because we didn’t know if we could see it in the MRI. I was trying to play, and a few days later, it just took a real turn for the worse, where I woke up and my knee was swollen like a watermelon.”
Pondexter traveled to New York on Jan. 1, 2017, to get his knee scoped again. But on this trip, his health suddenly began to deteriorate. While in his hotel room, he became nauseated and started breathing heavily. His temperature shot to 104.
He walked to a Duane Reade pharmacy to pick up a prescription for the pain. But while waiting in line, his vision blurred, and the 6-foot-7 forward collapsed onto the floor.Customers and employees tended to the NBA veteran, giving him a chair and some water. Paramedics were called to the scene, as was his physical therapist. Pondexter was drenched in sweat. He was terrified, bewildered and in excruciating pain. He didn’t have control over his body and feared he was dying.
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Pondexter said fluid was drained from his knee and, after a few days, it was discovered he had MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a skin infection that is difficult to manage and, if not treated properly and promptly, could lead to death. Nobody knew when he developed the infection.
He was immediately taken to surgery to try to flush the infection out of his system. Dr. Williams explained to Pondexter and his family that MRSA tends to cause complications to the healing process of a significant injury.
Pondexter hinted earlier in the summer fans did not know the whole story behind why he was out, and that his situation was significantly more serious than many expected.
The rest of Pondexter’s comments can be seen in the ESPN article. He hopes to have a comeback season this upcoming campaign with the Bulls, his first in nearly two years, after dealing with the unfortunate circumstances.
When healthy, Pondexter can be a valuable three-and-D option off the bench in the NBA. He’s played five seasons with the Hornets, Grizzlies and Pelicans.
