MANILA, Philippines – Perhaps one of the most feared injuries in sports is a torn ACL — it's season-ending and usually requires a long and tedious recovery period.
NLEX Road Warrior Kevin Alas tore his ACL in his right knee back in 2018. Alas recovered, only to suffer the same injury again five games into his return.
What was once a promising career is now put to question once again: Can Alas ever return to 100 percent form despite his injuries?
Well, these four NBA players suffered similar ACL and leg injuries but recovered well, and they can give more than enough hope for Alas.
1. Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose was a superstar with the Chicago Bulls, leading to numerous playoff runs during his stint. Rose was named Rookie of the Year in 2009 and became the youngest player at the time to win the coveted Most Valuable Player award.
But his career would get sidelined in Game One of the 2012 NBA playoffs between the Bulls and the Philadelphia 76ers. Rose sustained a season-ending ACL injury that would derail his professional journey.
While Rose went through a lot in his recovery — including numerous other injuries and jumping from team to team — things are now looking good for the former number one draft pick.
Now playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rose is having his best season in a long time. He has become a key role player in many games, a highlight of which was a career-high outing of 50 points this season.
His MVP days might be over, but Rose is still a force to be reckoned with.
2. Paul George
Paul George may not have an MVP or a ring to his name yet, but he is an icon.
George is arguably one of the most talked about players in the NBA, from his days as the franchise player for the Indiana Pacers to his time with Russel Westbrook in Oklahoma.
Some casual basketball fans might not even remember George's freak injury during a Team USA exhibition game in 2014.
Despite this scary injury, George recovered smoothly and came back to action the next year like nothing happened. George continued to post numbers like he did prior to the injury and does so until today.
3. Russell Westbrook
Prior to his injury, Russell Westbrook had an iron man streak — playing all his games in his first five seasons in the NBA. But everything changed in the 2013 playoffs.
After a collision with then Houston player Patrick Beverly, Westbrook suffered a torn lateral miniscus that ruled him out for the rest of the playoffs.
The Thunder star returned later that year and despite suffering other minor injuries since then, Westbrook made a name for himself as one of the greatest players in the league — even earning himself an MVP award in 2017.
You can barely remember his injuries when Westbrook is a triple-double machine.
4. Kyle Lowry
Unlike the three other ballers mentioned before him, Kyle Lowry actually suffered his injury before he entered the NBA. Tearing his ACL in 2004 when he was still with Villanova, Lowry recovered well enough to still excel in collegiate and NBA basketball.
Lowry is a key player for the Toronto Raptors and still has a lot left in the gas tank.
All this considered, Kevin Alas may have suffered another setback in his career, but a bright future will never be out of the question.