Programming note: Watch the NBA Finals pregame edition of Warriors Outsiders on Thursday at 4 p.m., streaming live on the MyTeams app.
Shaun Livingston was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. He entered the Association straight out of high school and had "multiple-time All-Star" written all over him.
But a gruesome knee injury in February 2007 changed everything.
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He missed the entire 2007-08 season and then bounced around the league for the next five seasons. Livingston was solid with the Cavs at the end of the 2012-13 campaign and then had a great year with Brooklyn in 2013-14 before entering free agency again.
He struck gold with the Warriors, who gave him a three-year deal worth about $16.6 million.
Over the last five years, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr has repeatedly included Livingston whenever he discusses the franchise's "core players."
Warriors GM Bob Myers recently told a great story about the 33-year old when discussing the team's personalities and second-to-none culture.
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"Shaun Livingston. We tried to get him the year before -- he signed with Brooklyn pretty quickly. He was emerging as a guy you could count on. His injuries were somewhat behind him," Myers said Friday evening on KNBR 680. "And I remember we signed Shaun Livingston [five years ago] and I was at Casa del Mar [hotel] in LA.
"And I'll never forget this. I heard Shaun was a great guy. I had seen him play and we had scouted him. We knew who he was.
"He sits down across from me and I said, 'Hey man. Thanks for coming over.' We had signed him the day before. The first thing he said to me was, 'Tell me what I can do for the team.' And I was sitting there going, 'Are you kidding me?' What NBA player (says that)?
"That's all part of it. Shaun's a big part of this."
In July 2017, the Warriors rewarded Livingston with another three-year contract. The third year -- the 2019-20 season -- is worth about $7.7 million, but only $2 million is guaranteed.
This partly explains why the 33-year old is seriously contemplating retiring at season's end.
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No matter what he elects to do, it's been a helluva ride for Livingston. He has been instrumental in helping establish a dynasty, and just might walk away from the game with four rings.
As Myers would say: "Are you kidding me?"