Sports' Most Famous Injured Body Parts

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
May 24, 2010

Sports' Most Famous Injured Body Parts

LeBron James' elbow

Staying healthy is harder than it looks. From elbows to eyes, no body part is safe, as many of the sports world's top names have learned in the past 12 months. The King's elbow has become an entity all to itself, complete with a personal Twitter page. Soon, LeBron's elbow will be looking for a max deal in free agency.

Kobe Bryant's finger

After electing not to have surgery during the offseason, Bryant has battled a broken finger on his shooting hand all season. Apparently, it hasn't affected his shooting stroke, as the Lakers booked a return trip to the Conference Finals this week.

Steve Nash's eye

Nash suffered six stitches above the eye after Tim Duncan elbowed him in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. By game's end, Nash was operating with only one eye fully open, making him the first Cyclops ever to lead his team to the conference finals.

Steve Nash's nose

With his eye still black and blue from the Tim Duncan elbow in the Western Conference semifinals, Nash took another hard hit to the dome when he collided with Lakers point guard Derek Fisher in Game 3 of the Conference Finals. A broken nose and a much-needed victory -- all in a night's work for Nash.

Tiger Woods' neck

The year has been a pain in the neck for Tiger Woods, including a neck injury that forced him to give up in the middle of a Sunday round.

Serena Williams' right leg

The star of women's tennis has battled injuries her entire career, the most recent (a leg injury) keeping her out of five straight tournaments. But she's back -- for now -- complete with wraps, straps and pads to soften the stress on her thighs.

Rafael Nadal's knee

A tennis player's knees are as crucial a body part as there is in sports, especially for the game's elite. On top of that, Rafa is only 23d, which means we might be hearing about the deterioration of his leg joints for a long time.

Brett Favre's ankle

Will he or won't he? Favre's seasonal charade is no different this time around, save for reports that he will need ankle surgery to be fit for the 2010 season. Knowing Brett, that ankle could sit idle for months before his mind's made up.

Albert Pujols' back

When reports surfaced that Albert's lower back was hurting him enough to have an MRI and an anti-inflammatory shot during 2010 spring training, Cardinals fans felt a jolt of fear. His pains have since disappeared, and Pujols is once again tearing up the baseball.

Dwight Howard's nose

Nose injuries are commonplace in the NHL and NFL, and lately the amount of face masks and nose bleeds have skyrocketed in pro hoops. Dwight Howard was the latest baller to plug his nostrils after a hit to the schnoz.

Andrew Bogut's elbow

The leading candidate for gruesome injury of the year comes from Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut, who shattered his arm after falling awkwardly after a dunk. The Aussie suffered a broken hand, dislocated elbow and a sprained wrist all in a matter of seconds.

Denny Hamlin's knee

On March 31, Denny Hamlin had surgery to repair an ACL tear in his left knee. Less than two weeks later, he was back in his car, and back to winning races -- his latest coming last week at Darlington.