After five operations on his broken leg, he made it to the NBA

Taze Moore is once again in the NBA, and although it's just garbage time for a preseason game, he will play his second year in Portland in 2024-25。

He signed a two-way contract with the Blazers in September。The salary of the two-way contract is not high, half the base salary before taxes and less than $580,000 for a full season。

But Moore himself said that one of his legs was "worth millions."。

He will never forget that day, February 11, 2017。

"I was on a fast break, going up for a dunk, and I felt like a snap in my calf," said Moore, who later learned that his fibula and tibia had been broken。

"I just remember landing and I couldn't land on my feet, so I was lying on my side。It was a hard fall, but after a while, I realized that I couldn't move my legs, and in that moment, I completely panicked。”

Moore didn't break his bone at that moment - he actually suffered a stress fracture, or in other words, a fatigue fracture。Before this, he has had two stress fractures, but he never took it seriously, anyway, keep a few days naturally no pain, a slight sting is what？

Before the injury, he was a veritable "roll king" who had been playing for 16 months in a row - with endless dunks and non-stop flying。The doctor's evaluation of the injury is "finally broken", "at least this time no longer need to be brave, can have a good rest.。”

But what no one knew was that Moore was about to undergo one of the most terrifying rehab sessions in sports。

Surgery after surgery, the screw was inserted, removed, and inserted again。The knee was fitted with a plate, and a steel rod was inserted into the leg。There were three huge incisions in the entire leg, and Moore just looked at the ceiling, and he lay in bed for more than a year。

"It's really bad，Very bad，"Rod Barnes, head coach of NCAA Division II California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), said，"I'm really worried about his mental state，He kept yelling when he was on the phone with me，'I can't do another operation!I don't want to play basketball anymore '!"

By the time the fifth surgery was scheduled, Moore's last patience was running out。Before the injury, he scored 30 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in a single game, all going well, NCAA Division I school offer is in sight。

But now, he's bedridden for a year, and to make matters worse,Just before the surgery, his grandmother died of heart failure and his best friend was shot dead in an accident。

"I told the doctor, if it doesn't work this time, I'll never do it again!There won't be a sixth operation, I'm not coming back!"

In this operation, part of his hip bone will be implanted in his knee to speed up growth。In addition, a portion of the bone marrow was implanted in the knee to replace the "dead" tissue and heal it。

Fortunately, the fifth operation was a success。

He was ready to say goodbye to basketball, finish his degree, find a security job at an airport, or move bricks in a factory。

"I'll probably stay in my hometown, find a factory, and I'll be the best jumping Amazon employee in the world.。"Moore said。

In fact, just after the surgery, he was still resistant to basketball。It was the coach who brought him back to the gym, where he did strength training on a stationary chair and practiced shooting。

He missed nearly two full seasons and 634 days of rehabilitation。

"I wouldn't say that God intentionally made it difficult for me to go through such a big injury," Moore said, "but it was the injury that allowed me to come down from the sky and be quiet and think about what I could have done.。I love basketball, and basketball is not only about dunks。”

Yes, before this, the description of Taze - Moore, only his dunks, and excellent physical attributes。He is 1.96 meters tall, weighs 88 kilograms, has excellent dynamic talent, and is a near-perfect dunk machine。Moore's body is extremely loose, and he can jump from any position with ease, swinging a full windmill。

The death of his grandmother hit him hard, but in turn gave him endless motivation。"I always promised her that I was going to get my diploma," Moore said. "I was going to be a social worker, and I was going to be a contributor to the world。”

His grandmother, a special education teacher who spent her life patiently teaching special people, always told Moore, "What you have now is a precious treasure that those children will never get.。”

So, don't get depressed, get back on the basketball court!

Two seasons later, Moore returned to the court of the NCAA Division II league, he is not only more mature in mentality, the game content is no longer only counterattack dunk, but increased a variety of skills: active defense all over the court, play and desperately rebound, he took the initiative to share with people,"I play one, I play five, I play seven, I play fifteen。I'll do whatever you want me to do。That's my strength, and that's all I'm willing to do for basketball。”

Even more fortunately, after the injury healed, his athletic ability came back exactly。

He can still hover in the air, do those violent dunks that thrill the blood, and he will spare no effort on the court, jumping to a height that makes teammates gasp, make a dunk or block a shot。Only this time, he knew how to land safely, you know。

After a long silence, he revealed his feelings on social media, talking about his journey from injury to comeback:

"On February 11, 2017, I broke my leg and never thought I would be able to play basketball the way I did before。The trek to Los Angeles to see a doctor, the constant rehab, thinking I would never be the same again。I know I used to be the untouchable Taze, I fought with coaches, didn't go to training because I was jealous of teammates who could walk, run, jump, and I asked God every day, why me？The crazy thing is, I have to apologize to God for making me a better person and basketball player。”

"I write so much, want to tell some people, you don't feel sorry for yourself, lose the motivation and dedication to the things you love, after the pain and struggle, will determine what kind of person you will become.。”

After five years at CSUB, the 23-year-old transferred home to the University of Houston in the NCAA Division I, where he averaged 10 per game his last year.4分4.9篮板2.Nine assists, not flashy but handy, helped the University of Houston reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament。

He hired an agent to help him arrange private training camps for NBA teams to prepare for summer league。But he paid no attention to the draft。

"I didn't even watch the broadcast, mainly because I really didn't think I was strong enough to make the top 60," Moore said, "but that doesn't mean I won't be as successful as them.。”

He was invited to join the Nets' summer League team, and the results were not impressive。The agent originally wanted him to play in the Bundesliga, but after only one game, he came back。

Signed with the Mavericks, then assigned to the Legends of the D-League, and so he stayed with the Legends for two years, contributing countless top-ten games。

Until he was traded to the Trailblazers' Tear City Mixers, where he continued to move toward what he was most comfortable with, trying to play a glue role in addition to running fast break dunks。

"I look at other people's games in my spare time and I think the best fit for me is Bruce Brown, he's not tall either, but he can do a lot of things, his game is all-round and he can play in every position。Then there is Mikal Bridges, who is also a player that every team wants。”

Fortunately, his efforts were seen, the Blazers were short of major-general, and one by one, the front line was reimburse, so they found a mixing team, with a 10-day short contract, to realize Tazer - Moore's NBA dream。

From the NCAA second division league, to the first division league, from the NBA draft, to the development league, the 26-year-old Moore, finally set foot on the NBA arena。

He stole the Lakers' No. 17 pick, Hood Schifino, and scored his first career point with his trademark two-handed dunk。

Then in the 82nd regular season game, Moore got 30 minutes and finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal。

And then there's the clasp that memorized McGee。

"He came up to me after the game and said, 'You missed me, I turned my head and ducked, it's not a missed snap,'" Moore said. "I said, 'Okay, let's get another snap.'"。”

After a calm exchange of pleasantries, Moore could not hold back his inner joy。

"It gave me a lot of confidence, and I needed it to know that I could stand on the highest stage of basketball and that I could give the highest level of bounce。”

A healthy, technically evolved Moore gained more and more attention from teams, and after the NBA season, he was offered a contract by the Vancouver Thieves of Canada's elite basketball league。Moore still did not change his "roll king" true nature, continued to play in the offseason。

In 19 games in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, he averaged 17 per game.1分8.3篮板6.8助攻1.5 steals and 1 block, becoming league MVP+ Assist King。

Moore, who has played in the NBA, stands out here, and his ability belongs to another level completely, turning the game into his own show。

The Blazers are also keeping an eye on his performance, and they honored him by bringing Moore back to the team with a two-way contract。

"I was lucky to meet so many good people, especially the coaches。Because they just want me to be the best, "Moore said," not just be the best athlete, but be a good person.。They want me to succeed in life. They want me to be a great friend, husband, and family。”

"They tell me all the time, don't be anxious, be patient, believe in yourself。They made me understand that when the big things have survived, the small things can no longer stump me。”

The most important thing is

He gestured to his scarred right leg。

"That's a good leg!"

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