Shaun Livingston Praise Continues

Since he announced his retirement, to his surprise, almost-Blue Devil Shaun Livingston (he committed to Duke then decided to enter the NBA draft instead, which at that point was still taking high school players) has gotten a lot of praise from many, including the Chicago Sun-Times.

It’s richly deserved but came as a bit of surprise to Livingston who told the paper that “[f]or people to say the things they have, it was a humbling moment for me. It really was humbling and caught me off guard. To see all this come back like it has, it let me know that I made an impact in the right way, and it’s something I can be proud of.

“But I had some great people along the way who shaped and molded me into the player I became and taught me to play the right way, prioritize the right things. There were some great veterans who I learned so much from and who helped make me the best I could be as a player.”

There are some really good things in this article, stuff that we never knew about Livingston, so we recommend everyone read it. He’s being praised partly for the sheer tenacity of his comeback after an injury that nearly cost him a leg and partly for his character. From our point of view it’s a shame he didn’t come to Duke because he might have led the team to a national championship, but that’s long ago and far away now.

What’s current is the respect he’s getting from all quarters. It’s richly deserved.