Best come back after a serious illness or injury

[Hunt for 7]

Gayle Sears came back and played on what was probably still a torn ACL.

 

[thekollieman]

Dominique Wilkins was the first NBA player to come all the way back from an Achilles injury, at age 32 in 1992. No one else did anything close for over 2 decades.

Wilkins should have been one of the 10 best players in NBA history, but he didn’t play defense or develop the killer instinct until he didn’t have the team around him for it to matter.

Even though it was in the twilight of his career, Kobe’s achilles comeback was still epic. Especially that it started with him nailing two free throws, standing on the just-torn achilles.

 

[Ewekon]

Willis Reed

 

[UCTitleTown]

Magic Johnson

 

[superjohn]

Magic Johnson

I remember sitting there crying when he made his announcement because at the time it was a death sentence. I expected we would all see him waste away to skin and bones. Instead he gained weight and muscle and 34 years later he looks awesome, he's wildly successful off the court, and the smile has never left his face.

 

[IndyLives]

Tom Brady. Blew out his knee mid career. Came back to have an even better 2nd half of his career to make him the GOAT.

 

[Kowalski]

Willie Pep. From Hartford, and widely considered one of boxing’s all time greatest pound for pound fighters.

Survives a near fatal plane crash in the middle of his career, in a leg & body cast for months. Returns from it & continues to dominate the featherweight class & win dozens of times after the crash before finishing his career with an amazing 240+ wins.

 

[Scottzer]

Lazarus?

While clearly miraculous, his comeback was mired by rumors of a performance enhancing deity.

 

[Scottzer]

Connecticut’s Doug Henry coming back after a severely broken back to win the 1998 AMA motocross championship.

Connecticut’s Doug Henry coming back after a severely broken back to win the 1998 AMA motocross championship.

Connecticut’s Doug Henry coming back after a severely broken back to win the 1998 AMA motocross championship.

My friend had taped this race way back when, and there was another angle from the side. That angle truly framed this monster -you could t even see him, and you saw tree tops. (I tried to ding it a couple years ago, but I was searching Nohn Dowd and Southwick - thanks for posting!)

 

[Ewekon]

While clearly miraculous, his comeback was mired by rumors of a performance enhancing deity.

Good lord. What in heaven's name has become of this board? Looking grave, indeed.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Going to go with Niki Lauda. Maybe because the movie is fairly fresh. Astonishing comeback.

I didn't know, but evidently Ben Hogan was in a huge car accident and was utterly broken physically. They didn't think he'd walk again. He won 3 majors after in a single season after the accident.

 

[SCNCHuskie]

My friend had taped this race way back when, and there was another angle from the side. That angle truly framed this monster -you could t even see him, and you saw tree tops. (I tried to ding it a couple years ago, but I was searching Nohn Dowd and Southwick - thanks for posting!)

Before the race, some of the riders were talking about speaker wires that went across the track and how someone might hit them. The consensus was that if anyone hit those speaker wires, they wouldn’t survive. My brother visited Doug in the hospital and he said, “Remember those speaker wires we were talking about, well, I was looking down at them!”

PS: Henry and Dowd had so many classic battles.

 

[TheShot1990]

Jim “The Rookie” Morris

 

[Kolumbo]

Evil Knievel - dude reportedly had 433 broken bones. Whatever the number, he kept on keeping on. The bikers today do incredible things in the air but Mr. Knievel was a pioneer with no fear. And crazy. One of the best toy products to boot.

 

[Kolumbo]

Tiger Woods with combination comeback from knee and divorce/scandal!

I know Tiger had a lot of ups and downs but he came out the gates on fire. I know he is one of the best golfers of all time but people expected him to be even more successful than he was, no disrespect at all. I don't think he ever came back fully after his back surgeries.

 

[Stinger92860]

Dave Dravecky who is still alive or Bo Jackson

 

[Yardigan]

But was he influential??

His story seems to have stood the test of time...

 

[Chin Diesel]

Going to go with Niki Lauda. Maybe because the movie is fairly fresh. Astonishing comeback.

I didn't know, but evidently Ben Hogan was in a huge car accident and was utterly broken physically. They didn't think he'd walk again. He won 3 majors after in a single season after the accident.