Luol Deng, a former star for the Chicago Bulls, was as reliable and steady as they came.
He participated in 637 games for the Bulls throughout the course of his ten seasons with the organisation
playing over 36 minutes each time. Additionally, he played in 48 NBA postseason games, seeing action for an average of 40 minutes per game.
However, the Duke product missed the Bulls' last seven games of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.
What started off as a headache quickly got far more serious: Deng underwent a spinal tap to confirm the diagnosis of viral meningitis.
Sadly, Deng was given the incorrect diagnosis and never experienced viral meningitis.
Deng was most sad that he was unable to support his team during the most vital stretch of the season.
The Sudanese forward, who is 6 feet 9 inches tall, first reported flu-like symptoms
and was taken to the hospital where he had a spinal tap to rule out the sickness.
"We should have handled the matter better, in my opinion. Of course there are certain things you are unable to handle.
Getting sick, being transported to the ER, or visiting the hospital are things you can't really manage.
It everything went wrong when I had the spinal tap, "said Deng. My body didn't respond well to the spinal tap
I had some major adverse effects that not only prevented me from playing basketball but also seriously endangered my life.