According to Artest, he fell down a flight of stairs at his Beverly Hills home, hours after the Lakers Christmas Day loss to Cleveland. He said he was unconscious for two to three minutes before his wife found him lying on the ground.
Taken to the UCLA Medical Center emergency room, Artest said he suffered short-term memory loss and was dizzy for several days.
Artest’s accident is the latest example how well conditioned athletes find bizarre ways to be sidelined away from the stadium or arena.
But Artest’s story pales compared to legendary injuries suffered by professional athletes.
A list of the top 30 strangest "off-the-field” pro sports injuries is full of freak stories.
Not eligible for the list are in-game injuries or motorcycle or skiing accidents.
A few "high profile” in-game injuries also weren’t eligible for the list, though they should have been.
→Cardinals kicker Bill Gramatica would have been a candidate for the top spot. Gramatica punctuated a 42-yard field goal nine years ago by jumping for joy. He landed awkwardly, resulting in a season-ending knee injury.
→Former TU and NFL quarterback Gus Frerotte also suffered a self-inflicted injury. Frerotte celebrated a touchdown by head-butting a padded wall, knocking himself woozy.
→Clarence Blethen, a 30-year-old rookie with the Red Sox in 1923, removed his false teeth when he pitched. He forgot to putt them back in when he batted, leaving them in his back pocket. While sliding into second base to break up a double play, Climax bit himself in the rear end.
→One of the more gruesome "freak” in-game injuries was Swiss soccer player Paulo Diogo tore off part of his finger when his wedding ring got caught in a fence he scaled in celebration. Ironically, Diogo received a yellow card for excessive celebration.
→Point guard Muggsy Bogues once missed the second half of a game when he became disoriented after he accidentally inhaled ointment during halftime treatment of a sore muscle.
Artest is one of only three NBA players on the Top 30 "strange off-the-field” injury list, which is dominated by Major League Baseball players.
Most of the top 30 you’ve heard before. A few you probably haven’t heard about.
You might disagree with the order they’re ranked with a countdown from No. 30 to No. 1. But similar to Artest’s recent mishap, each one certainly is unique.
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