Andre Roberson advised Mathias Lessort to take his recovery from the fibula fracture one day at a time and lean on his family support: "The road gets lonely at times, and it's a test of true character."
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne wing Andre Roberson is a true inspiration for athletes battling tough times. His journey between 2018 and 2020 was a testament to grit and grind as he endured over two and a half years away from NBA basketball.
Then-Okalahoma City Thunder forward ruptured his patellar tendon in his left knee in January 2018, going up for a lob on a backdoor cut. Initially expected to return by November 2018, things didn't go as planned.
He faced several setbacks, underwent additional surgery, and finally made his comeback during the 2020 NBA Bubble.
Roberson had been a defensive cornerstone for the Thunder with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, starting regularly for four seasons and earning a spot on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2017. By 2018, his stellar defensive play had him in conversations for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
But the long rehab process tested his love for the game, even making him consider hanging up his sneakers.
"Yeah, I definitely considered it [retirement] at times," Roberson admitted to BasketNews after ASVEL's EuroLeague Round 17 win in Kaunas. "Get to a place where I was fully healthy: did I want to go out and risk it? That's kind of why I sat out a little bit, sat there, and enjoyed life once I was fully healthy.
It's no surprise he had words of advice for EuroLeague star center Mathias Lessort, who suffered a gruesome injury on Thursday night against Baskonia. The shocking incident at OAKA Arena left the crowd stunned, with nine fans even fainting.
"Oh man, you just gotta
