Former NBA player Shawn Bradley disclosed Wednesday that he was paralyzed two months ago when he was struck from behind by a vehicle while riding a bike near his Utah home.

The statement issued through the Dallas Mavericks on behalf of the 48-year-old Bradley was the first public acknowledgement of the incident involving the second overall pick in the 1993 draft by Philadelphia.

The 7-foot-6 Bradley was riding his bike about a block from his home in St. George, Utah, on Jan. 20, when he was struck, causing a traumatic spinal cord injury, the statement said. Bradley has been hospitalized since the accident, undergoing neck fusion surgery and rehabilitation.

“With his wife Carrie at his side around the clock, and supported by an amazing team of rehabilitation specialists and family, Bradley is in good spirits,” the statement said. “He plans to use his accident as a platform to bring greater public awareness to the importance of bicycle safety.”

Bradley, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, played one season at BYU in 1990-91 before doing two years of missionary work in Australia. Bradley was drafted after he returned.

“His very strong sense of faith is being tested as he participates in grueling physical therapy and learns how to cope with the challenges of paraplegia,” the statement said. “Doctors have advised him that his road to recovery will be both long and arduous, perhaps an even more difficult physical challenge than playing professional basketball.”

Bradley spent the last eight-plus seasons of his 12-year career with the Mavericks, who acquired him as part of a nine-player trade with the New Jersey Nets in 1997. Two years earlier, the 76ers had traded Bradley to the Nets.

Bradley averaged at least three blocks per game in each of his first six seasons, including an NBA-best 3.4 the season he was traded to Dallas. Bradley’s career averages were 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

“Shawn has always been incredibly determined and shown a fighting spirit,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. “We wish him nothing but the best in his recovery. He will always be a part of our Mavs family.”

Bradley averaged 5.2 blocks as a freshman at BYU while scoring 14.8 points per game. The Cougars lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

TRADE: The Miami Heat have turned Meyers Leonard’s contract into an opportunity to see if Trevor Ariza can help them for the rest of this season.

And for their trouble, the Oklahoma City Thunder got yet another draft pick.

Leonard – who had likely played his final game for the Heat, even before drawing widespread criticism for using an anti-Semitic term while livestreaming a video game last week – was traded to the Thunder in exchange for Ariza and a second-round pick in the 2027 draft.

The Thunder have no plans to keep Leonard, and may either trade him in the coming days or simply elect to not pick up his $10.2 million option for next season. He “will not be an active member of the organization,” the team said.

Ariza has not played an NBA game since March 10, 2020, but the Heat clearly felt he was worth the low-risk gamble.

Leonard needed to sign off on the trade because of his contract status and did so quickly, according to a person who was familiar with the negotiations leading up to the swap being finalized. He had been away from the Heat for more than a week after a video surfaced of him using the slur.

He apologized for the incident, which was roundly criticized by the Heat, Jewish groups, other athletes and celebrities. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver fined Leonard $50,000 and barred him from being around the Heat for one week. The team had previously said Leonard would be away from the team indefinitely.

Leonard’s mandate from the league to participate in a cultural diversity program will remain in place. He has already met with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish organization that works to stop extremism and delivers anti-bias education.

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

KINGS 121, WIZARDS 119: De’Aaron Fox scored 28 points and hit a jumper over Bradley Beal with 0.7 seconds remaining to give Sacramento a win at Washington.

Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes each added 18 points for Sacramento, which got its first win in the third of a six-game East Coast trip. The Kings have gone 4-4 since a nine-game slide that spanned most of February.

Russell Westbrook had 26 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists – his 11th triple-double of the season – for the Wizards, who have lost five straight since the All-Star break, the last four of those at home.

NETS 124, PACERS 115: James Harden had 40 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season, leading visiting Brooklyn.

The Nets were without fellow All-Stars Kyrie Irving (groin) and Kevin Durant (hamstring) and newcomer Blake Griffin (knee).

Harden was 13 of 27 from the field and 12 of 14 at the line. When he wasn’t shooting, he set up open teammates driving to the basket, often for dunks and layups.

PISTONS 116, RAPTORS 112: Saddiq Bey had 28 points and 12 rebounds, and host Detroit overcame Norman Powell’s 43 points to end a four-game losing streak.

Bey, who leads all rookies in 3-pointers, was 6 of 10 from behind the arc for Detroit, which had lost 10 of 12. Delon Wright added 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Jerami Grant had 23 points.

Chris Boucher added 21 points for the Raptors, who have lost six straight.

BUCKS 109, 76ERS 105: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 10 of his 32 points in overtime to lead visiting Milwaukee in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.

With P.J. Tucker reportedly headed to Milwaukee in a trade with Houston, Donte DiVincenzo scored 20 points and Jrue Holiday added 19 for the Bucks, who have won five in a row and 10 of 11.

Tucker did not play Wednesday for the Rockets, and neither did Milwaukee’s D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson, who according to ESPN are heading to Houston in the trade.

Tobias Harris scored 19 points and Danny Green added 18 for Philadelphia, which had its six-game winning streak snapped. Philadelphia All-Star Joel Embiid sat for the third straight game with a bruised left knee. Ben Simmons had 13 points and 12 assists and hit a late 3-pointer.
The Bucks (26-14) pulled within 1 1/2 games of the East-leading 76ers (28-13).

WARRIORS 108, ROCKETS 94: Draymond Green had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists and visiting Golden State handed Houston its franchise-record 18th straight loss.

It was the third triple-double this season for Green and the 27th of his career.

Reserve Jordan Poole scored 23 points and made a career-high six 3-pointers to help the Warriors bounce back from a blowout loss to the Lakers on Monday. Golden State breezed past the struggling Rockets to snap a season-high four-game road losing streak.

Houston’s skid surpasses the 17 straight losses by the San Diego Rockets in 1968, when they went 15-67 in their first year as a franchise. It’s the first time the Rockets have lost nine consecutive home games since they dropped 11 straight in 1983.

SPURS 106, BULLS 99: Jakob Poeltl tied a career high with 20 points and set one with 16 rebounds, and San Antonio used a huge fourth quarter to win at Chicago.

The Spurs trailed by 23 in the second quarter and were down 58-40 after their lowest-scoring first half of the season. But they dominated Chicago 39-19 in the fourth to come away with their second straight win after losing 3 of 4.

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 29 points after scoring 40 the previous night in a win over Oklahoma City.

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