Taurean Prince checked in at the scorer’s table at Fiserv Forum on March 10 to applause from the home fans after missing nearly four full months of play due to a surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck.
He walked onto the court as the Milwaukee Bucks’ sixth man with 6 minutes, 32 seconds to go in the first quarter of their 129-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns, but the moment was a victory.
“The whole time coming back was definitely a grind,” he said. “I’m just glad for this day in general, just to have my family watch me play again. It’s something that was a possibility could never happen again if I chose not to get the surgery. But the moment I knew there was a chance that it could happen if I got the surgery and I just went for it.”
Though Prince said in December the injury and subsequent surgery was not career-threatening, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said in the early stages of Prince’s recovery it didn’t appear as if a return to basketball would be in the cards this season, as the 31-year-old forward had a brace on and couldn’t do much more than walk.
“And as his neck started healing, hope came,” Rivers said before the game.
It was a hope Prince clearly never lost, even if he had no control over how his body was healing.
“It felt great, honestly,” he said. “God is the greatest. It really was a challenge just to really hone in just day-to-day and focus on the get back. If I’m not mistaken I’m the first player ever to have this injury and get back the same season, so that was something that was in my mind from the very beginning. I’m just glad to be able to step foot on the court again.”
In his first game since Nov. 4, Prince logged just under 18 minutes off the bench. And that time, of course, meant he was going to have to take the physical pounding of an NBA game, like fending off the swinging arms of 7-foot, 1-inch, 250-pound Suns center Khaman Malauch for a rebound or defending other Phoenix forays into the paint.
After the game Prince said he wasn’t worried about taking any contact because he was confident in his rehab, but smiled and admitted he was a little upset none of his three, 3-point attempts went down. He did collect three rebounds.
“I’m happy, obviously it’s been a while,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said, looking over at Prince’s locker as he spoke. “I definitely know how hard it is to be in rehab protocol for awhile and see other guys playing and you gotta keep on taking care of your body.
“It’s tiring, it’s boring because you’re by yourself. He did it for a lot of months and I’m happy that he’s able to wear that jersey and play with us. We have 18 games left and hopefully he can have fun and help this team keep on winning games.”
Here is the timeline of events surrounding Prince’s injury and rehab process:
Nov. 3: Prince was knocked to the floor on an illegal screen by Indiana big man Tony Bradley. Prince remained in the game and played the next night in Toronto before being sidelined.
Prince wouldn’t say the screen caused the injury but “may have been what put it over the top, but I was feeling a little uneven before that.”
Nov. 10: Team announced Prince was out “indefinitely” after an MRI revealed a herniated disc in his neck.
Nov. 13: Team announced he underwent surgery in Los Angeles to repair the disc.
Dec. 11: In his first public comments following the surgery, Prince said the surgery was needed to continue his career and added, “I’m gonna play again, for sure.”
Jan. 23: Prince said he had been cleared for activity in January, which began with ball handling and some stationary shooting and progressed to some limited movement before shots. Then following a practice in Atlanta in mid-January, he was moving at a far quicker pace.
“Just to be able to, obviously, do what I love to do and just seeing any type of progression keeps me motivated,” he said.
February: Prince had said more check-ups were coming, and when the team practiced and shot around in Orlando from Feb. 7-11, he was running full speed in shooting drills and began to take contact from assistant coaches with foam pads. That continued after a practice in New Orleans on Feb. 19.
March 9: The team formally upgraded Prince to “questionable” to play vs. Phoenix. The next day before the game, Rivers said Prince would get on the court against the Suns.
“It’s cool. It’s cool,” the coach said. “Honestly, I didn’t think he would play this year. The fact that he’s worked the way he’s worked to get back on the floor is just all about him and who he is. It really is. It’s really a cool thing.”
Prince has stayed engaged with the team throughout the season and is frequently seen getting off the bench and cheering on his teammates throughout game play. His return to action is without question one of the better feel-good stories in a Bucks season that has fallen short of expectation.
“Outside of just making the comeback bro, he’s been so upbeat and positive all year,” Bucks center Myles Turner said. “That’s obviously an unfortunate situation, that’s a thing I think is rare, a guy going through such a tough spot to having just to be here every day supporting, coach guys up on the sideline. Obviously he’s one of the first ones here every single day. He’s been the epitome of what it means to be a professional. I’m happy for him.
“I think it’s just a blessing for him to get back out there on that floor.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks’ Taurean Prince returned to play after four months
Reporting by Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
