“The end of the season was disappointing,” Deng told NBA.com. “I worked hard all season, played in the All-Star (Game), and wanted to take the team as far as possible in the playoffs. But then, when I got sick, I think that we could have handled the situation better.
“Obviously there are some things that you can’t handle. You can’t really handle getting sick, being taken to the ER or going to the hospital. I got the spinal tap and that’s where it went all wrong. My body didn’t react well to the spinal tap. I had some serious side effects that not only didn’t allow me to play basketball, but really put my life in danger.”
It turned out Deng didn’t have meningitis, but by then his body had begun to leak spinal fluid, leaving him feeling so drained and exhausted he could barely move around. With his body given the time needed to replenish, Deng and the Bulls both say he is now doing fine.
“It’s something that I wouldn’t want anyone to go through,” said Deng. “When I went through it, I think that basketball became second. My family was very worried. I never want to experience something like that again.”
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
