Before the start of last season, Bucks big man Brook Lopez couldn’t shake a weakness in his left leg. In the preseason, he hoped it was only a sign he still needed to play his way back into shape. As opening night approached—the night the team would receive its championship rings for winning the 2021 Finals—Lopez was determined to play, even as his leg didn’t feel quite right. But the weakness persisted, as issues in his back were trickling down to his leg. And so Lopez began to miss games, hoping to regain his strength through rehab and rest. He even took two injections in his back to see if they could resolve the issue, yet he still couldn’t get on the floor.
Then in early December 2021, Lopez saw a specialist in Los Angeles, who said Lopez could either wait for the bulging disk in his back to reabsorb, or undergo surgery. At 33 years old and standing over seven feet, a back surgery was no minor procedure for Lopez. But he put his faith in the doctors, who said at the latest he should be ready in time for the playoffs.
“I never really thought about, ‘What if this is it?’ ” Lopez says. “I missed being out on the court. I didn’t watch any basketball. I was trying to focus solely on the rehab, reading a ton. I really missed being out there with my guys.”
