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Ford Vows He'll Be Back This Season
Officially, the Raptors call the latest injury an arm stinger, but it is related to Ford's neck and spinal column, and that makes it frightening for his fans and friends, including those who recall his college career at the University of Texas. Ford has suffered several spinal injuries because he suffers from a congenital condition called spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column. Surgery fused two vertebrae in the summer of 2004, when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks and he missed the entire 2004-05 season. "Any time you go out on a stretcher is definitely a scary moment for everybody in the building," Ford said of his most recent stretcher ride. "And then they're showing it additionally on TV all around the world, and people were definitely worried. I just appreciate all the people that supported me and were praying for me." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Raptors Send Spurs To Second Home Loss Of Season
"They're a good basketball team. They're the defending world champs. And we beat them on this floor," Raptor Coach Sam Mitchell said. Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets T.J. Ford Weighing Risks Involved In ReturningThe last time T.J. Ford was on a basketball court he left it on a stretcher, the memories of past injuries washing over him, concerns about his future as a man and a father clouding his mind. "I don't think anybody can give me advice because nobody is actually going through what I'm going through," Ford said here yesterday. "Nobody's experienced it as many times as I've experienced it. People just there for me, giving me support, they can't tell you to either or because they don't know." "It's a tough situation, but I think I will definitely bounce back." The "it" is the lingering threat to his long-term health every time he takes a jolt to his spinal cord. He has the degenerative condition known as spinal stenosis which is a narrowing of the spinal column around the spinal cord. He is more susceptible to the sort of "stinger" pain that radiates throughout his body after a jolt to his back. That's exactly what he felt after a collision with Josh Howard in Dallas in November and exactly what he worried about after Atlanta's Al Horford knocked him to the court earlier this month. "Yeah, it scared me," he said. "I always said I never wanted that to happen again. I didn't care whatever else happened but never that. I put a lot of pride in not having to do that again." "To put a scare in my family in general. We play so many games, and they're not there. Imagine your mom or your dad seeing that on TV. It's tough, you know." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Raptors Dec 2007 Archive
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Raptor guard T.J. Ford smiled throughout a brief interview session Friday morning and promised he would be back on the court this season.
Toronto snapped a three-game losing streak and handed the Spurs just their second home loss of the season when the Raptors won in Texas 83-73 Friday night.