20 NBA Hall-of-Fame careers that were cut short by injury

NBA Hall-of-Fame career cut short: Andrew Toney

The 1980s were dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, with the two teams combining to win eight titles in an 11-year span. The Celtics’ foil late in the decade was the Bad Boys Pistons, but early on they had to contend with the Philadelphia 76ers. Led by Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Moses Malone, Bobby Jones and Mo Cheeks, the Sixers went to three NBA Finals (winning one) and two more Eastern Conference Finals, playing the Celtics four different times.

The member of that 76ers team that is less heralded than his star-studded teammates is Andrew Toney, who joined the team in 1980 as he was drafted eighth overall out of Louisiana. The 6’3″ shooting guard had to pick his spots given his high-usage teammates, but he could go off for 30 points on any given night and went to two All-Star games in 1983 and 1984.

1984-85 is the year the 76ers began the downturn of their time as a contender in the East, and it was that year that Toney played through foot pain at the encouragement of the Sixers’ management. That led to chronic and debilitating foot injuries, and he would play only 87 games over the next three seasons before retiring at the age of 30.

Toney’s star was bright, and he seemed to know just how to step up in the biggest games. The Celtics from those 1980s teams called Andrew Toney the most dangerous player they faced, and Charles Barkley called Toney the “best player he ever played with.” If he had stayed healthy, Toney is the kind of player who could have been in the Hall of Fame.