Shaun Livingston

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Livingston was born in Peoria, Illinois. He led Concordia Lutheran Grade School to LSA state titles in 1999 and 2000. He played high school basketball at Richwoods High School for two years and then transferred to Peoria Central High School, where he led his team to back-to-back Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, he was named Illinois Mr. Basketball and played in the McDonald's All-American Game. In 2007, he was voted one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Livingston was listed as the No. 1 point guard and the No. 2 player in the nation in 2004. He committed to play college hoops at Duke, but opted instead to make the jump to the NBA straight out of high school. In February 2007, Livingston suffered a debilitating knee injury that damaged almost every part of his left knee. It took Livingston about a year and a half to return. Between 2008 and 2010, he played only 22 league games. Livingston also played for the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Brooklyn Nets. He played his last five seasons in the league with the Warriors and retired from professional basketball in September 2019.

In Their Own Story

Livingston joined the Golden State Warriors on July 11, 2014, signing a three-year, $16 million contract. Despite arthroscopic surgery on his right big toe in August that ruled him out for six to eight weeks, he recovered in time for the season opener. He became a key player off the bench during their run to the 2015 NBA Championship. In Game 4 of the 2016 Western Conference semi-finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Livingston was ejected late in the second quarter after moving into the starting lineup to accommodate an injured Stephen Curry. Later that year in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he scored a playoff career-high 20 points in a 104–89 victory. Although the Warriors lost that series in seven games, Livingston helped them win back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. His final NBA game came on June 13, 2019, in Game 6 of the Finals against the Toronto Raptors, where he recorded six points and a steal in 16 minutes before announcing his retirement on September 13, 2019.

Reader's Guide

Livingston was selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2004 NBA draft. He played for the Clippers from 2004 to 2008. After his knee injury in February 2007, he returned to play for the Miami Heat (2008–2009), the Tulsa 66ers (2009), the Oklahoma City Thunder (2009), the Washington Wizards (2010), the Charlotte Bobcats (2010–2011), the Milwaukee Bucks (2011–2012), the Washington Wizards again (2012), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2012–2013), the Brooklyn Nets (2013–2014), and the Golden State Warriors (2014–2019). He won three NBA championships with the Warriors in 2015, 2017, and 2018. He retired in September 2019.

Did You Know?

• Livingston was told by a medical professional at the hospital that there was a chance his leg would have to be amputated after his February 2007 knee injury.
• Livingston scored a playoff career-high 20 points in Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.