Ford’s promising NBA career ends unfulfilled

San Antonio Spurs point guard T.J. Ford abruptly retired Monday following the latest scare to his surgically repaired spine, which once sidelined him for an entire NBA season and hampered the dazzling promise that made him a college star. Ford told reporters that lying motionless March 7 on the court against the New York Knicks wasn’t the first time it had happened. He was playing just his 14th game in an injury-prone season when Knicks guard Baron Davis elbowed him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Ford didn’t move for several minutes and wobbled while being helped off the court. “If it’s anybody else, it’s just a regular play,” Ford said at a Spurs practice before Monday’s game against Washington. “But because of me and my condition, a simple elbow in the back has a different outcome than hitting someone else in the back.” – Associated Press