Former NBA player DeMarre Carroll recounts heroic story behind taking a bullet for a teammate

Former NBA player DeMarre Carroll recounted a heroic 2007 incident when he was shot while trying to protect a teammate.

The 11-year NBA veteran spoke about it on Milwaukee Bucks star Thanasis Antetokounmpo's Thanalysis Show on Thursday. He recounted an incident where his career nearly ended after he saved a teammate from a gunshot.

Carroll did not mention the team or the teammate involved. However, in 2007, the then-University of Missouri star was shot in the ankle.

The former first-round pick (2009) discussed the shooting incident, saying:

"One night we had a party. My teammates and a couple other guys, you know, got into it. I tried to jump into the way and get one of my teammates and say, 'Come on, let's go, everybody let's go.' We need to get out of here. Somebody, you know that, he was into it with, pulled out a gun. He attempted to try to shoot his [teammate] leg and end his basketball career.

"So me grabbing him and trying to get him pushed back, I ended up getting shot. I was being a good teammate. I took one step. I fell straight to the ground. They rushed me to the hospital. I'm just in my head, like my career was over with. The bullet missed by Achilles by a hair. He [doctor] was like, you're the luckiest person on this planet at this moment."

Check out what he had to say below:

Lucky for DeMarre Carroll, his career was not abruptly cut by the shooting incident and he established a solid journeyman career in the NBA, with stops in Memphis, Houston, Denver, Utah, Atlanta, Toronto, Brooklyn and San Antonio.

He posted career averages of 8.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 578 games. With Brooklyn, he had his best numbers of 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds. However, in Atlanta, he experienced great team success, reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2015.

DeMarre Carroll continues NBA journey as an assistant coach

Demarre Carroll last played in the NBA in 2020 with the Houston Rockets. However, he continues to be part of the NBA as assistant coach since the 2022-23 season.

The Milwaukee Bucks were the first to give him a shot as assistant. He worked under his former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer.

He stayed in Milwaukee for one season and was hired by the LA Lakers to help then-coach Darvin Ham. He was part of the team that won the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.

For the upcoming NBA season, DeMarre Carroll was hired as an assistant coach by the Cleveland Cavaliers under new head coach Kenny Atkinson.