Rodney Rogers, who starred in college and played in the NBA for 12 seasons, is paralyzed from the shoulders down as a result of an all-terrain vehicle accident, the News & Observer of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, reported Thursday.
Dave Odom, who coached Rogers for four years at Wake Forest University, told the newspaper that his former All-America forward is paralyzed from the shoulders down, dpa reported.
"Say a prayer for Rodney and his family," Odom told the newspaper.
According to the report, the 37-year-old Rogers, who was working in his hometown for the city public works department as a heavy machine operator, was riding in the woods last week in rural Vance County, just north of Raleigh, when he fell off his vehicle.
Rogers was since transferred from Duke University Hospital to Atlanta's Shepherd Centre, which specializes in rehabilitating victims of catastrophic injuries.
Chosen by Denver in the first round of the 1993 NBA draft, the rugged, 6-foot-8 Rogers averaged 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 866 career games with the Nuggets, LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers, before retiring at the end of the 2004-05 season.