It’s rare a NBA player receives so much adulation upon announcing his retirement after putting together ho-hum career averages of 6.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and three assists a game over a 15-year career. But that’s what Shaun Livingston, the former Illinois prep superstar, has received following the announcement of his retirement last Friday.

It seems every media outlet across the country has applauded the career of Livingston, whose impact on the league and the basketball community as a whole clearly superseded his numbers. From columnists and beat writers for websites and newspapers to current and past players and coaches, resounding praise was thrown Livingston’s way.

They did so because Livingston’s greatest accomplishments were in the game’s subtleties, helping teams win any way he could in a society and culture that focuses on the me and individual attention.

In fact, in an odd way you could make an argument Livingston had a more respected career than any of the other high school players taken in that 2004 NBA Draft.

Some put up bigger numbers. Some made a lot more money. But do you think the collection of Dwight Howard, Robert Swift, Sebastian Telfair, Josh Smith, JR Smith or Al Jefferson –– all preps-to-pros first-round draft picks in 2004 –– are more respected than Livingston?

For a player who didn’t get the recognition while he played, it sure came in waves following the announcement of his retirement. And Livingston took notice and admitted in no way did he see it coming.

“For people to say the things they have, it was a humbling moment for me,” says Livingston. “It really was humbling and caught me off guard. To see all this come back like it has, it let me know that I made an impact in the right way, and it’s something I can be proud of.

“For people to say the things they have, it was a humbling moment for me,” says Livingston. “It really was humbling and caught me off guard. To see all this come back like it has, it let me know that I made an impact in the right way, and it’s something I can be proud of.

“But I had some great people along the way who shaped and molded me into the player I became and taught me to play the right way, prioritize the right things. There were some great veterans who I learned so much from and who helped make me the best I could be as a player.”

The admiration started, sadly, due to a grotesque and devastating injury he suffered in February 2007.

In the immediate days following Livingston’s injury, it was replayed over and over on TV with every sports desk anchor warning viewers of what they were about to see. His left leg buckled, crumpled and snapped like a twig with his kneecap pushed to the side. It remains today one of the most horrific and gruesome sports injuries in history.

At the time, there was no talk about how long it would be before he played again; instead, the severity of the injury led to discussions of potentially amputating his leg.

After roughly 20 months and learning to walk again, Livingston emerged from the injury as a true success story, one that is obviously appreciated by so many as a result of the fanfare following his Friday announcement. Superlatives have been tossed around regarding, yes, his comeback, but also the teammate he was, the winner he became and the respect he earned from so many.

That also includes all Livingston has meant to Peoria, where he was born and raised.

Peoria native Jerrance Howard, who played at Illinois and is currently an assistant coach at Kansas, has seen the impact he’s had on their hometown. Howard says Livingston has motivated himself and others to give back.

“He has given the kids in Peoria, especially those in the inner-city, so much hope,” says Howard. “Everything he’s done over the years, a lot of which people don’t even know about because Shaun is so humble, has been difference-making for those kids. He has camps for kids every year. He brought back that NBA world championship trophy for those kids to see and touch. And every single thing he does is always for free.”

A few years ago he donated $1 million to Concordia Lutheran, the grade school he attended in Peoria. He refused to have the gym named after him, instead choosing to have it named after his grade school coach.

“He’s never forgotten Peoria and where he came from,” says Livingston’s high school coach, the legendary Chuck Buescher. “I’m so proud of him.”

Livingston always intended to give back to Peoria, a city he says was ingrained in him as he set out into his adult life and NBA career.

“Peoria has been near and dear in my heart,” says Livingston, who still has the Peoria area phone number with the 309 area code. “It’s been with me wherever I’ve been. I always have wanted to give back and touch the city in some way.”

Livingston was a star-studded prodigy who hit rock bottom athletically, yet persevered, bounced back, reinvented his game and carved out a lengthy career that was still recognized and appreciated across the sport.

Sadly, no one will ever know the impact he may have had on the game if not for the career-changing injury.

“The year he got hurt, I think he was on his way to signing a four or five-year deal for $40 or $50 million, which at that time was quite a contract,” says Buescher.

Buescher thinks back to conversations he had with Livingston’s trainer, Tim Grover, during the first couple years of his career, before the injury. Grover, best known for training Michael Jordan and other NBA stars like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, worked with Livingston those first couple of summers.

Buescher remembers asking Grover how good he thought Livingston could be while making one of his trips to watch Livingston train in Chicago.

“I remember Grover telling me he thought Shaun would be a NBA all-star and Olympian,” says Buescher.

The injury, however, curtailed any hope of achieving that high-level success.

“Sure, there were always questions that lingered, the ‘What ifs?’” admits Livingston. “You wondered what might have been if not for the injury? What would my career have looked like and turned out to be? But I had to put my head down and put it behind me. And that’s what I did.”

But Livingston is a true and rare novelty to me for another reason. There isn’t a player who I can think of who played out a long, successful 15-year NBA career where the greatest and most complete glimpse into his talent was during his high school playing days.

There were no high-level, eye-opening college performances because he went straight to the NBA out of Peoria, where he was the No. 4 pick in 2004.

Then he took the expected early lumps all high school picks endure in his first few NBA seasons as a developmental piece.

Then the ugly, career-altering injury occurred in year three, a season in which he had his best overall individual numbers. That led to a long, grueling rehab and recovery.

Then he bounced around the league playing for seven teams in six years, never averaging double figures and being a regular starter (54 games) for just one season in Brooklyn.

Then while winning NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors he was a role player off the bench who became known for turnaround jumpers in the post.

Sure, he had his individual moments during his career. But he was never “the guy” ever again after leading Peoria Central to back-to-back state championships in 2003 and 2004.

The comeback stories are all so worth reading. But sadly so few actually saw the greatness as a player. Remember, Livingston was the No. 4 pick –– out of high school –– for a reason. Today, he remains one of the most fascinating players to ever play in Illinois.

Livingston didn’t put up gaudy numbers. He didn’t wow with explosive athleticism. And he never was or ever became the guard who hoisted three-pointers when it was so en vogue to do so. He made a total of just 43 three-pointers in his two state championship seasons and, remarkably, made 13 three-pointers in his NBA career.

Yet Livingston’s game was never really seen in this state before and has never been re-created since he left.

Livingston was the quintessential point guard at 6-7 with the purest basketball feel, unselfishness and intuition. He had innate vision and breathtaking passing ability.

“Since I first started watching him in fifth-grade he was phenomenal for his age, but how many kids, at any age, would rather pass than shoot?” Buescher points out. “He was always trying to create for others. That’s special, especially in a point guard.”

Livingston also had an uber-presence on the floor with how smooth and effortless he played the game. He was the rare player who made a dominating impact on the game without monster numbers.

“The nights he did score 25 or more points were the games we really needed him to,” added Buescher.

As a result, he was tantalizing as a prospect, which is why he was the No. 2 ranked prospect in the country (behind only Dwight Howard) in the Class of 2004. And he was a winner, compiling a 62-3 record during his two state title seasons.

As the buzz began to grow, both with what college he would choose (Illinois or Duke?) and, ultimately, whether he would skip college altogether, he added to his legend in March of his senior year. He went for 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in a state semifinal win over Carbondale and followed it up with 27 points and nine rebounds in a state championship win over Homewood-Flossmoor and Julian Wright.

Livingston was truly a transcendent talent in a state filled with high school basketball legends.

But even through a 15-year NBA career, I’m not sure the Peoria high school version of Shaun Livingston that this whole state was able to enjoy was ever seen again.