On Isaiah Austin, paragon of positivity

On a night that promised to shape the NBA's future for years to come, it was someone who won't be a part of that future who made the biggest impact.

Between the 15th and 16th selections in the 2014 NBA Draft, NBA commissioner Adam Silver stepped to the podium and announced that the league selected Baylor center Isaiah Austin with an honorary pick in the draft.

An emotional Austin joined Silver on stage, giving the commissioner a big hug through tears. It was an incredibly touching moment in an otherwise by-the-books night of excitement and exhausting analysis. Every year on draft night, 60 players have their lives changed, and for many of them it's a powerful experience. Friends hug, players beam, and parents cry. But somehow, on Thursday, this seemed far more human than any other selection.

It was only a week ago that Austin expected to hear his name called on draft night as an actual selection, not an honorary one.

A 7-foot center with a 7-foot-4.5 wingspan and 9-foot-4.5 standing reach, Austin had the potential to develop into a useful rim protector at the NBA level. Despite modest averages of 11.2 points and 5.5 rebounds on 44.9 percent shooting, Austin averaged 3.1 blocks a game as a sophomore. His stock was high enough that he declared for the draft, where he was penciled in as a bubble first-round pick and a near certainty to at least be selected in the second round.

On Sunday, however, Austin announced through the Baylor website that his NBA dream had come to an end. A pre-draft medical screening revealed that Austin suffers from Marfan syndrome, caused by a genetic mutation that leads to problems in the body's connective tissues. He was found to have an enlarged heart and enlarged arteries, and continuing to play basketball risked rupturing his heart.

It was terrible, saddening news only a few days ahead of the draft. Of course, Austin wasn't supposed to even get to that point.

That's because Austin is completely blind in his right eye.

In 2005, Austin, then in fifth grade, took a pick-off throw to first base in the eye in a Little League game, which loosened his retina. The condition of his eye worsened until February 2008, when the force of a dunk in a layup line detached his retina completely. Austin would have five surgeries between then and June, which restored sight in his eye after days of what he described as the feeling of having "needles in your eye."

Then, in September 2009, scar tissue threatened to pull his retina off again. Austin opted to accept losing vision in the eye rather than going through the incredibly painful surgical process again. He became officially blind in his right eye In his junior year of high school. 

Austin adjusted, learning to lean on shadows and other cues to once again become an effective help defender, rebounder, and interior scorer. That showed an incredible amount of fight and resolve, and his journey from middle school first baseman to NBA prospect could serve as an excellent lesson for others.

The fact that his dream, once thought to be impossible, was ripped from him at the brink is obscenely cruel.

You could forgive Austin for being angry, for being sad, and for being resentful. You could forgive him for disappearing from the public consciousness altogether to deal with his latest challenge in solitude. There is almost no way Austin could have responded that you could have faulted him for.

How he chose to respond is an inspiration.

Austin chose to respond with nothing but positivity. Leaning on his faith and what must surely be an incredible support team, Austin bucked any notion that he would let this bring him down, immediately embracing what will come next and how he can use this challenge for good.

An Instagram message he posted on Sunday read:

This game. It is a platform for anyone and everyone who comes in contact with it. I was blessed enough to play it on one of the highest levels despite the odds that were stacked against me. Blessed is all I can say. Thankful is all I can be. The love from you all is greatly appreciated! I know God has a plan! If I can say one to to anyone, it would be please, please do not take the privilege of playing sports or anything for granted. #NewBeginnings

Austin called the experience "one of the biggest blessings of my life" after he left the stage Thursday night, assuring those listening that "when God closes one door, another one opens."

Whether you believe that the things that happen in life are guided by a higher power or not, and whether or not it's faith that you find your own strength in, Austin's positivity should resonate. This is a young man who had to fight against ridiculous odds to achieve a dream and had it stolen from him at the finish line, and he is embracing it.

It brings a great deal of perspective to life, and the things we get upset about and bring us down. I've been dealing with a tough situation in my own life, but one not nearly as serious as what Austin now faces, and at times I've been a human puddle. Austin's optimism doesn't make me feel bad for that - I think sometimes we're not forgiving enough of ourselves as humans - but rather gives me strength.

This fall, Austin will return to Baylor to finish his degree and join the coaching staff. He's a personable young man who still has a long future ahead of him, just not one as an NBA player. It's my sincere hope that he is able to do great things, because that will present him an even greater platform to help empower people with his story and his unrelenting resolve and positivity.

How Austin handled this week should stand as an inspiration, standing as a 7-foot pillar of strength in the face of incredibly unfair adversity.