Who Is Kevin Ware? College Basketball Player Receives National Attention After Gruesome Injury

Kevin Ware became a household name on Sunday night when the college basketball player broke his leg on national television.

Video of the Louisville guard’s gruesome injury went viral, as the sophomore suffered one of the most brutal sports injuries to ever have been witnessed on TV. Many news outlets refused to show the footage because it was so disturbing, as Ware’s bone could be seen protruding through his skin.

After Ware went down, he immediately became a trending topic on Twitter. Several celebrities, including rapper Lil Wayne, television host Maria Menounos, singer Brad Paisley and “Today” host Matt Lauer expressed their well wishes for the injured player.

Before he suffered the injury, Ware was a role player on, possibly, the best team in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals are the No.1 overall seed in the tourney and made it to the Final Four with ease, defeating Duke by 22 points in the Elite Eight game in which Ware got hurt.

With Russ Smith and Peyton Siva in the starting lineup, Ware’s minutes have been limited in his second season. The two guards are averaging a combined 28.8 points and 8.6 assists per game.

Despite the production of Louisville’s top guards, Ware has managed to contribute off the bench. He’s averaging 4.5 points in 16.6 minutes per contest. He was a key player in the Cardinals Sweet 16 victory over Oregon, as he scored 11 points on 5-7 shooting.

With Siva set to graduate this year, it’s been expected that Ware will play a larger role on the team next season. The 20-year old was a highly touted prospect heading into college. Rivals.com ranked him as a four-star recruit and the 18th-best high school guard in the country in 2011.

At first, it didn’t look like Ware would go to Louisville. He originally signed a letter of intent to play for Tennessee. He eventually decided to play for Rick Pitino in the Big East.

If Ware hadn’t suffered the break in his leg, he would have been able to play in the Final Four in front of his friends and family. The 6’2 guard is from Atlanta, where the semifinals and national championship game will be held.