Bernard King’s Brush With Death

Scary stuff for one of the game’s greats: “Three months ago, Bernard King fell down 17 stairs, cracked his head open and nearly died. Saturday night in Atlanta, he ended up in the hospital after barely being able to finish a walk home…Saturday night, King suffered what he called a “precursor to a stroke,” and he said yesterday that if he hadn’t called an ambulance to get him to the hospital, he ‘probably wouldn’t be here.’ King’s stroke ‘precursor’ occurred after he had walked a mile and a half, then sat down for 20 minutes before starting his journey back home. But he said he was able to walk only 10 steps at a time, then had to take a two-minute rest. He repeated that pattern the entire walk home. ‘I finally got home and realized I was in trouble and called for an ambulance,’ said King, who works in energy management. As a result of the hospital stay and a visit with a cardiologist yesterday morning, King learned he has high blood pressure and is now on medication.”