An upcoming prospect from Syracuse City in New York, Andray Blatche , had caught the attention of basketball scouts from a very young age. Standing at 6'11", he displayed an interesting mix of size and skill, as evidenced by his three-level scoring, rebounding and playmaking skills, eventually leading him to be drafted straight out of high school.
Surprisingly enough, he would end up as a second-round pick with the Washington Wizards in the 2005 draft. Much of it stemmed from specific behavioral traits, including a lack of maturity and discipline. Adding to it were concerns about Blatche's physical conditioning, which hadn't been the case before. That said, he was still fortunate to be on an NBA team at the mere age of 19.
A few weeks remaining for his official debut, and all of a sudden, Blatche had his NBA career in jeopardy. The South Kent School product was involved in a carjacking that had him suffer a gunshot wound, as well. Fortunately, Andray was able to escape without any sort of grave injury, but remained under observation. Amid all the uncertainty, former Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld issued an official update on the situation.
"He's doing much better. We're encouraged by his progress, and we're all just thankful it wasn't worse," said Grunfield at the time.
Blatche was lucky to survive the late-night ordeal that could have turned out much more fatal. His mother, Angela Oliver, could not have been more grateful to the Almighty. By her son's side the whole time at Fairfax Hospital in Virginia, she assured Andray's well-wishers that everything was under control.
"He's doing okay. He's breathing on his own ... He's been sedated, but he's been talking to me when he's come out of it," shared Oliver, whose son had just survived a shot to his chest.
Sharing an account of the tragic incident, the Police revealed that a van chased Blatche, eventually stopping the vehicle that had the Wizards rookie in the passenger seat. Ordered to step out, the gunman ended up firing at Andray even before he could exit.
Following the traumatic carjacking episode, many had their doubts about Blatche being able to pursue a career in the NBA. Although delayed by a week or so, Andray did manage to make his NBA debut, scoring five points in his first game against the Seattle Supersonics in the 2005-06 season. To start with, he served as backup center to Ethan Thomas and Michael Ruffin, gradually learning the ropes and showing consistent improvement.
What was nothing short of an inspirational journey for Blatche, who once recalled the events of the fateful night when he could have lost his life.
"When I first got shot, I only felt the bullet in my wrist. So I thought I was fine. So immediately what I did was, I took the shirt off and wrapped it around my wrist to stop the blood and tighten it up tight," Blatche told Sports Illustrated in 2007.
Oddly enough, he didn't know he'd been shot in the chest until the police officer told him. Upon looking down over his heart, he realized the situation was serious.
"I thought my whole career was over, I thought I was going to die. I thought everything was coming to an end," recalled the former Wizards center, who did end up living his dream, playing a total of nine seasons and 564 games in the NBA.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
