A Seven-Foot Phenom’s Long Fall Down

After overcoming a gruesome childhood injury that left him blind in one eye, this tenacious Texan was steps from the NBA when his greatest athletic gift revealed his Achilles heel—but Isaiah Austin wasn’t built for quitting.

Photos by Jonathan Zizzo

One day when Isaiah Austin was ten, he stood in the batter’s box. The pitcher — young and as inexperienced as Austin was — wound up and threw the ball to the catcher forty-six feet away. Seconds later, the ball arrived high and tight to Austin’s face.