Kevin Ware

On March 31, 2013, in the first half of an Elite 8 game against Duke, Ware landed awkwardly on his right leg after attempting to block a shot, causing an open fracture which protruded several inches out of his shin.[11] Players and coaches on both teams were visibly shaken at the sight of the injury.[1] While lying on the floor of the court, Ware repeatedly said, "I'm fine, just win the game."[1] After being tended to courtside for several minutes, Ware was carried off on a stretcher and was taken by ambulance to Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis.[12] Surgeons inserted a rod into his tibia in a two-hour operation. In a performance the players dedicated to Ware, Louisville beat Duke 85–63. As the game concluded, Louisville forward Chane Behanan wore Ware's jersey in a show of solidarity for his teammate.[13]

Many NBA players showed their support for Ware and shared their sympathies through Twitter, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.[14] Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann and the Louisville Cardinals former running back Michael Bush, who both have gone through the same kind of injury, called to give their support.[15] Ware traveled with the team to the Final Four in Atlanta,[16] where he sat alongside his teammates as they won the national championship game (which was later vacated due to the 2015 sex scandal).

Ware returned to competitive basketball for the first time during an exhibition game against the University of Pikeville, entering the game midway through the second half. Ware received a standing ovation upon entering the game, and another after making his first shot, finishing with six points and four rebounds.[17] He played in nine games that season.

Ware announced that he would redshirt the 2013–2014 season in order to continue his recovery. He later decided to transfer in order to "move on," and move to a school closer to the state of Georgia such as Tennessee, Georgia State, or Auburn.

On April 12, 2014, Ware officially transferred to Georgia State University.[18] He started the 2014–15 season with two years of eligibility, and the NCAA granted Ware a waiver from its rule requiring transfers to sit out a year.[19] Ware was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament in which he led Georgia State to victory in the championship game, earning GSU a ticket to the NCAA Tournament where they upset third seeded Baylor in the first round, before falling to Xavier in the second round.