"He kept on playing because he's almost superhuman" - Paul Westphal said doctors were stunned Dan Majerle kept playing through brutal injuries

Yahoo

27-07-2025

"He kept on playing because he's almost superhuman" - Paul Westphal said doctors were stunned Dan Majerle kept playing through brutal injuries originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In today's NBA, it has almost become routine for players to sit out multiple games, even for minor injuries, in order to fully recover and protect their long-term health, but it's a total opposite of what guys like Dan Majerle used to do.
While there is nothing wrong with that thinking, old-school basketball fans do not appreciate it one bit. That is largely because, back in the 1990s, players had an unrelenting drive to be on the court. One of the players to embody that mentality was Majerle, whose commitment to staying available on the court stunned head coach Paul Westphal.
In fact, Westphal even admitted that team doctors were left baffled when they realized Majerle was playing on the court after looking at his medical reports.
Majerle never took days off
At one point during the 1990s, Majerle played in 326 of a possible 328 regular-season games for the Suns, which is undoubtedly an incredible testament to his commitment. Thus, during Westphal's stint as the head coach, he saw Dan leave everything out on the court, night in and night out, on both ends of the court.
Moreover, when stars like Kevin Johnson struggled with injuries, it was Majerle's commitment to stay out that made sure that the team camaraderie wasn't hampered.
To illustrate just how durable Majerle was, Westphal shared how team doctors looked at the three-time All-Star's medical reports in complete disbelief. They repeatedly questioned how it was even humanly possible for someone to keep playing with such relentless energy when their physical conditioning was so fragile that any major contact could've been disastrous.
"Dan was really, physically, having a lot of issues," Westphal admitted with a shocked look on his face. "Now he kept playing because he's Dan Majerle, he's almost superhuman. But you know the doctors looked at his X-rays and go, 'How's this guy even playing? How much longer can he last?'"West doubled down on the notion
Mark West, who spent eight seasons with the Suns and played alongside several big-name stars during that phase, also acknowledged that no one gave more to the team than Majerle. That's exactly why he became a fan favorite in Phoenix — because no matter how ill or injured he was, he showed up and left it all on the floor.
"You see him walking something and like his knees hurt, his ankle hurt, whatever, he has some issues, but when he got on the court, all that didn't matter," West said. "He's coming at you."
Safe to say that this all just goes to show that while MVPs and All-NBA honors are impressive, what fans truly remember and appreciate are the players who give their heart and soul to the team, even when they know that might be bad for their own well-being.
Who knows, maybe for the Suns to revive their position in the Western Conference in the 2025-26 season, they do not need another All-NBA talent next to Devin Booker, but only another version of Majerle. However, it's almost impossible to find him due to all the load management we've seen over the last decade or so.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.