There are moments in the world of sports that transcend the games themselves and the fan loyalties attached. Stories of the underdog, teams playing for their tragedy-stricken communities and players persevering through adversity have served as a rallying cry for sports audiences everywhere. Add Louisville guard Kevin Ware’s injury to this list.

In Louisville’s Elite Eight NCAA Tournament win over Duke on March 31, sophomore Kevin Ware jumped up to contest the three-point shot by Duke’s Tyler Thornton. The images that followed will forever be cemented in the minds of millions of live viewers. As Ware came back down to land, his right leg buckled and gave out, resulting in a gruesome compound fracture that sent his splintered tibia protruding through his skin.

It was one of the most graphic and catastrophic injuries I have ever witnessed in many years of watching sports. The media immediately made comparisons to former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann’s compound fracture in 1985. However, I would liken the injury to former Alabama wide receiver Tyrone Prothro’s in 2005, as he too suffered the fracture while making a landing. But neither had his skin breached or went down right in front of his team’s bench.

Although he was not a major player for Louisville, Ware was a sparkplug off the bench for Head Coach Rick Pitino and had a very close relationship with his teammates. This was on full display after he suffered the injury, as everybody on the bench and the court was distraught and in tears, with some players such as Peyton Siva and Chane Behanan even collapsing to the floor.

The injury flooded social media across the country, with the gruesome close-up shots of Ware’s leg trending everywhere. However, CBS, the carrier of the game, avoided replaying the injury from close camera angles out of respect for the nature of the incident and the viewers. Other major media outlets began following suit as well, avoiding the use of detailed videos and photos that could be easily accessed from popular news sources and YouTube.

There is a silver lining though, as all t he publicity of the injury has led to an overwhelming out pour of support for Ware and the Louisville basketball team from across the country. Ware received Twitter shout-outs from LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and other high-profile athletes and celebrities. Adidas even produced Louisville Final Four shirts that read “Rise to the Occasion,” with Ware’s number “5” replacing the “s” in “Rise.” The shirts were discontinued because of disputes regarding the proceeds, but the support for the Louisville Cardinals and Kevin Ware has not waned.

With this momentum and Ware—fresh out of surgery—accompanying the team, Louisville made the journey to the Final Four in Atlanta to defeat Michigan and win the National Championship on April 8. In a fitting tribute, Ware cut down the nets after their title game victory, capping off a heartwarming championship run with people around the country rooting the Cardinals on.