In 2013, long before he made history, Australian motor racing champion Toby Price was battling the physical pain of three broken vertebrae in his neck and the emotional hammer blow of being told by doctors that he would never ride or motorcycle again after an horrific accident while racing in America.Less than three years later, he became the first non-European to win the prestigious Dakar Rally, an event Price describes as 14 days of self-inflicted pain and torture.Such a dramatic turnaround paints a picture of Prices resilience, passion and drive -- attributes that have combined to produce one of Australias most talented and unsung sporting heroes.Growing up in a motor-mad family in country New South Wales, it was only natural that Price began learning his trade at the tender age of two. By four he was winning races and the idea of a career in motorsport had turned from dream to reality.From a really young age I always looked up to Mick Doohan, so I had ambitions to go down the MotoGP route, Price tells ESPN. I loved the way Mick approached everything; hes an Aussie that had the world against him and he just wanted to prove everyone wrong and go out there and race.Being an Aussie myself, I really wanted to emulate him; but I started to grow too tall and too heavy and couldnt quite go in that direction, so thats when I decided to switch to off-road racing.While his fall-back option has paid enormous dividends, it has been far from plain sailing. Tragedy struck the Price family in 2011, when his disabled sister, Minnie, passed away at age 29 from a brain haemorrhage. The event rocked Price enormously.When we lost her, it hit him harder than anybody, their father, John, told the Daily Telegraph. They got on like a house on fire. Always laughing, always being cheeky with each other. He takes her along for the ride now, as his guardian angel.And then, of course, there have been the injuries.Price has been battered and bruised in his fearless pursuit of becoming the worlds best off-road racer, and with 27 broken bones he has experienced unthinkable levels of pain and terror.Hardly a day passes when the 29-year-old isnt on a motorcycle, but in April 2013 he appeared to have run out of luck.I thought it was all over, Price tells ESPN.Racing at the AMA Hare and Hound National Championships in Lucerne Valley, California, Price crashed and broke three vertebrae in his neck. Amazingly he avoided becoming a paraplegic, but he was forced to spend six months in rehabilitation.It definitely was a tough time because you know that not a lot of people bounce back from something like that. It hit me that it could have been the last time riding a bike and I had doctors in America telling me that Ill never ride or race a motorcycle ever again.Even through it all I still always had those ambitions of being one of the best riders on two wheels in the world, so I put my head down and worked hard to get back.But the risks pale into insignificance when weighing up the rewards, particularly those that come from the monumental Dakar Rally.Forget the Bathurst 1000, the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix; this gruelling two-week motor race has rightly been labelled the toughest in the world. For Price, its the Holy Grail.The race sees almost 400 competitors from all over the globe congregating in South America for a hellish 9000 kilometre off-road journey. Riders and drivers must trek through multiple countries on gravel, sand and dirt while battling extreme heat if theyre to avoid being among the 40 percent of annual non-finishers.The first few days are pretty exciting, Price says. The event is pumping and everything is going in the right direction. But by the middle of the first week you go into shutdown mode and turn into a bit of a robot.Youre getting four, maybe five, hours of sleep a night and then youre back up trying to cover 500-1000km in a day. The amount of strain and stress and fatigue it puts on the body, theres no way to describe it. I lose around eight kilos in 14 days of racing, and Im not being shy on eating, either. That just shows how much of a strain it is on the body.In January this year, Price became the first non-European to win the prestigious event in any category; amazingly, it was just his second time competing.Now, approaching 30, Price continues to live his life -- and share with others -- one simple, yet resilient motto: Never give up.He hopes to inform others battling through adversity that dreams can still be achieved.The best lesson Ive ever learnt was to never give up. Hopefully my story kind of shows everyone that nothing is impossible and if you want things bad enough and youre willing to put the hard work and effort in, then you can achieve those things, he says.Toby Prices documentary Paying the Price premieres on Red Bull TV in December. Bertrand Traore Chelsea Jersey UK . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. 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Emeka Okafor, the former No. 2 overall pick who has been out of the NBA for three seasons, has decided to attempt a comeback with an eye toward joining a contending team in December or January.Okafors agent, Jeff Schwartz, confirmed that Okafor, who last played for the Washington Wizards in 2012-13 before suffering a herniated disc in his neck, is in the gym training and working on his conditioning.Hes probably five or six months away, Schwartz said. Hes been working hard rehabbing. For some guys that means one thing. To Emeka, who understands his body as well or better than some trainers that have worked with him, it means something else. Hes healthy. He feels great, but hes a perfectionist, and he wants everything to be right.In his final season in Washington, Okafor averaged 9.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 26 minutes a game. He was a formidable shot-blocker and a defensive presence, helping the Wizards finish eighth in the league in points allowed per possession in 2012-13.But Okafor, who had back surgery in college, struggled with neck pain, and when doctors discovered he had herniated the C4 cervical disc, the injury forced him to step away from the game. In October 2013, Okafor and his expiring $14.5 million contract were dealt to?Phoenix?in a five-player?swap that netted the Wizards center Marcin Gortat. Okafor never played a game for the Suns.His best years were with the?Charlotte Bobcats, the team that drafted him as the second pick after Dwight Howard in the 2004 draft. Okafor averaged 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks as a rookie and posted double-double averages in all five of his seasons in Charlotte.Retired University of Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said he spoke with Okafor last week. According to Calhoun, his former player, who helped UConn win a national championship in 2004 (while leading the nation in blocks), is really excited about getting back.Hes in great shape, Calhoun said. He had offers last season from teams for $6-7 million to play just a portion of the season, but you have to know Emeka. Hes only coming back when he feels the time is right.Hes not going to make a decision based on money. He doesnt need it. This is a kid who graduated with a 3.9 GPA. He wants to play a couple morre years then go to business school at Harvard.dddddddddddd. Hes only going to play for a contending team.Okafor turns 34 in September. League sources said last season he spoke with Cleveland, Miami and Golden State before deciding to delay his return. His decision to skip the grueling regiment of training camp and instead join a team a couple of months into the season is reminiscent of former major league pitcher Roger Clemens, who came out of retirement in 2006 to join his hometown?Houston Astros?two months into the baseball season.Warriors general manager Bob Myers, whose club lost big men Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli and Marreese Speights in the purge to make room for free agent Kevin Durant, said he had a conversation with Okafor a couple of months ago and will monitor the big mans progress.In the meantime, the Warriors have signed veterans David West and Zaza Pachulia to fill the void.We have 14 players right now, but you learn every year that someone you didnt expect to be available becomes an option, Myers said. Ideally, you try to have the flexibility to keep a spot open in case that happens.The biggest hurdle for Okafor will be to prove to teams hes both healthy and durable. Aside from his back and neck injuries, Okafor missed a chunk of 2005-06 with an ankle injury and part of 2011-12 with a knee injury.San Antonio?lost center Tim Duncan to retirement after 19 seasons and is likely in the market for big man insurance, but general manager R.C. Buford stopped short of expressing interest in Okafor.We always pay attention to whatever is out there, Buford said. But Emeka is three years removed from a time when his body was letting him down.Its just hard to get enough information to evaluate a player like that, who wont be in training camp, who hasnt had game action for a prolonged period of time.Calhoun said the long layoff has not only rejuvenated Okafor physically, but also mentally.He misses the game, Calhoun said. Hey, hes 6-10 and was a double-double guy in the NBA. Hes also the greatest guy you can find in the locker room. Hell have plenty of teams lining up to talk to him. 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