updated 6:32 p.m. ET Nov. 18, 2006

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After another dismal shooting night, Charlotte Bobcats rookie Adam Morrison sat in front of his locker, head bowed as he tried to explain a 1-for-8 performance.

At his feet was a duffel bag full of energy bars and apple juice, reminders of what he’s overcome to get this far.

“It’s something I’ve got to work through,” Morrison said of his shooting woes. “I’ve worked through it before and gone through adversity.”

It wasn’t that long ago that Morrison sat in a hospital room, a 14-year-old listening as a doctor told him he was a Type 1 diabetic — a diagnosis he figured would end his NBA dreams. But as the doctor started to rattle off the diabetic athletes who played professionally — hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke, nine-time baseball All-Star Ron Santo and longtime NBA player Chris Dudley — a new goal came into focus.

“Right after that, the nurse came in to give him the second insulin shot and he told her, ’You better show me how to do this, because I’m going to be doing it for the rest of my life,' ” recalled his father, John.

Today, the 22-year-old Morrison is the only known diabetic in the NBA. Dudley, the league’s last active player with the disease, hopes that doesn’t become an issue as Morrison struggles to improve a shooting percentage that hasn’t moved above 40 percent all season and to get quicker as a defender, where he’s often been a step slow.

“If he struggles in the midseason, people may talk about his diabetes,” Dudley said. “But every rookie goes through that. Every rookie hits the wall at some point. I hope people don’t blame the guy if he struggles.”

About 21 million Americans have diabetes, which affects the body’s ability to make or properly use insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common and involves the destruction of insulin-producing cells, in part because of obesity or poor diet. Morrison has the less-common Type 1. His body cannot make insulin, which it needs to convert sugar from food into energy.

If left untreated, diabetics can experience heart and kidney problems, blindness and even death. They’re told to closely monitor their diet and get plenty of rest. Morrison set a daily routine and settled on having the same meal before every game: a steak and baked potato exactly two hours before tipoff.

It worked. Morrison went on to have a stellar high school career in Spokane, Wash., before starring at Gonzaga, where he was the top scorer in college basketball last season at 28.1 points per game. He did it while constantly testing his blood-sugar level, up to four or five times during the day and nearly every timeout during a game.

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