The leap of faith that led physio to NBA's A list

[Getty Images] Alex McKechnie chuckles at the leap of faith he took when he packed up almost all his belongings in Glasgow and booked a one-way flight to Vancouver, Canada on 7 September 1974. "I had $300 in my pocket," he recounts. "And no job.

" At that point it might have been hard for the newly qualified physiotherapist to imagine he would one day be telling basketball great Shaquille O'Neal - with his full entourage in tow - to wait his turn to see him. Or that an idea he had when looking at a children's playground would spark a novel way to improve recovery from knee injuries. His pioneering methods would make him one of sport's most sought-after physios and even earn him a small slice of British sporting history as the only Briton to win an NBA championship ring as either a player or member of the sideline staff.

He has now won six, and at the age of 74 the man credited with bringing players back from career-threatening injuries is still very much in demand. Many top names have been on Alex McKechnie's treatment table over the years, including Kobe Bryant (left) and Pau Gasol (right) [Getty Images] Darting with a football in his youth around the mean Scottish streets of Easterhouse - at the time the centre of Glasgow's notorious ganglands - McKechnie dreamed of playing for Rangers. But a car crash that injured his father and brother provided his introduction to a different career path.

Watching them recover steadily fascinated a young McKechnie. It persuaded him to study physiotherapy at a technical college in Leeds before heading to North America in search of a job. Within a week he secured a temporary role at a hospital, and within a month he was working at a university with athletes from many sports.