Any head injury in all sports (or not sports for that matter) are incredibly devastating. That being said, what happened to your cousin (I am sorry about that) is an anomaly in basketball. Most basketball injuries are to legs then hands/arms. Concussions are rare in basketball. Not so much in football.
In my view, there is a very big line between head and spine injuries and any other physical issues long term. Today, people can have artificial hip and knee joints that are acceptable for every day life. If an athlete wants to destroy his legs in exchange for millions, I have no real issues with that. I start to struggle when these guys are doing lasting, unseen, and irreparable damage to their brains. It has become harder and harder for me to watch football over the last 5 years. I watch 85-90% less football than I used to. Most of this time has gone onto watching soccer (which does have some concussion issues of its own) and basketball. I don't think that LeBron James is comprising his future each play he runs. I did feel that way while watching each down in an NFL game.
In my view, there is a very big line between head and spine injuries and any other physical issues long term. Today, people can have artificial hip and knee joints that are acceptable for every day life. If an athlete wants to destroy his legs in exchange for millions, I have no real issues with that. I start to struggle when these guys are doing lasting, unseen, and irreparable damage to their brains. It has become harder and harder for me to watch football over the last 5 years. I watch 85-90% less football than I used to. Most of this time has gone onto watching soccer (which does have some concussion issues of its own) and basketball. I don't think that LeBron James is comprising his future each play he runs. I did feel that way while watching each down in an NFL game.