In 2014, Paul George suffered a terrible leg injury that cast doom on his future in the NBA. Images of the forward’s shellshocked teammates surrounding him as medics stretchered him off the court said it all. Many, including the then-Pacers star, feared that his career might be over.
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George spoke about the aftermath of the incident during an appearance on the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast. He told host Carmelo Anthony that the unfortunate ordeal had caused him significant mental turmoil.
The forward admitted that he wasn’t too motivated to make a comeback, but his teammates and the training staff helped him get over his injury and work towards resuming his career. The 76ers superstar said,
“It was just like, at that point, I ain’t know if I was going to hoop again. I didn’t know like how? My s**t was done… I was practising with the team January-February, two months before that I really look nasty but the training staff was like, ‘You fine, medically cleared so I was just like f**k it, Imma just go out there and they say I can trust it. It helped having that, you know that little wiggle room.”
George’s gruesome injury was among the most shocking on-court incidents since the turn of the century. However, his quick recovery was perhaps even more astonishing.
When Paul George’s injury shook the world
In August 2014, Team USA’s FIBA World Cup roster was playing an intrasquad exhibition game in Las Vegas ahead of their trip to Spain for the tournament. With just under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, George tried to block a James Harden shot but couldn’t control his momentum and landed on the stanchion at an awkward angle.
The forward hit the floor immediately and winced in pain. He was attended to by medics before being stretched off the court. George was diagnosed with an open fracture of the tibia and the fibula and was expected to be sidelined for a lengthy period.
However, he returned to practice only five months after suffering the harrowing injury. Teammates, coaches, and support staff rallied around the young forward and helped him get over any apprehensions he had about resuming his career.
The then-Pacers star marked his return to the court in a home game against the Heat in April, only eight months after suffering the fracture. He came off the bench to a rapturous ovation and played just over 14 minutes. George made five more appearances off the bench and helped his team finish a rough season on a positive note.
The forward did not let his injury define him and has established himself as one of the best two-way players in the NBA of his generation.
