Early in the fourth quarter of the USA Basketball Showcase in Las Vegas on Friday, Paul George left the game with what appeared to be a very serious lower leg injury.
George was contesting a fast break attempt and landed awkwardly, with his leg appearing to bend just below the knee as it collided into the basket stanchion.
The replay was shown once on the live telecast, but it was so disturbing that the commentators said it wouldn’t be shown again. (It’s out there if you want to see it, but it’s extremely tough to watch.) George ended up leaving on a stretcher.
Players were visibly upset, and the scrimmage was called once George was carted off.
“With the serious injury that we had ... and out of respect to Paul and his family, the scrimmage is done, and we want to thank you for your support,” said USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, addressing the crowd at center court.
Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird released the following statement:
“We are aware of the injury sustained by Paul George in Friday night’s Team USA game in Las Vegas and we are obviously greatly concerned. At this time our thoughts and prayers are with Paul. We are still gathering details and will have an updated statement Saturday.”
On a night where there were so many positives, including the healthy return of Derrick Rose to publicly competitive action, it’s a rough way for things to have come to a close.