Paul George is back. Just over eight months after suffering a horrific, gruesome leg injury during a Team USA exhibition game in Las Vegas, he’s back on the court for the Pacers.
It was hard not to get chills as he checked into his first game of the season at the 5:34 mark of the first quarter, to a huge ovation from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse crowd:
Two minutes later, he knocked down his first shot attempt of the season:
Whatever his level of play is the rest of the season, this is a huge step for George. Everyone more or less assumed he wouldn’t be playing at all this season, almost from the moment the injury occurred. There had been some talk a few months ago that he might return, but he missed his so-called target date in mid-March and it seemed like a lost cause.
He’s going to play limited minutes off the bench to start out, but no matter what he gives them, this is an incredible story and a great moment for George, the Pacers and the NBA.