Paul George was one of the NBA’s rising stars when he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2010. By 2013, he had earned his first of nine NBA All-Star selections and was named the league’s Most Improved Player. But in 2014, his promising career took a sudden turn when he suffered a severe leg injury during a Team USA scrimmage.
George, then just 24 years old, fractured his tibia and fibula while attempting to block a shot by James Harden. “It felt like someone had poured gasoline on my leg and then struck a match. My leg was on fire, and my body went into shock,” George recalled at the time.
In a recent episode of his podcast, Podcast P with Paul George, his father, Paul George Sr., shared a poignant story about how the legendary Kobe Bryant reached out to his son while he was in the hospital, just before surgery.
“His agent, Aaron, somehow got Mr. Bryant on the phone,” George Sr. remembered. “Kobe. So he handed the phone to Paul, and they talked. When Paul hung up, he said, ‘Guess who I was just talking to,’ and he was smiling. He said, ‘I just got off the phone with Kobe Bryant.’ And right after that, they wheeled him into surgery.”
Paul George #29 of the 2014 USA Basketball Men’s National Team is tended to as he lies on the court after badly injuring his leg defending a play during a USA Basketball showcase. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
What did Bryant tell George?
Following his father’s recollection, Paul George shared the details of that conversation with the Lakers icon. ““He was like, ‘If you need anything from me, I’m here. I’m in this with you.’ But he was just like, ‘The rehab is going to be tough. The work is going to be hard.’ And he was like, ‘Nobody wants to rehab,’ George said.
Bryant emphasized the importance of attacking rehab with the same intensity George brought to the basketball court. “The work is going to be tedious, it’s going to be tiresome, and you’re not going to want to do it,” Bryant told him.
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“But my advice is to attack rehab the same way you attack working out on the court. You find fun in working out on the basketball court; you’ve got to find that same fun in the rehab. There’s no other way you’re going to get through it. Just attack rehab like you attack the basketball court,” he concluded.
George calls out Anthony Edwards after comments on Jordan’s generation
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Anthony Edwards was asked to compare the NBA’s past and present eras. He bluntly stated, “I didn’t watch it back in the day, so I can’t speak on it. They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don’t think anybody had skill back then.”
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During the same episode on his podcast with his father, George shared his thoughts on Edwards’ comments. “I thought it was kind of disrespectful to the game,” George said. “It was a very immature comment. Obviously, Anthony Edwards is super talented and has a bright future ahead. But the game has grown so much, you have to respect those who paved the way”.
