Pacers star Paul George suffers serious leg injury; NBA stars respond

Indiana Pacers star Paul George suffered a grisly injury to his right leg Friday night during the USA Basketball Showcase scrimmage.

George came down hard while trying to contest a shot against James Harden, and when he landed, his right leg appeared to snap when it hit the basket-support stanchion.

The injury, which occurred with 9:33 left in the fourth quarter, prompted Coach Mike Krzyzewski to cancel the rest of the scrimmage.

George was transported to the hospital after being taken off the court on a stretcher.

After being taken to the hospital, George posted on his Twitter account, “Thanks everybody for the love and support.. I’ll be ok and be back better than ever!!! Love y’all!!”

Pacers president Larry Bird said the team was “greatly” concerned about George’s injury.

“At this time our thoughts and prayers are with Paul,” Bird said in statement. “We are still gathering details and will have an updated statement Saturday.”

George’s name started trending worldwide on social media after the incident, and several NBA players showed their support for him on Twitter.

“Prayers go out to Paul George and his family. Keep ya head up G,” Harden tweeted not along after the incident.

“Hurt my stomach the moment I heard the news! I didn’t want to believe it. Man I need u out there bro! Get well and have a speedy recovery PG24! #YoungKing #StriveForGreatness,” LeBron James tweeted.

“Prayers up for Paul George!!!!! I’ve been saying the backstop of the basket should be pushed back further,” Ty Lawson tweeted.

“God bless u my brother @Paul_George24. Im hurt, praying for you. Praying for peace. Praying that God heals you in a supernatural way,” Kevin Durant tweeted.
Kevin Ware, who suffered a similar injury while playing for the Louisville Cardinals in a 2013 NCAA tournament quarterfinal game against Duke, also sent George his best.

“Minor setback for a major comeback PG,” Ware tweeted.

George averaged a team-best 21.7 points per game this past season for the Pacers along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

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