NBA star Paul George will visit French gymnast with broken leg

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – US NBA star Paul George will visit this week with French gymnast Samir Ait Said, who suffered a horrific leg injury at the Rio Olympics similar to George’s 2014 mishap.

George, a guard for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, scored 20 points Monday, August 8 (Tuesday, August 9 in Manila) to power the Americans over Venezuela 113-69 and said afterwards he tried to make the trip Monday but could not work out logistics before the game.

“I don’t know him. He doesn’t know me. We will get to know each other this week,” George said. “We will have a face-to-face at some point.”

Said, 26, underwent emergency surgery on a gruesome double open fracture of the tibia and fibula after snapping the lower part of his left leg on a bad landing in the vault Saturday during men’s qualifying.

He fell to the mat in agony, the knee and leg at such a grotesque angle that it shocked many spectators.

“It brought back some memories,” George said of seeing the injury.

George’s nightmare tibia-fibula break came in 2014 during the first exhibition by the US team that would go on to win the world title and qualify the Americans for Rio.

George leaped up to challenge a shot and fell awkwardly into the stanchion that holds up the backboard, his own open double break no better to view than that of Said.

“It was tough just to watch it:” George said of the injury on video. “I was a little disgusted by it when it happened.”

Now George sees a way he can pass along the lessons he learned from more than 8 grueling months of rehabilitation just to play in 6 games for Indiana in the 2014-15 campaign.

“I know what it’s like going through it so hopefully any words I can give will be useful to him,” George said. “I try to be an inspiration to people and hopefully it works out.”

George has been a success story. This past season, he averaged career highs of 23.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game. He ranked 10th in the NBA in scoring and poured in a game-high 41 points in the NBA All-Star Game.

Paul’s fellow NBA players to name him the 2015-16 Comeback Player of the Year.

“It has been an easy story to tell. I came back stronger and better for it. It’s all about encouragement, keeping his head into it.”

George, 26, recalled his own time after the surgery and words of support and advice he was given.

“In the hospital, I was given all kinds of advice,” he said. “The best I got was ‘Attack this like you would attack the season.'” – Jim Slater, Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com