Lakers' Randle suffers broken right tibia in NBA debut
The Los Angeles Lakers confirmed early Wednesday morning that rookie power forward Julius Randle suffered a broken right tibia in his NBA debut against the Houston Rockets.
Randle was transferred to hospital, where it will be determined whether he needs surgery, though it is considered likely.
Byron on Julius Randle: "It is heartbreaking…I just told him to stay strong. Adversity tests the true character of a man."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) October 29, 2014
Byron Scott said Lakers players "heard something pop" when Randle came down after a drive to the basket late in the fourth quarter. The new head coach visited Randle after the game and said the rookie, only 19, was understandably emotional.
Randle will miss significant time, if not the entire season, due to the injury. He finished with two points on 1-of-3 shooting in 14 minutes in his first NBA game.
"The last three-four minutes we weren't thinking about basketball," Scott said. "Just thinking about Julius."
Kobe on what he told Randle after his injury: “I just told him to keep his spirits up.” pic.twitter.com/ytne6NraOK
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 29, 2014
It was a rough opening night all around for the Lakers, as they lost Randle and their first game of the season after being blown out at home by the Houston Rockets, 108-90.