Paul George: Hayward's injury made me nauseous, reminded me of mine
Paul George said Gordon Hayward's ankle injury made him "nauseous" and spoke about the broken leg he suffered in Vegas: pic.twitter.com/9WSOq1S6NG
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) October 18, 2017
Watching Gordon Hayward dislocate his ankle and fracture his tibia was difficult for most people, but it hit especially close to home for Paul George.
The Oklahoma City Thunder small forward suffered a gruesome leg injury of his own during a Team USA scrimmage in 2014, and missed the majority of the ensuing season.
"It just brought me back to Vegas, and what happened to me, my incident," George said Wednesday of Hayward's injury.
"Immediately I felt devastated. I was nauseous watching it, just going back to that place. Immediately after it happened, I texted Gordon. We talked last night. I just tried to give him words of encouragement. I just tried to be there for him."
The 27-year-old also tweeted the following in response to the ordeal:
Naw G! 😰
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) October 18, 2017
God bless you bro @gordonhayward ! 🙏🏾 help him thru this god!
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) October 18, 2017
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) October 18, 2017
Related: NBA players stunned by Hayward's horrific leg injury
"Honestly, it's hard to get over it," the All-Star swingman added. "For me it was just hard to see that."
George is entering his third season since recovering from his broken leg. He said he "always thinks about it" and is no longer as explosive as a result.
He averaged a career-high 23.7 points to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season for the Indiana Pacers, who traded him this summer. He'll make his debut with the Thunder on Thursday night against the New York Knicks.