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Rivers On Lakers’ Randle Injury: “It Honestly Broke My Heart”

LOS ANGELES – NBA players didn’t have to be on the Lakers roster to feel for Julius Randle last night.

The Lakers’ seventh overall pick broke his leg in the first regular season game of his career last night against the Rockets, and the Clippers shared their grief and sympathy for the 19-year-old rookie before Wednesday’s practice. 

Head coach Doc Rivers went a little further, calling it heartbreaking to see.

“It honestly broke my heart,” Rivers said. “I hate that, I really do. I think it’s awful. That was bad, and I feel so bad. I have a son in the NBA, and that was my first thought.

“As a rookie, your first game, and the team leaves that night to go on the road and you’re sitting in a hospital room by yourself. Honestly, that really tugged at me.”

The broken leg wasn’t as obvious as others who’ve suffered that injury. It occurred on a seemingly routine drive to the lane, but Paul said he could tell while watching that “something was really wrong.”

He said there’s no question players have an underlying fear that a similar scenario can happen to them at any point.

“I don’t think people realize how much guys love to play this game,” Paul said, “so for that to be taken away because of injury is always tough to deal with.”

Center DeAndre Jordan said he tries not to think about injuries while he’s playing, because they’re out of a player’s control. He added that players can’t think about injuries, because that’s usually when they occur.

But he admitted Paul George’s injury, Kevin Durant’s injury and then Randle’s injury last night were times he thought about the possibility of a freak injury.

“But like I said, things like that you really can’t control,” Jordan said. “If they’re going to happen, they’re going to happen. But I just really feel sorry for those guys and hope they have a speedy and healthy recovery.”

Many of the Clippers players used their time Tuesday night to watch the season-opening games. That included Jordan, who was watching the Lakers when it happened. In the span of a week, the Lakers have lost veteran Steve Nash for a year and now their rookie sensation.

“It just kind of looked like he just kind of lost his balance and fell on the ground,” Jordan said. “When he was rubbing his leg, he was talking to the Rockets’ bench. I was like, ‘He’s OK, he probably sprained his ankle or something.’ But then when they brought out the stretcher and the air cast, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s bad.’ I hope he gets back on the court fast, and I hope he has a healthy and speedy recovery.”

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