Paul George On Injury: "I Was In Shock"

In the video below, Paul George shares his initial reaction to the leg injury he suffered during the USA Basketball Showcase on Aug. 1.

See below for video of George's comments and transcript of selected quotes on the topic.

Q. (Team USA coach Mike Kyzyzewski) said in the immediate moments after you fell you were stoic. Could you take us back to that and what was going through your mind as you lay on the court?A. I was in shock. I couldn't believe that it was me this happened to. That's the only thing that was going through my head. I was doubting myself. I didn't know what I had done wrong or what had happened. But after it happened I remember the training staff coming over and being by my side and holding me down and telling me to stay calm and not look at my leg. That definitely helped me to not panic. It helped a lot having that trainer come over by my side and (keep me calm).

Q. When did the severity of it all hit you?A. When I looked down and saw my bone sticking out, I knew it was bad. I felt pain before and this was a pain I've never felt before. So I knew how bad it was as soon as it happened. Immediately I was shifting to the whole grind coming back.

Q. Is it even possible to describe what it felt like at the moment of impact.A. It felt like gasoline was on my leg and someone lit a match. Just internally, my leg felt like it was in flames. It was a quick five minutes, and then my body kind of went into shock. I immediately took my mind off of what had just happened, thanks to the docs and my parents coming over by my side, my teammates coming over. That quickly went away but I was in pain for a good five or 10 minutes. Just felt like a burning situation throughout my whole leg.

Q. Have you watched the video (of the injury)? Do you want to see it for any reason?A. I watched it one time. And that will be the last time I see that video. I just want to put all that behind me.