Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George suffered a hyperextended left knee in the second quarter of Monday’s preseason win in Atlanta and didn’t return. It was only his second exhibition matchup with the Sixers.
George, 34, was defending Hawks forward Jalen Johnson on a drive with just over eight minutes remaining in the second quarter when his left leg planted awkwardly and bent at an odd angle.
“Hopefully it’ll be OK, so he’s back with us right away,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters after the contest.
COMPLETE speculation here but…
This didn’t look comfortable for Paul George. Hopefully him sitting the second half is unrelated. https://t.co/Ode0cpYQNK pic.twitter.com/fakgqJUstA
— Erin Grugan (@eringrugan) October 15, 2024
The six-time All-NBA member quickly exited the game and didn’t return. The Sixers ruled George out for the remainder of the evening in the second half.
“I felt that it hyperextended, and immediately it was, all right, I need to get taken out and (looked at), but if you ask me, I’m not too concerned about it,” George told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Paul George sustained his injury just days after the Philadelphia 76ers ruled Joel Embiid out for the rest of the preseason
George joined the 76ers after signing a four-year, $212 million max contract as a free agent this offseason. The 6-foot-8 forward inked his deal after he declined a player option in his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers for $48.8 million in 2024-2025.
Philadelphia had already ruled out Joel Embiid for the rest of the preseason Sunday. The 7-footer suffered a left knee injury last season that limited him to 39 games.
76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps that both stars will “probably not play many back-to-backs, if any” this season.
Joel Embiid has missed 204 games over the past eight seasons and sat out his first two years in the NBA with foot injuries. His knee injury last season prevented him from defending his MVP award.
Meanwhile, Paul George appeared in 74 games last season in his final year with the Clippers, his most since 2019. He’d played no more than 56 games in each of his prior four seasons with L.A.
Philadelphia is aiming to advance beyond the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2001. The 76ers open their 2024-25 season at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
