Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Paul George has worked extremely hard to regain his spot in the League following a devastating leg injury in 2014, and may have nothing left to give once this NBA season comes to an end.
PG says that, despite being one of 31 finalists for the USA Basketball roster that will go to the Rio Olympics this summer, he’s not to ready to make full commitment just yet.
George fell one point shy Sunday night of tying Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s All-Star scoring record of 42 points set in 1962.
Per Yahoo!:
George gruesomely broke his leg while playing in an exhibition game for USA Basketball in Las Vegas on Aug. 1, 2014. It also left his fellow participating NBA stars wincing in shock. The six-year NBA veteran was limited to six games last season. George also missed last season’s All-Star Game in New York after three straight appearances. […] George returned to the All-Star Game on Sunday after being voted in as an East frontcourt starter from the fans. He scored a game-high 41 points after making 16 of 26 field goal attempts and record nine of 19 3-point attempts. And after George threw down an acrobatic reverse dunk late in the fourth quarter, there was a wince of respect this time from West All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins.
“I knew this is where I belong,” George said. “I just felt good and felt confident after I hit shot after shot. Having this long journey, the long rehab that was really the only thing on my mind was enjoying being back here. It was about making shots. Of course, personally I wanted a good showing. But it wasn’t really about that. It was just about enjoying being back in this moment.”
George has played in all 53 regular-season games for a Pacers team that is expected to make the playoffs. He is also a member of USA Basketball’s 31-man roster that has to be trimmed to 12 before the 2016 Rio Olympics. While USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo has promised George a roster spot, George said his body might not allow him to take the trip to Brazil. […] “I had a long year,” George said. “This has been a long year coming from rehab. I just know how my body has taken these first 50-plus games, not knowing what these playoffs are going to do to my body. So there is a decision coming at the end of the year, is the smart thing to continue on or take a little bit of time for some rest and let my body heal?”
