Paul George, the nine-time NBA All-Star who joined the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent this offseason, hyper-extended his left knee during a preseason win against the Atlanta Hawks, the team announced on Monday.
George was guarding Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson in the first half when he appeared to plant his leg awkwardly.
He did not participate again after scoring eight points on three-of-five shooting with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in just over 12 minutes on the court.
George told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he felt the hyperextension and knew he needed to have his knee examined, but added, “I’m not too worried about it.”
Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he was hopeful George would return to action “right away.”
George’s injury comes a day after Philadelphia announced that star center Joel Embiid would not play in any preseason games as part of the treatment plan for his surgically repaired left knee.
Embiid played in just 39 games last season due to a torn lateral meniscus, returning after surgery with seven games remaining in the regular season.
He was still wearing a knee brace when he helped the United States win gold at the Paris Olympics.
Asked Monday if there were concerns about Embiid’s availability for the 76ers’ season opener against Milwaukee on Oct. 23, Nurse said he was “not really sure where we are in that regard.”
“But we’re on the right track with the plan we laid out,” Nurse added.
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