Paul George Named to Team USA’s 12-Man Roster
By Ben Gibson
Paul George comes full circle by making the 2016 U.S. Olympic basketball team.
On August 1st, 2014, a game with Team USA altered Paul George’s career. At that moment, it looked like his entire basketball career could be over.
Two years later, he looks better than ever and the injury is just an unexpected chapter in his career. This summer he will add another one, and it will be with the USA basketball team at the Olympics in Rio.
With the 12-man roster settled, Paul George is ready to represent the United States according to Pacers.com, closing the door on an unfortunate chapter in his career.
"“I’m really excited to have this opportunity again to represent my country,” said George. “The injury two years ago has added motivation to want to play again!”Also selected for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team, which is seeking a third consecutive Olympic title, were: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks/Syracuse); Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors/North Carolina); Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls/Marquette); DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings/Kentucky); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors/USC); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder/Texas); Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors/Michigan State); Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers/Duke); DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers/Texas A&M); Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors/Villanova); and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors/Washington State)."
This season we saw that somehow after breaking his fibula and tibia two years ago, he looks better than he ever has. The injury happened in a way that could possibly have been blamed on the location of the basket’s stanchion, but ultimately it was the bad luck of Paul George jumping so far that his leg was put in that precarious position.
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For Indiana Pacers fans, it selfishly marked a lost season for the Indiana Pacers. Combined with PG’s injury and 76 missed games, the roster combined for over 200 missed games that season. With Paul George’s future in doubt, it was no surprise David West left to chase a championship with the San Antonio Spurs, or that Roy Hibbert suddenly looked nothing like the former All-Star version of himself.
But a season later, all of that is in the past. The injury put the Pacers in the draft lottery, where they took Myles Turner with the 11th pick in the 2015 draft. While no one would have wanted it to happen that way, Indiana may have been blessed with a cornerstone player going into the future.
But fan selfishness aside, seeing Paul George return to form in the NBA, and now representing the US in Rio makes it very easy to forget just how far he’s come.
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A fitting end to this story will be a gold medal as Team USA goes for its 3rd straight Olympic championship. We’ll find out in August if that’s how this ends.