Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has a bone bruise but did not experience any structural damage after hyperextending his left knee during a preseason game, the team announced on Tuesday.
“Everything checks out OK,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters at the team’s New Jersey facility after George had an initial exam. The team later confirmed that an MRI revealed the bone bruise but no structural issues.
The Sixers mentioned that George would be reevaluated in about a week.
Before the injury, George was not expected to play in Wednesday’s preseason game against Brooklyn.
A nine-time All-Star, George got hurt when his knee gave out during a defensive play in the second quarter of Monday’s game against Atlanta. He scored eight points in 12 minutes in the 104-89 victory.
“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.
The Sixers have been careful with their star players and decided to shut down center Joel Embiid on Sunday for the rest of the preseason for what they called left knee management.
The Sixers—who signed George to a four-year, $212 million contract as a free agent this summer—are his fourth team.
He previously played seven years with Indiana, two years with Oklahoma City, and the last five years with the Los Angeles Clippers. George is a six-time All-NBA selection and has averaged 20.8 points over his 14 seasons in the NBA.
With George joining 2023 NBA MVP Embiid and All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers were expected to have one of the strongest trios in the league as they work to build a team that can compete with the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Last season, George played 76 games, marking the first time he played more than 56 games since the 2018-19 season.
