The Los Angeles Lakers confirmed that Julius Randle underwent successful surgery on Wednesday morning to repair a fracture tibia in his right leg. As was feared, the promising rookie is expected to miss the duration of the 2014-15 NBA season, which will be a striking blow for the Lakers and for the 19-year-old kid.
In a freak move, Randle appeared to break his right leg by accidentally kicking himself with his left leg as he drove to the basket in Tuesday's loss to the Houston Rockets. In painful scenes that gripped the fans in the stadium and his teammates on the bench, Randle sat on the floor in visible pain as Lakers’ athletic trainer Gary Vitti stabilized the injured leg and called for a stretcher.
Randle's teammates emotionally helped the clearly distraught youngster keep composure on the court and physically assisted the 240-pound forward onto the stretcher.
Following the confirmation of the seriousness of the injury, players and fans expressed support for the 19-year-old and wished him a speedy recovery.
LA-native Paul George, who is also missing the 2014-15 season with a broken leg, expressed his sadness over the event on social media.
Damn I didn't wanna see the young boy go down like that! Prayers up @j30_randle! Trust the process God got you! — Paul George (@Yg_Trece) October 29, 2014
George was only one of numerous players that took the time to wish the future of the Lakers' franchise well wishes.
In a classy move, the Lakers' cross town rivals, the LA Clippers took to social media to express their support as well.
#Clippers share sympathy for #Lakers’ 7th overall pick after injury from Tuesday's game. READ →http://t.co/qVET9csZIM pic.twitter.com/YmFDyAKo9J — Los Angeles Clippers (@LAClippers) October 29, 2014
The Clippers have eerily similar experience in this sort of matter, as Blake Griffin missed his entire rookie season through injury after a promising preseason.
The Lakers stated that Randle underwent a successful operation and expected to make a complete recovery.
