Suns’ Alex Len saved drowning friend in Dominican Republic

Suns center Alex Len saved his friend from drowning while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.

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Phoenix Suns center Alex Len saved his friend from drowning while on vacation in the Dominican Republic last month, reportsThe Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro.

Len’s friend, Jay Johnson, jumped into a wave while swimming in the ocean and got caught in a riptide that pulled him roughly 40 yards from the beach.

“I thought I was going to die,” Johnson said. “He risked his life for me. Nobody knows how far gone I was.”

The 22-year-old Len ran into the ocean and rescued his friend.

“By the time I got to [Johnson], he was halfway passed out,” Len said. “He couldn’t swim. He wasn’t moving. If I would’ve come a couple minutes later, he probably would’ve drowned.”

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Len, a three-year NBA veteran, averaged nine points and 7.6 rebounds this season for the Suns.