9 Time All Star Reveals Kobe Bryant’s Advice After Devastating Injury

Paul George was helped tremendously by Kobe Bryant.

Feb 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and forward Paul George (13) look on in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Paul George has turned into a star level player over his career, but it wasn't without a lot of work. The devastating leg injury he suffered in the summer of 2014 seems like so far away now, but it could've changed his entire career.

During a recent episode of the Podcast P show, Paul George said that Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant played a big part in his recovery from the injury. George says Bryant called him after the injury and offered advice about what was to come.

"Obviously, he was just showing his support," Paul George said. "He was like, 'If you need anything from me, I'm here. I'm in this with you.' But he was just like, 'The rehab is going to be tough. The work is going to be hard.' And he was like, 'Nobody wants to rehab,' because this is the first time I've ever been injured or broke anything... 'The work is going to be tedious, its going to be tiresome, you're not going to want to do it, but my advice is to attack rehab the same way you attack working out on the court.' He was like, 'You find fun in working out on the basketball court. You've got to find that same fun for the rehab. There's no other way you're going to get through it. It's just attack rehab like you attack the basketball court.'

"And so that second end of attacking it like basketball, I was like, 'Alright, he said it was going to be tedious, but now I've got to just give it everything I got every time I work out.' That was kind of the breakthrough."

Paul George eventually returned to the level of an All-Star, and went on to lead multiple teams like the Pacers, Thunder, and Clippers into the playoffs.

His return might have been very different without Kobe Bryant.

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