Prized Lakers Rookie Julius Randle Suffers Broken Leg In NBA Debut

Only minutes after Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard nearly came to blows, Julius Randle suffered one that actually matters. The Los Angeles Lakers’ prized rookie was taken off the floor on a stretcher midway through the fourth quarter of the Houston Rockets’ win after injuring his right leg while attacking the rim. His initial diagnosis is a tibial fracture.

Here’s video of the injury. Please note that it’s somewhat graphic in nature:

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Bryant, Carlos Boozer, and the rest of the Lakers bench came to Randle’s side as medical personnel immobilized his leg.

The Rockets and players of other teams expressed support for the rookie on Twitter shortly following the incident:

Our thoughts are certainly with Randle, too. Though this is a disheartening way to begin a career, we’ve no doubt he’ll come back stronger than ever – maybe even as the next Kobe.

What do you think?

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