Paul George surprises students with visit to Carl Albert HS
MIDWEST CITY – The teens flocked around Paul George like he was a member of The Beatles in the mid1960’s, screaming, grabbing at the Thunder forward as if he were a rock star.
Then the cell phones went up for selfies, and racks of the Nike PG2 shoe were rolled onto center court at Carl Albert High School on Wednesday and you were reminded it was 2018.
Of course, when they weren’t mobbing the AllStar, the students' chants of “We Want George” grew loud enough for George to soak them in.
“Yeah, it never gets old,” George said. “I think it’s always great to be wanted.”
Since his trade to the Thunder in July, George has felt every kind of embrace a four-time All-Star with an impending free agency decision could feel while in Oklahoma City. On Wednesday, the day before Carl Albert’s boys team tipped off in the Class 5A State Tournament, George decided to return the warmth.
George collaborated with Nike to surprise the students of Carl Albert at a pep rally, and finished off the rally by presenting each member of the boys and girls basketball teams with a pair of his special PG2 shoes in “The Moment” colorway.
“This school has an unbelievable tradition in their athletic sports,” George said of why Carl Albert was selected. “Plus, I just wanted to give back to the community, give back to this high school.
“I know they have a great chance of winning it all. I just wanted to give them a little boost, a little support for them to go out and have that moment tomorrow night.”
The colorway’s theme parallels George’s journey to the playoffs with the Thunder, Carl Albert’s to the state tournament, and, per Nike, part of “The Moment” collection. George was hands-on in the design of the shoe, working with Nike for close to a year on draft after draft before the final product was unveiled in January.
Before George presented the shoes to the kids, he had a special pair to deliver.
Seated in a wheelchair on the sidelines was Richard Morris, an immeasurably respected history teacher at Carl Albert who broke his neck in a bicycling accident in July. The entire pep rally was centered around Morris, with tributes from former and current students.
George brought the first box directly to Morris before the kids were allowed to get into their shoeboxes. George remembers how much teachers and coaches meant to him in his path to the NBA.
George certainly felt the love on Wednesday, all the more reason to give back.
“Again, this city, this community, this state has welcomed me, has taken me in with open arms,” he said. “That’s all I want to do is return the love, return the favor.
“It’s about being here, being supportive, being involved with the community and just being mindful of the love that’s been here and let them know that it’s being dished out the same way that I’ve received it.”
Roberson in “foundation stage” of rehab
Speaking with the media Wednesday for the first time since rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee on Jan. 27, Andre Roberson said he’s in the “foundation stage” of his rehab.
Ruptured patellar tendons typically take four to six months of recovery with standard rehab of six weeks of limited mobility in a brace. Roberson is approaching six weeks from his injury and was wearing a black knee brace which kept his leg straight on Wednesday in talking to the media.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan said Roberson is typically happy when he’s in the practice facility and around the team, but knows his star defender has a long road to recovery.
“The rehab is really tedious,” Donovan said. “You’re limited in terms of the way he can get around. You can’t bend your knee. He’s working hard at the rehab. Maybe disconnected from the team on road trips. Games, he can’t sit on the bench. There’s a lot he’s got to go through mentally there.
“But for him, he always comes in here with good spirits. I think a lot of times when you think rehabilitation, a lot of times you think you’re kind of putting the work in. But right now, that’s not even his rehab, because he’s not even bending his knee, but there’s things he’s got to do that are part of the recovery process. When he can really get back and he’s putting forth effort in terms of what he can do physically, I think that will probably inspire him.”
Tip ins: Dakari Johnson scored 26 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the G League Oklahoma City Blue’s 113108 loss to the Lakeland Magic on Wednesday morning. Johnson was recalled to the Thunder on Wednesday evening.