BOSTON — On first glance, Julius Randle’s fall hardly looked like something that would cause a season-ending injury.
That’s exactly what happened, though, and after James Young saw Randle suffered a broken tibia in his Los Angeles Lakers debut Tuesday night, he could not help but feel for his former Kentucky teammate.
“Weird things can happen off a short little fall,” Young said shortly before his own NBA debut Wednesday at TD Garden. “Anything can happen. I’m praying for a speedy recovery and I’m pretty sure he’ll come back 100 percent.”
The injury was especially hard for Young to watch given how supportive Randle was this summer, when Young was out of commission with a concussion and whiplash he suffered in a car accident. Randle sent Young a text telling Young to take as long as he needed with his recovery so he could return at 100 percent.
Young sent a similar text Wednesday morning after watching Randle’s injury on SportsCenter. He also posted a message of support on Instagram.
“We always keep in touch with each other,” Young said. “If something’s going wrong, we’ve got each other’s backs. That’s how it is.”
The former teammates reached their dream of playing in the NBA at roughly the same time. For the time being, one will have to live out the dream for both of them.
Photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
