It was March 25, 2019. The Portland Trail Blazers were engaged in a brutal double-overtime game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Moda Center. With just under two-and-a-half minutes remaining, Jusuf Nurkic fell to the ground, his lower left leg twisted at an unnatural angle.
Replays show players on both sides quickly turning away, unwilling to look at the gruesome injury. The team’s broadcast crew made no attempt to show a replay. Stomachs turned all across Rip City as fans realized the vital big man was done for the season.
Nurkic suffered compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula, a complete break of both bones, similar to an injury suffered by Paul George in 2014, back when he was playing for the Indiana Pacers.